Agriculture News

Ohio, Pa. and N.Y. in early stages of drought

According to the US Drought Monitor, released July 28, almost all of northeast and northcentral Ohio was in a “moderate drought,” the first of four levels of drought severity.

The moderate drought continues in northcentral Pennsylvania, and the majority of both states are classified as “abnormally dry,” a step before drought. The worst conditions are in the northernmost counties of Pennsylvani and into New York, where counties are suffering “severe drought,” or the second level of severity.

Improper dicamba use leaves Mid-South a multitude of drift cases

When Monsanto’s Xtend soybeans were approved for planting this season, many applauded the move. After all, the technology means crops can be sprayed with dicamba and weeds are only becoming tougher to control. There was a huge caveat, though: while the seed could be planted, new, less volatile formulations of dicamba were not approved.  In the run up to planting, Mid-South growers were repeatedly warned over-the-top applications of available dicamba products would not be allowed. Even so, state officials fretted improper spraying would happen following a 2015 growing season when “some individuals — a very small group — used a dicamba product not labeled for this seed,” said Susie Nichols at the Arkansas State Plant Board in April. “That’s a big worry for the Plant Board; there’s a lot of Xtend soybean seed in the state. We’ve tried to let everyone know it’s a violation to use any dicamba product on this technology because none is labeled for this use. “It’s a major concern because dicamba has a very adverse effect on soybeans. It has a propensity to drift and can kill an entire crop and a lot of this new technology. Sure enough, despite the warnings the temptation to spray was too much for some growers. Now, neighboring fields are paying the price. The Missouri Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Pesticide Control is conducting investigations of more than 100 complaints in four southeast Missouri counties

Humans once opposed coffee and refrigeration. Here’s why we often hate new stuff.

Humans have a habit of stalling their own progress. From coffee to mechanical refrigeration to genetically altered food, history is littered with innovations that sparked resistance before becoming fixtures in everyday life. In hindsight, opposition to innovations such as mechanical farm equipment or recorded music may seem ludicrous. But the past 600 years of human history help explain why humans often oppose new technologies and why that pattern of opposition continues to this day. Among Juma’s assertions is that people don’t fear innovation simply because the technology is new, but because innovation often means losing a piece of their identity or lifestyle. Innovation can also separate people from nature or their sense of purpose — two things that Juma argues are fundamental to the human experience.

The Tax Break For Kansas Farmers That Few Know About

Following the 2012 Brownback tax cuts, farmers no longer had to pay state income tax -- just like 334,000 LLCs, S corporations and sole proprietorships.  But farmers get a little something extra: They also pay no state income tax on subsidies they get from Washington. In all, about 40,000 farmers in Kansas receive about $1 billion a year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even many farmers think not paying taxes on this money is a bad idea. The farm income exemption got tacked on in the waning hours of the 2012 session as Republican leaders scrambled to get enough votes to pass the tax cuts.