Resources
Prices for corn and soybeans, five years from now
Although challenges to planting the 2013 crop may provide some degree of support to corn and soybean prices, they have quickly faded from the 2012 highs and are threatening to diminish further from the highs that began in 2007.
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Commentary: VB6 and more anti-livestock propaganda
New York Times food writer Mark Bittman promotes his new diet book, and nationally syndicated columnist David Sirota claims livestock production helps “incinerate the planet.” They’re both wrong.
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iPhone and tablet apps for agriculture
Recently, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service hosted a workshop focused on apps for agriculture. In addition to providing an introduction to using iPads (everything from turning the device on) they provided hands-on demonstrations of numerous apps they have reviewed for use in agricultural settings.
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Drought marches to the West
Despite the drought showing signs of improvement over much of nation’s thirsty heartland, the latest Drought Monitor report shows signs of worsening further south and west.
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Pork exports jump 20 percent
After falling by 34 percent last week, U.S. pork exports rebounded this week.
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Meat packers, union seek new visa allowing year-round workers
Foreign workers could gain visas for year-round work in U.S. meat processing plants under a proposal by the meat industry and the meatpackers union for immigration reform designed to create a steady supply of workers for slaughterhouses.
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U.S. corn plantings to gain traction at weekend
Drier weather in the U.S. Midwest this weekend and early next week will lead to a sharp boost in corn planting, which has fallen to the slowest pace in nearly three decades, an agricultural meteorologist said on Thursday.
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Economist explores wealth effect in U.S. agriculture
Since 2009, wealth in the U.S. farm sector has surged along with booming farmland values. In the latest issue of the Main Street Economist, Omaha Branch Executive Jason Henderson and Nathan Kauffman, economist, explore the historical wealth effect in agriculture and what it could mean for farm debt and leverage if farm incomes fall dramatically.
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New rules! Europe announces revisions to food safety laws
Responding to the horse meat fraud scandal, the European Commission has proposed revisions to its food safety laws that would cut red tape but strengthen penalties for violators.
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NASA study projects warming-driven changes in global rainfall
A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought.
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USDA researches environmentally friendly farming
A USDA researcher is studying the feasibility of using cheaper alternatives to commercial fertilizers and how much farmers can use in an environmentally friendly way.
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