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| Eggplant. Solanum melongena. White eggs and beautiful flowers. c1792. |
This Tuesday news thread is a weekly feature here at Big Picture Agriculture.
- How pheasant hunting can save rural Iowa, farming and the environment | DesMoines Register Comment: This article is spot-on. What Midwest farm policy needs most right now is policy support for idled land and wildlife habitat. This would pay its way by the ripple effect from tourism and a return of younger people back to the land, as they would find a clean air and water environment appealing, along with a return to yesterday's rich prairie ecosystems full of natural beauty with recreational opportunities. The first of the Midwestern states to prioritize this idea will be the winner! And, the idea needs federal farm bill support.
- September Rural Mainstreet Index Reaches 2017 Low: More than Half of Bankers Restructured Farm Loans | Creighton.edu
- Organic production, sales, see 23% jump in 2016, and other organic production statistics | The Packer
- World's cereal production headed for a record in 2017 (FAO) | Phys.org
- Americans Are Devouring Organic Chickens as Farm Sales Surge | Bloomberg
- Why small, local, organic farms aren’t the key to fixing our food system | Wash-Post
- A Third of Rural Hospitals in Danger of Closing | Agweb
- Blackballed for educating counties about manure | By Art Cullen of Storm Lake Times
- Can manure sustain soils? | Washington State
- Iowa Ideas discussion on soil and water conservation | The Gazette Comment: I listened to most of this panel discussion and it was really quite bleak and hopeless about the state of agriculture in Iowa and the ability for change on the horizon. "complicated" "economic decisions" "can't get people to do the work" "haven't figured out the right mix" "cover crops don't pay" "diversified crop rotations, what about the labor?" "share-cropping" "water quality issues" "who will work for no pay?" It was like every good idea discussed hit a major roadblock.
- Tyson to add 245 jobs in Waterloo; Iowa awards Tyson $2.4 million in incentives | The Gazette Comment: After hearing that Iowa has no money to support the state's soil and water in the above panel discussion, we see where the money goes in this headline.
- Nebraska could bid for Tyson chicken plant after Kansas squawking stalls project | Omaha World-Herald
- Petition to tighten rules on livestock facilities in Iowa fails | DesMoines Register
- EPA still can't measure livestock air emissions | DesMoines Register
- EPA to Allow Use of Dicamba, but with Tighter Restrictions | USAgnet
- Pork imports slow in China as domestic pork production rebounds (Chart) | USDA
- Pilgrim’s Pride makes $1 billion acquisition of overseas company | Biz West
- In Canada, climate change could open new farmland to the plow | Reuters
- Farming in Alaska is Gaining a Bigger Foothold | High Country News
- Iowa's Farming Systems Going to China | USA Today
- USDA Trade Mission Heading to Brazil (following Brazil's 20% ethanol tariff announcement) | Agwired
- Farmland Partners Announces $110 Million Acquisition Of California Farmland | Straits Times
- Two massive, $16 billion tunnels that looked to be the future of California’s water system have been thrown into limbo by a group of powerful farmers | Capital Press
- Group dedicated to making stevia a viable Southeast cash crop | Southeast Farm Press
- Cargill to build new biodiesel plant in Wichita, Kansas | Cargill
- Why India's farmers want to conserve indigenous heirloom rice; India was once home to 100,000 rice varieties, but high-yield, less hardy hybrids have taken over encouraging farmers to safeguard more resistant strains | The Guardian
- Wisconsin Ranks Second Nationally for Organic Farming | USAgnet
- Nebraska small-town citizens put money where their mouths are to keep rural grocery stores open. | Omaha World-Herald
- Despite the growth of organic agriculture, France will suspend state support to organic farmers by 2018 | Euractiv
- Colorado Divide: How family, fortitude and faith help some carry on a farming heritage; Embracing rural life, they have inspired a farming “renaissance” | Denver Post
- Health comes from the ground up, Charles Massy says – yet chemicals used in agriculture are ‘causing millions of deaths’ and wants to change everything about the way we grow, eat and think about food | The Guardian
- The eco guide to ancient grains | The Guardian
- Pace of innovation in horticulture is phenomenal | HortiDaily
- Greening the Sahara | Cosmos (Center-pivots)
- Farms, wildlife clash with urban growth in South Platte story | Ag Journal Online
- Wegmans growing an army of organic farmers | Democrat and Chronicle
- What We Sow is What We Eat. | CounterPunch Quote: "I am lying in a meadow high in the Rocky Mountains. The sun is warm and comforting."
- Good information about eight grains other than wheat | MNN
- 10 Fun Facts About Berries | Minnesota Montly
- How to Survive the Apocalypse | NYTs
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