Shining a light on the wonders, struggles and triumphs of the natural world
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Like farmers throughout the Midwest, this spring’s torrential rains turned Andrew Dunham’s land into sticky muck that set him back nearly a month in planting his crops. Unlike other farmers, though, Dunham won’t get a piece of a $16 billion aid package to offset his losses and he can’t fall…
via Torrential Rain Leaves U.S. Midwest Vegetable Farmers Struggling With No Aid in Sight — TIME
The number of acres of U.S. farmland held by foreign-owned investors has doubled in the past two decades, raising alarm bells in farming communities.(Image credit: John Minchillo/AP)
via ‘American Soil’ Is Increasingly Foreign Owned — News : NPR
To help meet its ambitious climate goals, California is paying farmers to grow cover crops. The aim is to promote healthier soil that can absorb more carbon from the atmosphere.(Image credit: Lauren Sommer/KQED)
via California’s Latest Weapon Against Climate Change Is Low-Tech Farm Soil — News : NPR
A few weeks ago, Farmguy and I gathered our sheep for their spring shearing. We’ve had a number of warm days since late March with temperatures in the 70’s, and the sheep were appearing a bit stressed by the heat. I was happy to finally get a shearing date, but also a little nervous about […]
via The Weekly Bleat: Grain Treat — fourth generation farmgirl
I mandags blev årets første lam født. Og det er stort, ikke bare at det er årets første, men med to moderfår i alt er der megen opmærksomhed på den enkelte. Krølle, som det ene får hedder, kom ikke hen til høbunken for at spise, men lå i ly og stønnede. Af og til stak […]
via Årets første lam — Beretninger fra et autentisk landbrug
by Heather Avery – CBCNEWS
A Yukon group is calling for wild boars to be wiped from the territory, fenced or not, after a fiasco this summer.
Seven wild boar escaped from their enclosure into the wilderness, prompting fears the animals could reproduce and become an invasive species.
The Yukon Fish and Game Association, a wildlife advocacy group that draws its membership primarily from hunters and fishers, wants wild boar farming banned in the territory.
“We know with these particular animals that there is potential problems and big problems, so why would we take a chance on this?” said Gord Zealand, the association’s executive director.
Enforce regulations, says farmer
Dev Hurlburt farms wild boar outside of Whitehorse, not far from where the others escaped in June.
He uses a variety of fencing to keep them in and wants to see Yukon’s fencing standards enforced.
Read the full article here.
by Kaitie Fraser (via msn.com)
As the sun comes up on farmers across Essex County, Ont., it’s not their livestock or crops they check first thing in the morning — it’s the markets.
The tough talk between Canada and the U.S. around NAFTA negotiations is having real-life consequences for those working in the industry every day.
“You’re at everybody else’s whim and whatever they want,” said Henry Denotter, a grain and oilseed farmer in Kingsville, Ont.
Denotter’s farm covers nearly 610 hectares, where he grows everything from soybeans and corn to wheat and rye. But each morning, he looks to the U.S. to see what kind of profits he can expect.
“We can’t set the prices, we’re looking at Chicago everyday to see how grain is doing. And somebody starts a rumour — whether it’s [U.S. President] Donald Trump or China and the market goes down 30 cents, 10 cents, even a penny makes a difference in our end profits.”
Those profits are what keeps Denotter’s equipment running and business afloat, he said, as he has to make payments on machinery just like anyone would on a home or car.
As a grain farmer, Denotter said he is selling on a global stage, not part of Canada’s supply management system of quotas, which control how much its dairy, poultry and egg farmers are allowed to produce.
Read the full article from CBC News here.
Water scarcity and heat are threatening two of Switzerland’s main agricultural products: milk and cheese. But the shortage affects far more than cows — Swiss glaciers also feed Europe’s major rivers.(Image credit: Eleanor Beardsley/NPR)
via High And Dry: Swiss Army Airlifts Water To Cows In Drought-Stricken Mountains — News : NPR
