farming news stories on Newser

Environmentalists Fear New Biotech Corn

Matt Cantor — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:33:05 CDT

Debate is raging over a new biotech corn engineered by Dow Chemical. The corn, called "Enlist," is intended to solve farmers' struggle against tough weeds; that's because it's resistant to a powerful herbicide, also made by Dow. But environmentalists fear that wind, heat, and humidity would carry the herbicide toward...

Farming's Future: No More Plows?

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:15:00 CDT

A transformation in farming may be under way, one that leaves plows in the dust. It's called "no-till" farming, and the AFP (via Raw Story ) catches up with the growing trend in Indiana. The idea is that a plow—or on a smaller scale, a garden shovel—disrupts the...

Sorry, Critics, Sustainable Farming Is Not a Myth

John Johnson — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:46:40 CDT

In a recent New York Times op-ed , James McWilliams dismissed the movement toward smaller-scale, sustainable farming as ultimately unworkable in terms of logistics, and nowhere near as good for the environment as proponents suggest. In doing so, he called out one of the movement's leaders, Joel Salatin of Virginia's Polyface...

Officials Find 50K Abandoned Chickens

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:27:15 CST

An animal rights group is seeking criminal charges after officials discovered nearly 50,000 dying chickens abandoned on an egg farm near Modesto, Calif., MSNBC reports via the Modesto Bee . Most of the birds were euthanized due to illness, but about 2,000 are being treated at sanctuaries and will...

Satellites, Drones Spy on Europe's Farms

Rob Quinn — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:45:00 CST

Satellites and spy drones are scanning farmland in the European Union, and their findings can lead to something nearly as damaging as an air strike: a subsidy cut. The EU spends billions every year in farm subsidies, and eyes in the sky are increasingly being used as a tool to...

Seed Shortage Buries Hopes for Record Corn Crop

Rob Quinn — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:02:00 CST

American farmers had been planning the biggest corn planting since World War II this spring, but they're being thwarted by a seed shortage. Drought conditions in the Midwest and Great Plains last year have caused what dealers in the corn belt say is the biggest shortage of top-quality seeds they've...

What Downturn? Farmers Have Abundant Year

Matt Cantor — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:24:05 CST

The rest of us might be bracing for the worst, but US farmers are having a banner year. With prices soaring for crops, farmland, and livestock, farmers are set to score profits of $100.9 billion, a 28% jump, the AP reports. That's the first time the figure has topped...

Get Ready for Even More Stink Bugs

Matt Cantor — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:55:05 CDT

If your town is already overrun with stink bugs, bad news: There's little relief in sight. Last year, the non-native brown marmorated stink bug sunk its proboscis into the Mid-Atlantic apple crop, ruining $37 million of fruit; after that, they swarmed into local houses to hibernate. Now they've emerged and...

We've Ruined the Tomato

Sarah Whitmire — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:36:46 CDT

In America’s melting pot of food culture, few ingredients have been as broadly assimilated as the tomato. Whether it’s ketchup, marinara, salsa, or just fodder for salads, our country’s demand for the tomato is extreme. But as journalist Barry Estabrook says in an interview with Salon , America’s love for the...