U Of Illinois Economists Analyze Relationship Between Cash Rent And Net Return To Land

U OF ILLINOIS ECONOMISTS ANALYZE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CASH RENT AND NET RETURN TO LAND Apr. 18, 2017 Source: by Nathan Carson and Michael Langemeier Center for Commercial Agriculture Purdue University Net crop returns have dropped significantly since 2013. Budgeted earnings per acre for a corn/soybean rotation in Indiana were $120 in 2013.

The mathematician who’s using geometry to fight gerrymandering

After every new US census, states have to redraw their congressional districts to divide up their populations fairly. But in practice, these districts don't always end up equal: Federal judges recently ordered Wisconsin lawmakers to redraw maps of the state's legislative districts, after finding the districts had been shaped to favor Republican candidates.

Pleasant Prairie wetland due for restoration

A Kenosha developer intends to restore more than 400 acres of wetland habitat within a 625-acre parcel in the village's Barnes Creek area beginning next year. Bear Development has filed plans with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the project that aims to enhance existing wetlands while restoring to wetlands other areas previously used for farming.

WV Man Recognized Nationally for Helping Feed Kids

Governor Justice's office joined representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture today to recognize Dr. William White with the Summer Food Champion Award. White received the national recognition as a result of his work with the Summer Food Service Program to help feed children in the Mountain State.

Former Senator Barbara Boxer speaks at USC

With the Trump administration set to slash the Environmental Protection Agency's budget by 31 percent, many recent environmental protections may be in jeopardy. This development has worried politicians such as Sen. Barbara Boxer, who spoke at Bovard Auditorium on Thursday as the keynote speaker for the Environmental Student Assembly's Earth Month.

USDA Offers Renewal Options for Expiring Conservation Stewardship

Acting Deputy Agriculture Secretary Michael Young has announced that a contract renewal sign-up is underway for the Conservation Stewardship Program , USDA's largest working lands conservation program with more than 80 million acres enrolled. Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec. 31 can renew their contract for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands.

Farmers dismayed that USDA delays fair practice rule

A rule designed to protect the legal rights of farmers who grow chickens and hogs for the nation's largest meat processors has been delayed by at least six months, halting an initiative rolled out in the final days of Barack Obama's administration. The rule was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2010 but was finally rolled out in December and was set to take effect on April 22. The rule would make it easier for farmers to sue companies they contract with over unfair or deceptive practices.

San Bernardino school had no knowledge of teacher’s troubled relationship with shooter, police say

California school officials at the site of Monday's killing and suicide that left three people dead had no prior knowledge of the ongoing con... -- In the wake of the U.S. airstrikes in Syria last week in response to a chemical attack that killed dozens of people, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it... WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today welcomed an announcement from the U.S. D... Kearney, Neb.

US Congress Calls for Action on Honduras in Response to Murders of Land and Environmental Activists

In two strongly worded letters to the new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, almost 80 United States legislators on Friday expressed their grave concern at the risks facing activists who defend their land and the environment in Honduras. A recent Global Witness report exposed how more than 120 land rights defenders have been killed since 2010.

Resources are available for beginning farmersAre you thinking about…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a website to connect farm entrepreneurs with programs, services and resources for anyone interested in getting started into farming at www.usda.gov/newfarmers. The site features advice and guidance on everything a new farm business owner needs to know, from writing a business plan, to obtaining a loan to grow their business, to filing taxes as a new small business owner, starting or expanding an operation, developing new markets, supporting more effective farming and conservation practices, and having access to relevant training and education opportunities.

On-the-farm research making the case for industrial hemp

Real-world research in more than a dozen states in recent years is giving farmers new understanding of how to grow industrial hemp and showing that it has promise to be a viable commercial crop in the U.S. The 2014 federal farm bill allowed for university and state-sponsored research programs of the plant whose fiber can be used in products from paper to clothing and whose oil can be an ingredient in food and health products. Programs have now been launched in 15 states, with two more states coming online, according to the hemp advocacy nonprofit Vote Hemp.

new Republicans hope Trump amenable to food stamp restrictions

Maine resident Zak McCutcheon says he likes soda but acknowledges he'd drink less of it if his governor convinced Republican President Donald Trump to put restrictions on the approximately $200 a month he receives in food stamps. He thinks it may even make recipients healthier and less overweight.

Xi, Trump pledge to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, manage differences

Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping shake hands during their dinner at Mr Trump's Mar-a Lago resort in Florida Tillerson, who briefed reporters alongside Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at the conclusion of the summit, also said Trump said China needs to make changes to its economy in order to "level the playing field for American workers, stressing repeatedly the need for reciprocal market access". Trump aides, who participated in the two-day talks held at the US President's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, described the meetings as productive and said the two leaders exhibited "positive" chemistry.

California’s environmental crusaders helped save our state. Now, they face down Trump

Communities for a Better Environment organizer Alicia Rivera tries to get shoppers interested in a protest march. It did not begin well for Alicia Rivera, who carried a stack of fliers as she made her way around the parking lot of a Wilmington shopping center.