Read more agriculture stories on Newserhttp://www.newser.com/taggrid/205/agriculture.html2009 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 24 Nov 2009 13:14:09 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/70965/hobby-farms-cropping-up.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMost evenings, Gary Mithoefer can be found at the end of a long gravel driveway off a busy highway, tending two garden plots filled with white sweet potatoes, squash, cabbages, and a dozen other vegetables still thriving in early fall. The 62-year-old, who gardens after his workday ends at his...http://www.newser.com/story/70965/hobby-farms-cropping-up.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 05 Oct 2009 12:18:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/68792/one-serving-of-cotton-please-hold-the-poison.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagScientists have developed a novel genetic engineering technique that makes the protein-rich seeds of the cotton plant easily edible, Time reports. The entire plant, including the seeds, produces a toxic chemical called gossypol that protects it from insects and microbes. “People, pigs, chickens—none of us can stomach gossypol,” says...http://www.newser.com/story/68792/one-serving-of-cotton-please-hold-the-poison.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 07 Sep 2009 15:36:20 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/67531/modern-farming-has-lost-its-soul.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWe know today’s food industry cranks out “unhealthy food, mishandles waste, and overuses antibiotics,” writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times , but the heart of the matter is that today’s industrial farms have “no soul.” In a visit back to his old stomping grounds, Kristof reflects that the “kind...http://www.newser.com/story/67531/modern-farming-has-lost-its-soul.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagSun, 23 Aug 2009 10:56:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/67499/hay-rustlers-roam-wild-in-texas.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWith Texas caught in the midst of a brutal drought, a new crime is on the rise: hay rustling. Hay has been disappearing from farms, depriving cattle of much-needed nourishment, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stolen hay reports remain sporadic—the Journal catches up with one farmer who lost 1,...http://www.newser.com/story/67499/hay-rustlers-roam-wild-in-texas.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagSat, 22 Aug 2009 13:02:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/67044/newbie-farmers-pair-with-old-hands.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMatchmaking just might save the family farm, the AP reports. States such as Iowa, Virginia, and Washington have started programs pairing would-be farmers with those aiming to retire, in the hopes of beefing up independent agriculture and keeping rural areas populated. "I thought I may never get a chance like...http://www.newser.com/story/67044/newbie-farmers-pair-with-old-hands.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagSun, 16 Aug 2009 15:43:01 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/65584/organic-food-wont-make-you-any-healthier-uk-scientists.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagOrganic food has no health benefits compared to ordinary food, according to a report commissioned by the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Reseachers looked at 55 studies on the subject from the past 50 years, and concluded that the differences, where they existed, weren’t particularly significant from a public-health standpoint. But...http://www.newser.com/story/65584/organic-food-wont-make-you-any-healthier-uk-scientists.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWed, 29 Jul 2009 14:52:02 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/64691/calif-strawberries-may-turn-toxic.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagCalifornia appears close to producing strawberries that induce side-effects such as neurological damage and fetal loss, Gourmet reports. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is under industry pressure to approve a fumigant called methyl iodide, which rids soil of all living organisms without hurting the ozone layer. But a group of 50 scientists...http://www.newser.com/story/64691/calif-strawberries-may-turn-toxic.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagFri, 17 Jul 2009 20:40:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/63622/michelle-obamas-garden-policy-move-or-photo-op.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMichelle Obama’s vegetable garden had its first big harvest recently, and so far, it’s the most tangible food policy move the Obama administration has delivered, Salon reports. President Obama came to office promising real reform that so far hasn’t materialized. The more patient in the progressive food community see the...http://www.newser.com/story/63622/michelle-obamas-garden-policy-move-or-photo-op.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 06 Jul 2009 12:42:02 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/62104/obama-clashes-with-rural-democrats.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagDemocrats from rural areas aren’t pleased with President Obama, and they’re threatening to show it by revolting against key parts of his domestic agenda, Politico reports. The tension boiled to the surface last week when rural and moderate Democrats decried plans to close 3,400 General Motors and Chrysler dealerships,...http://www.newser.com/story/62104/obama-clashes-with-rural-democrats.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWed, 17 Jun 2009 11:15:01 CDT