▬ New FAO report explores how wood products add to forests’ role in carbon storage; Using Trees to shrink carbon footprints. | FAO
▬ NASA and NOAA have put the planet on track to surpass 2015 as the hottest on record. | Sci-Am
▬ About 836 million gallons of ethanol were exported in 2015, which matched the 2014 exports. The industry produced about 14 billion gallons nationally in 2015. That amounts to about 6 percent of ethanol production with the export market expected to increase to 8 percent this year. | Jamestown Sun
▬ There is an emerging concern that some enthusiastic CRISPR-ers are ignoring growing evidence that CRISPR might inadvertently alter regions of the genome other than the intended ones. | Stat News
▬ 'Corn sweat' adding to heat misery in Midwest | USA Today
▬ SuperMeat, an Israeli startup, creates ‘meat’ in a laboratory. | J Weekly
▬ A steady but gradual decline in farmland values continued into the first half of 2016 across the states served by Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica). Iowa has experienced the greatest decline in average farm values – about 20 percent since the market’s 2013 peak. Nebraska and South Dakota farmland has declined by a more modest 12.5 and 4.8 percent respectively during the same period. | The Prairie Star
▬ World Fertilizer prices continue to fall | DTN
▬ Many farmers believe that buying seed from different seed companies means they’re diversifying their genetics, but this is probably not be the case. | Agweb
▬ Agronomist Mark Bernards, Western Illinois University, warns that even with a group of cover crops such as legumes or brassicas, some will be more or less sensitive to different herbicides. He recommends relying on advisors as well as knowing the product. | Corn and Soybean Digest
▬ Over the last ten years, U.S. corn acres grew by 7.2 million acres. However, changes in acres across the United States were not even. High growth areas included North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota. Growth occurred near and around the western corn-belt while acres in the eastern corn-belt remained relatively stable. | Farm Doc Daily (Includes good map)
▬ The world’s water wars, underground water pumping, aquifer depletion | National Geographic
▬ Global and regional pulse economies: Current trends and outlook Report | IFPRI
▬ In 2015, the Shepherd’s Grain farmers produced a total of 673,000 bushels of wheat, a growth of about 720% since 2005. | Agcocorp
▬ The Italian Region Where Co-ops produce a third of its GDP | Truth-out
▬ John Patterson, a carpenter-turned-hempster, teaches classes on home-building with hemp in Fort Collins, Colorado. Hempcrete — a mixture of hemp stalk, water and lime — could pave the way toward a sustainable future, rattling off the material's key eco-friendly properties: It's naturally temperature regulating; biodegradable; lightweight; antibacterial; antimicrobial; and it's a carbon sequester (meaning it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere rather than letting it keep warming the planet). | CSIndy
▬ Understanding the USDA Organic Label | USDA Blog
▬ A USDA research lab near Palisade, Colorado develops biocontrol insects. It is the oldest of its kind in the country. | Harvest Public Media
▬ Wyoming to Sell Two 640-Acre Parcels to National Park Service for $46 Million Apiece | The Land Report
▬ Mergers and acquisitions in the dairy sector are continuing apace, as major players fight for a share of a shrinking pie according to Rabobank. | Agrimoney
▬ An Iowan is raising crickets for human consumption | Charlotte Observer
▬ How to control Japanese beetles. Which plants do they like, not like? | Farm and Dairy (Note that we are battling these at our house here on the front range of Colorado. They especially like the plum tree, but are also on roses and the cherry tree.)
▬ Open source tools for small tractors and small scale farming. | No Tech Mag
▬ Schmacon is Taking Off as Bacon Alternative | Agweb
▬ Potato researcher warns of new disease threat. | Capital Press
▬ “Another” source of superbugs: Travelers to India. | Science Daily
***Note on Vilsack losing out as VP pick... One headline stated it well, from Politico, “Sanders supporters on Vilsack: No to Mr. Monsanto." (As usual, Sanders & fans stood for something quite different from HC.) What I noticed immediately, was how Vilsack was being groomed by media in the 2 weeks leading up to the pick. Nice photos being used (younger and thinner)... speaking about eating local in DesMoines and other wonderful noncontroversial topics... that sort of thing. An article by NY Mag reported that there were 40 Wikipedia edits to Vilsack’s page since the beginning of July. (Kaine’s had 100 edits in the final week, and half were on the Friday of the announcement.)
THIS WEEK's BONUS:
Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook travels to an Idaho farm to learn about the process of growing potatoes.
