Resistant varieties, beneficial predators can help producers win sugarcane aphid battle

While sugarcane aphids have been difficult to suppress in past years due to their natural traits and limited insecticide options, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study shows resistant sorghum varieties and beneficial predators could provide a solution. Dr. Ada Szczepaniec, AgriLife Research entomologist at Amarillo, recently authored "Interactive effects of crop variety, insecticide seed treatment, and planting date on population dynamics of sugarcane aphid and their predators in late-colonized sorghum" in the Crop Protection journal.

Development cuts 31 million acres of U.S. farmland

Almost 31 million acres of farmland, double the amount previously documented, were lost to development from 1992 to 2012. Forum News Service file photo GRAND FORKS-A new report reinforces what most everyone in U.S. food production already knows: Development is irreversibly diminishing the limited supply of U.S. farmland, raising serious food-production, economic and environmental concerns.

Chinese Soybean Purchases Plant Seeds of Concern for US Farmers

Matt Aultman, a grain salesman and feed nutritionist with Keller Grain & Feed, Inc., shows locally grown soybeans during an interview at their facilities in Greenville, Ohio, April 5, 2018. Farmer Scott Halpin is facing another year of high prices for seed and fertilizer, and low prices for the corn and soybeans his family is planting on farmland outside Morris, Illinois.

Inside Mexico’s violent drug cartel operations fueling heroin addiction in the US

Up a dusty road, in a sun-dappled field in northwest Mexico, a small team of workers bent over, quietly tending to the crops on a farm. But hidden in between the legal crops of corn and garbanzo beans are fields of pretty purple flowers that have become the root of an American catastrophe.

USDA Announces Financial Support For Specialty Crop Industry

USDA ANNOUNCES FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SPECIALTY CROP INDUSTRY May 1, 2018 Source: USDA news release The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the funding of $7 million to support 11 projects in six states to develop solutions to challenges affecting the specialty crop industries that cross state boundaries. The awards are managed through the Specialty Crop Multi-State Program administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service .

Ag groups express opposition to amendments to Farm Bill

INSURANCE ARGUMENT: A monster hail storm that hit Kansas on the night of May 14 provides an illustration of why farmers so strongly support crop insurance. This field in Scott County was just one of many that were wiped out in the storm, which destroyed thousands of acres of wheat.

John Kerry Joins TPG’s $2 Billion Rise Fund as Senior Adviser 2 hours ago

Rise Fund has enlisted former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as a senior adviser, bolstering its credibility as the fund sets out to prove that financial returns and social good can go hand-in-hand. Kerry said he will help identify investments and advise portfolio companies across Rise's various sectors, with a focus on renewable energy opportunities.

Tick first found in Hunterdon makes its way toa

An exotic tick unknown to America until its appearance in Hunterdon County last month is making its way east in Central Jersey. Tick first found in Hunterdon makes its way to Union County An exotic tick unknown to America until its appearance in Hunterdon County last month is making its way east in Central Jersey.

Vineyard Monocultures

The massive growth of the wine industry has led to a very real problem-wine monocultures that transform ecologically complex places such as the hills of Napa County into carefully manicured landscapes that leave no room for the wild. That a lot of wineries require hillsides makes this worse, as many species exist on a pretty strict elevation level.

Federal Home Loan Mortgage (FMCC) vs. Federal Agricultural Mortgage (AGM) Financial Contrast

Federal Home Loan Mortgage and Federal Agricultural Mortgage are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, risk, dividends and earnings. Federal Agricultural Mortgage pays an annual dividend of $2.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%.