When farmers in the small farming town of Hallock, Minnesota have a bad year, as they have a few years in a row now, pretty much all the businesses in town suffer, including the grocery store.  “Look at the name of the store: Farmer's Store,” said Tom Swanson, the store's owner. “It was built by farmers to begin with. When the farmers have money in their pockets, everyone has money in their pockets around here.”  A few years ago, wheat, a big crop in these parts, sold for as much as $13 a bushel. Now it's closer to $4. [node:read-more:link]

The smart grid is only as smart as an Internet connection is strong. As advanced meters, smart thermostats and other web-enabled energy devices spread across Illinois and beyond, so too does the need for reliable, broadband communications.  In cities and suburbs, there is enough infrastructure to make it a non-issue. But in rural communities outside Chicago and other cities, roughly 39 percent of residents lack access to high-speed Internet service, according to a study last year by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). [node:read-more:link]

Exactly how President-elect Donald Trump's policies will affect agriculture remains virtually unknown, a group of panelists said at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual convention here the morning after Election Day. There are a number of questions to be answered that are critical to agriculture. That includes who will be the next secretary of agriculture, what happens with the next farm bill, the fate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and trade policy in general, the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, and the fate of the waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule. [node:read-more:link]

If you talk to farmers at the town coffee shop, the local feed mill, the livestock auction — or about any other place — you’ll find they’re a little pessimistic about where the ag economy is headed. And now there’s statistical evidence that shows their concern is more than talk. The Ag Economy Barometer, a survey of 400 U.S. farmers by Purdue University, measures producer sentiment toward current and future expectations. The Nov. 3 release of data resulted in the second most pessimistic results since the survey began in October 2015. [node:read-more:link]

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) is claiming victory after a battle with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) over the scope of net metering as part of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004.  Several issues have been scrutinized over the past two years, with the latest issue dealing with the PUC’s deletion of language that specifically exempted customer generators from being classified as a utility.  “We were concerned that the revised definition from the PUC would have eliminated all farmers utilizing methane digesters, wind and solar power systems from being eligible for net [node:read-more:link]

Massachusetts voters handily approved Question 3, a measure that would outlaw the use of cages in egg production and gestation crates in pig production. About 78 percent of the voters approved of the measure.  The law is to take effect in 2022.  The measure will not have a large impact on Massachusetts agriculture, as only one commercial egg producer uses cages. [node:read-more:link]

Gasoline prices are the lowest they’ve been in a decade, and according to recent data from the Department of Energy, Americans are buying more gas than ever. While low gas prices are good for consumers, they may be troublesome to those who worry about greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, two important federal policies are pushing ahead to decrease transportation sector emissions by increasing vehicle efficiency and the use of renewable fuels: the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards and the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). [node:read-more:link]

In August, the Humane Society of the United States put the poultry industry on notice: With the cage-free egg war all but won, the group would train its fire on broiler chicken producers. [node:read-more:link]

W hen considering the role of water in an economy, it is useful to reflect on the “Diamond-Water Paradox” made famous by Adam Smith: “Nothing is more useful than water: but it will purchase scarcely anything; scarcely anything can be had in exchange for it. A diamond, on the contrary, has scarcely any use-value; but a very great quantity of other goods may frequently be had in exchange for it.” [node:read-more:link]

Water scarcity is increasingly acknowledged to be a major risk in many parts of the world (World Economic Forum). Projections indicate that water-related problems may significantly worsen over the next several decades due to rising water demands as a result of demographic, socioeconomic, and technological changes, and due to the effects of climate change (World Water Assessment Program; Jiménez Cisneros and Oki). [node:read-more:link]