Agriculture News
Model predicts elimination of GMO crops would cause hike in greenhouse gas emissions
Purdue | Posted on November 8, 2016A global ban on genetically modified crops would raise food prices and add the equivalent of nearly a billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, a study by researchers from Purdue University shows. Using a model to assess the economic and environmental value of GMO crops, agricultural economists found that replacing GMO corn, soybeans and cotton with conventionally bred varieties worldwide would cause a 0.27 to 2.2 percent increase in food costs, depending on the region, with poorer countries hit hardest. According to the study, published Oct. 27 in the Journal ofEnvironmental Protection, a ban on GMOs would also trigger negative environmental consequences: The conversion of pastures and forests to cropland - to compensate for conventional crops' lower productivity - would release substantial amounts of stored carbon to the atmosphere.
Farmers expected to reach magical 300 number for corn yields
Chippewa Herald | Posted on November 8, 2016It wasn’t long ago when a Wisconsin farmer stood a better chance of rolling a 300, or perfect, game in bowling than producing a corn crop with a yield of 300 bushels per acre. The odds have changed in favor of the 300-bushel yield this year, thanks to a near-perfect growing season that has experts predicting record corn and soybean yields throughout much of the state, including Dane County. “I would imagine we’ll get to 300 this year by somebody around here, and I think it’s that good that we’ll get it. That’s the number farmers dream of,” said Heidi Johnson, UW-Extension’s Dane County agricultural agent.
Ultra-modern hog barn opens in Iowa
Feedstuffs | Posted on November 8, 2016A Chickasaw County, Iowa, pig farmer has erected what could be the most energy-efficient and environmentally sound hog building in Iowa. Dale Reicks of Reicks View Farms has built a unique hog building that doesn't look like most other modern hog barns, and what's inside confirms that it isn’t. The facility is equipped with all of the newest technology available in pig farming and is uniquely designed to be animal friendly, environmentally friendly and neighbor friendly. The Reicks family recently hosted 120 people during an open house to show off the facility's many environmental amenities. The finishing barn is incorporating new odor reduction technology with state-of-the-art air scrubber and air filtration, the latest feed delivery system, climate control features and more. To facilitate good ventilation, all air will come through a cool cell system, using evaporation to give the pigs the ideal growing environment.
If Batman drove a farm tractor, this would be it
USA Today | Posted on November 8, 2016If Batman switched from fighting crime to growing corn, this would be his tractor. Racine-based Case IH will showcase its autonomous, or driverless, tractor concept, with a curvy body that’s packed with technology, the tractor takes some cues from the Batmobile. But there’s no steering wheel or driver’s seat. Instead, the tractor uses satellites, radar, cameras and other digital gear to navigate the fields and take orders from a remote operator’s computer or tablet.
Poll shows strong urban support for Idaho agriculture
Capital Press | Posted on November 8, 2016A Boise State University poll shows that residents in Idaho’s largest urban area consider agriculture to be the Treasure Valley’s most important economic sector. The poll results come as somewhat of a welcome surprise considering the Treasure Valley area of southwestern Idaho is dominated by the Boise area, where the majority of people are assumed by many farmers to not have a strong understanding or appreciation of agriculture. But the poll shows otherwise. When asked which sector is most important to the Treasure Valley economy, 24.8 percent said agriculture, which ranked first, ahead of small business (18 percent) and hi-tech (17.2 percent). “I was a little bit surprised by the results,” said Corey Cook, dean of BSU’s School of Public Policy, which conducted 1,000 phone interviews with Treasure Valley residents on a variety of subjects. “I think most of us would have thought tech would have come in first.”
Processing facility could make quinoa viable in East Idaho
Capital Press | Posted on November 8, 2016A Driggs, Idaho, farmer has covered a funding shortfall to launch a locally based, commercial-scale quinoa processing facility, enticed by the promise of a new crop in his challenging growing area. The processing facility — which the owner, Jeremiah Clark, believes to be the first operation in the U.S. to process quinoa for commercial sale — opened on Oct. 21. Farming in a cool area at 6,400 feet, Wyatt Penfold has relied on a crop rotation of mostly seed potatoes and barley. For the past two years, however, he’s had good luck with raising quinoa for Clark. “It’s a great crop for cooler climates like we have,” Penfold said. “We’re just trying to support it because it’s a great opportunity for people in our part of the world to have another crop to grow.” Endemic to the Andean region of South America, quinoa is a gluten-free grain touted as a “super food” due to its high nutritional content. According to trade figures cited by Clark, the U.S. imported 55 percent of the 2015 global quinoa production, which totaled 108,000 metric tons.
The Changing Organization and Well-Being of Midsize U.S. Farms, 1992-2014
USDA | Posted on November 8, 2016Between 1992 and 2012, midsize farms - those with gross cash farm income (GCFI) between $350,000 and $1 million - declined in number by about 5 percent. This report examines midsize farms during the period from 1992 to 2014 and describes how commodity prices, the farm economy, and Government payments influenced their growth, survival, and well-being.
Egg farm to house 400,000 layers proposed in Ohio
Watt Ag Net | Posted on November 8, 2016The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is considering issuing permits for a potential egg farm near Harrod, Ohio. The farm, if approved, would include two layer houses, with each house capable of accommodating 200,000 hens. The ODA Livestock Environmental Permitting Division has issued a public notice, stating that it plans to hold an open house and public meeting on December 7 regarding the proposed egg farm.
Ohio’s CAUV case will stay in court, but trial not until 2018
Farm and Dairy | Posted on November 7, 2016A group of Ohio landowners who are hoping the courts can bring some relief to their farm real estate taxes will keep their case before a Franklin County judge. In the initial lawsuit, the landowners argued that the state determined CAUV values based on crop commodities — like corn, soybeans and wheat — and neglected to take into consideration acres that grow other crops, such as grapes, woodlands or pastureland, or are not suited to grow crops. “Basically, they (state officials) used the rise in commodity prices as an excuse for the fact that they changed other parts,” said Roberts. The plaintiffs argued that Ohio’s CAUV law requires rates to be determined according to different “land use patterns,” which include livestock, timberland and pastureland, in addition to “cropping.” The parties have about a year to complete case discovery, and a trial date is set for February, 2018.
Dairy industry getting help to compete, not compensation, for EU trade deal
CBC.ca | Posted on November 7, 2016Canada's dairy sector will receive help to adjust to increased competition from the new European cheese imports expected under the terms of the Canada-European Union trade deal signed last weekend. But don't call it compensation: the Liberals have something else in mind. Senior government officials from Global Affairs Canada gave a technical briefing to reporters on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, also known as CETA. Asked about compensation promised for the dairy sector, an official said that the federal government was working on "a package of transition assistance to position both processors and producers to be better able to compete with imports from the EU."