Product Focus: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Yamaha Motor Corp. recently opened an office at the airport in Napa County, Calif., for spraying agricultural land in Napa and Sonoma counties with its RMAX. These small aircraft can be used to assess the condition of vines using visual, infrared and near-infrared cameras more economically than manned aircraft and have other advantages such as being able to fly closer to vines or being used regularly to provide a pattern of vineyard development.

Boone receives bids on intake construction

Representatives from the town of Boone, engineering firm W.K. Dickson and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office on June 30 opened sealed bids for construction of the South Fork New River intake project and renovation of the town's water treatment plant. The new intake facility is planned on the South Fork New River in the Brownwood community near the Ashe County border.

Du Brook Dairy Offsetting as much as 50% Energy Demand with New…

We talked to several solar providers, and Sun Valley Solar Solutions was the most responsive and helpful...Plus, their experience with the agriculture community gave us confidence we were in the right hands. At Du Brook Dairy in Casa Grande, Arizona, a 314-kilowatt SunPower solar power system designed and installed by Sun Valley Solar Solutions has reduced the Dairy's reliance on purchased utility grid power by as much as 50%, and is projected to save more than $520,000 in the first 20 years.

Millers, bakers brace for bumpy transition to new crop

With the Kansas wheat harvest nearly two-thirds completed, indications were the crop's average protein will be low this year, perhaps historically low. A low-protein hard red winter wheat crop certainly would not be without precedent, but it will provide challenges to millers and bakers who for the past couple of years engineered fairly smooth transitions to working with primarily new crop supply.

Bar area and entrance to Morton’s The Steakhouse in the new Saratoga…

The state's decision to do nothing about a controversial pesticide linked to a global honeybee die-off has some environmentalists like Bill Cooke buzzing mad. A report on the honeybee health crisis, issued last week by two state agencies after about a year of work, concluded that research remains "unclear" on the impact of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids on massive honeybee die-offs known as colony collapse disorder.

New Haven program aims to curb gap in food security

In order to make sure one less child goes hungry over the summer, officials and volunteers gathered Saturday to kick off the city's Free Summer Meals program. From June 27 to Aug. 26, low-income children 18 and under will be eligible to receive meals at 91 different sites throughout the city.

Senators reach deal on genetically modified food labeling

In this Oct. 23, 2014 file photo, a grocery store employee wipes down a soup bar with a display informing customers of organic, GMO-free oils, in Boulder, Colo. Senators have a bipartisan deal to require labeling of genetically modified ingredients nationally, a week before a labeling law in Vermont goes into effect.

Meat and greet

For many people, meat processing starts in the supermarket and ends in the kitchen, often without much thought given to the steps that happen prior to a cut of meat landing on the grocery store shelf. But understanding the process that takes place between farm and fork can make a big difference in the bottom line for those whose livelihood lies in supplying said meat.

Trump uncertainty could impact ag commodity prices

Pete Johnson, of marketing news publication Cotton Compass believes a Trump presidency could have a negative impact on the price of Australian agricultural commodities like beef, grain and fibre. Mr Johnson, a market analyst, said Trump had so far shown himself to be hard to predict, which could put pressure on the US dollar and in turn, the international commodity market.

Waco-based Texas Farm Bureau pushing for free trade with Cuba

Leaders in business and agriculture, including the Waco-based Texas Farm Bureau, have joined forces to create the Engage Cuba Texas State Council, which will push to have travel and trade restrictions abolished between the United States and the island country 90 miles from Florida. The goal is to give farmers and manufacturers a multibillion-dollar economic nudge by permitting the sale of products to Cuba.

Group pushing for free trade with Cuba

Leaders in business and agriculture, including the Waco-based Texas Farm Bureau, have joined forces to create the Engage Cuba Texas State Council that will push to have travel and trade restrictions abolished between the United States and the island country 90 miles from Florida. The goal is to give farmers and manufacturers a multi-billion-dollar economic nudge by permitting the sale of products to Cuba.

Rules on GMO crops in Hawaii heads to US appeals court

The fight over regulating genetically engineered crops in three Hawaii counties was back in a federal courtroom as some agricultural giants look to protect their farms from bans against modified food. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in Honolulu Wednesday on ordinances that seek to regulate or outlaw genetically engineered crops in Hawaii, Kauai and Maui counties.

During visit, EU official says bloc needs to engage Russia

The fight over regulating genetically engineered crops in three Hawaii counties was back in a federal courtroom as some agricultural giants look to protect their farms from bans against modified food. The fight over regulating genetically engineered crops in three Hawaii counties was back in a federal courtroom as some agricultural giants look to protect their farms from bans against modified food.

USDA Rural Development offering home repair help

Lake County >> Homeownership requires a little bit of elbow grease now and then - clean the gutters, fix the leaking pipe, replace the garbage disposal - but, what happens when those small issues become big problems? Where does a person turn when he or she realizes a new roof is needed, the flooring has to be replaced or the home needs to be more accessible to get around? That's where U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development comes in. USDA can help homeowners make important repairs, and they don't have to live on a farm to qualify.

Top 10 ways food is being used Right Now as a chemical delivery system to poison brains

Right now in Venezuela, if you don't support the socialist government, you don't eat. The tyrannical government is buying up nearly all the food there and is redistributing rations only to families that show their support for the ruling political party.