To view last week's LINKS, click here.
▬ NASA and NOAA have put the planet on track to surpass 2015 as the hottest on record. | Sci-Am
▬ About 836 million gallons of ethanol were exported in 2015, which matched the 2014 exports. The industry produced about 14 billion gallons nationally in 2015. That amounts to about 6 percent of ethanol production with the export market expected to increase to 8 percent this year. | Jamestown Sun
▬ There is an emerging concern that some enthusiastic CRISPR-ers are ignoring growing evidence that CRISPR might inadvertently alter regions of the genome other than the intended ones. | Stat News
▬ 'Corn sweat' adding to heat misery in Midwest | USA Today
▬ SuperMeat, an Israeli startup, creates ‘meat’ in a laboratory. | J Weekly
▬ A steady but gradual decline in farmland values continued into the first half of 2016 across the states served by Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica). Iowa has experienced the greatest decline in average farm values – about 20 percent since the market’s 2013 peak. Nebraska and South Dakota farmland has declined by a more modest 12.5 and 4.8 percent respectively during the same period. | The Prairie Star
▬ World Fertilizer prices continue to fall | DTN
▬ Many farmers believe that buying seed from different seed companies means they’re diversifying their genetics, but this is probably not be the case. | Agweb
▬ Agronomist Mark Bernards, Western Illinois University, warns that even with a group of cover crops such as legumes or brassicas, some will be more or less sensitive to different herbicides. He recommends relying on advisors as well as knowing the product. | Corn and Soybean Digest
▬ Over the last ten years, U.S. corn acres grew by 7.2 million acres. However, changes in acres across the United States were not even. High growth areas included North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota. Growth occurred near and around the western corn-belt while acres in the eastern corn-belt remained relatively stable. | Farm Doc Daily (Includes good map)
▬ The world’s water wars, underground water pumping, aquifer depletion | National Geographic
▬ Global and regional pulse economies: Current trends and outlook Report | IFPRI
▬ In 2015, the Shepherd’s Grain farmers produced a total of 673,000 bushels of wheat, a growth of about 720% since 2005. | Agcocorp
▬ The Italian Region Where Co-ops produce a third of its GDP | Truth-out
▬ John Patterson, a carpenter-turned-hempster, teaches classes on home-building with hemp in Fort Collins, Colorado. Hempcrete — a mixture of hemp stalk, water and lime — could pave the way toward a sustainable future, rattling off the material's key eco-friendly properties: It's naturally temperature regulating; biodegradable; lightweight; antibacterial; antimicrobial; and it's a carbon sequester (meaning it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere rather than letting it keep warming the planet). | CSIndy
▬ Understanding the USDA Organic Label | USDA Blog
▬ A USDA research lab near Palisade, Colorado develops biocontrol insects. It is the oldest of its kind in the country. | Harvest Public Media
▬ Wyoming to Sell Two 640-Acre Parcels to National Park Service for $46 Million Apiece | The Land Report
▬ Mergers and acquisitions in the dairy sector are continuing apace, as major players fight for a share of a shrinking pie according to Rabobank. | Agrimoney
▬ An Iowan is raising crickets for human consumption | Charlotte Observer
▬ How to control Japanese beetles. Which plants do they like, not like? | Farm and Dairy (Note that we are battling these at our house here on the front range of Colorado. They especially like the plum tree, but are also on roses and the cherry tree.)
▬ Open source tools for small tractors and small scale farming. | No Tech Mag
▬ Schmacon is Taking Off as Bacon Alternative | Agweb
▬ Potato researcher warns of new disease threat. | Capital Press
▬ “Another” source of superbugs: Travelers to India. | Science Daily
***Note on Vilsack losing out as VP pick... One headline stated it well, from Politico, “Sanders supporters on Vilsack: No to Mr. Monsanto." (As usual, Sanders & fans stood for something quite different from HC.) What I noticed immediately, was how Vilsack was being groomed by media in the 2 weeks leading up to the pick. Nice photos being used (younger and thinner)... speaking about eating local in DesMoines and other wonderful noncontroversial topics... that sort of thing. An article by NY Mag reported that there were 40 Wikipedia edits to Vilsack’s page since the beginning of July. (Kaine’s had 100 edits in the final week, and half were on the Friday of the announcement.)
THIS WEEK's BONUS:
Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook travels to an Idaho farm to learn about the process of growing potatoes.
To view last week's LINKS, click here.