Agriculture

A sharp build-up of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) levels in the atmosphere has coincided with a general change in the earth’s ecosystem that is characterized by an increase in global average temperatures. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), average temperatures have risen 1.5°F over the past century and are projected to rise to 0.5°F to 8.6°F over the next one-hundred years (EPA, 2016a). Increasing temperatures have been accompanied by rising sea levels, flooding, extreme heat waves, drought, and frequent and intense storms. [node:read-more:link]

Farm incomes will likely continue to slump next year with grain prices remaining at or near their lowest levels in about a decade, according to an analysis by agricultural economists at Purdue University. The Purdue Agricultural Economics Report 2017 outlook was published by the Purdue University Department of Agricultural Economics this month. It includes 12 sections by 11 different authors.  U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Farm policy opponents love to rail against “corporate farms.” These operations, they say, have run family farmers out of rural America. But is it true? Not according to a recent report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).  It is true that modern-day farms in America are no longer one-or-two acre plots plowed by oxen and planted by hand — the inefficient, gothic scenes of yesteryear.  Instead, farms now operate like small businesses that must borrow capital and use the latest technologies and farming practices to maximize efficiencies and offset stagnant commodity prices. [node:read-more:link]

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority has granted the town of Siler City $1.5 million to assist in providing expanded wastewater services in support of a 700-job expansion by Mountaire Farms. The Delaware-based poultry processor currently has five locations in the state. The grant supports a total capital investment of $70 million by the company. Mountaire Farms announced in May it entered into an agreement to acquire the former Townsend processing plant and an adjoining property in Siler City that it would renovate into a modern poultry plant. [node:read-more:link]

In many countries, the cause isn't a lack of food — it's a lack of safe food. The risk of malnutrition caused by unsafe food is increasing, as human populations grow and continue to urbanize. This public health problem can be solved — not by doctors but by veterinarians. They're crucial to safeguarding the health of animals that are the foundation of the world's food supply. Unfortunately, well-trained veterinarians are in short supply worldwide. To improve global food safety, that has to change. The world's population will increase by 2.6 billion by 2050. [node:read-more:link]

If Costco and Lincoln Premium Poultry plant comes into fruition, Nebraska broiler production would increase from 1 million head to 18 million. To support the plant’s production potential, an estimated 17 million birds would need to be raised by contract farmers in the area, reported KCUR. That would dramatically increase the amount of broilers raised in the state. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, the most recent census, about 1 million broilers were being raised in the state. [node:read-more:link]

It’s taken almost two years to clear the air, but a new USDA Office of Inspector General’s audit report about the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Nebraska paints substantially different picture than The New York Times described in a scathing report which alleged animal abuse and prompted calls for investigations.  “Overall, we did not note evidence indicating a systemic problem with animal welfare at USMARC,” the OIG staff noted in a report. [node:read-more:link]

Thanks to a national ArtPlace America grant, an urban farm in Detroit is making plans to expand with a dining hall, an Art Farm House, a farm-fresh convenience store and more.  The Oakland Avenue Urban Farm expansion project will bring focus on "art-centered redevelopment" as artists and designers team up to create what officials are calling the nation's first "agri-cultural" urban landscape.Some of the project's prospective highlights include a vacant home transforming into a cafeteria and hostel, the creation of the Art Farm House, an exhibition space and "mini" art school, and the North [node:read-more:link]

If any progress is to be made, it will be because you kept telling your story in a direct, honest manner.  If you are not already doing this, it’s past time to start!  It’s the only way that the disconnect will shorten.  Have no fear of difficult issues.  They exist and will likely always exist. [node:read-more:link]

“Iowa’s average farmland value declined for the third year in a row, down 5.9 percent to $7,183 an acre over the past year. It’s the first time since the 1980s farm crisis that land values have fallen three straight years, according to an Iowa State University report.  An overview of the ISU report noted that, “In general, the results from the 2016 Iowa State University land value survey echo results from other surveys. [node:read-more:link]