Vilsack pledges $30 million to 6 states for wetlands improvement
During an Oct. 15 visit to the Des Moines Botanical Garden, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a total of $30 million in grants for conservation improvements in six states.
Marginalized workers, local chefs to benefit from Detroit ag project
The mayor and other city leaders gathered late last month at an abandoned farmers’ market to announce a $15 million infusion of funds to launch the city’s latest urban agriculture venture.
Chicken mistreatment video leads to four Tyson firings
Four Tyson Foods meatpacking plant employees have been fired and two others suspended after hidden video footage from an animal rights group alleges the workers improperly shackled and slaughtered chickens at a company plant in Mississippi.
Agribusiness getting in on cancer awareness months
The months of October and November are synonymous with cancer awareness. There was a sea of pink for breast cancer awareness in October, and the growing amount of facial hair in November – dubbed "Movember" – is showing up in support of men’s health.
DuPont opens large cellulosic ethanol plant in central Iowa
DuPont Co. celebrated the opening of what company officials have called the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant, located in Nevada, Iowa, that will use the raw material corn stover – the stalks, leaves and cobs left in a field after harvest – in ethanol.
Everyday steps farmers may take to lessen risk for cancer
After Gloria Linnertz lost her husband, Joe, to lung cancer it became her mission to educate everyone about the danger of radon exposure. She started Citizens for Radioactive Radon and encourages everyone to test their homes for high radon levels.
A deal to remove cuts in crop insurance from a two-year federal budget passed by Congress last week has left some who had lobbied against the reduction feeling more optimistic.
Michigan Farm Bureau to join states’ lawsuit against WOTUS
Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) has signed onto a lawsuit led by the states of Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee targeting the U.S. EPA and the implementation of its rule redefining Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) in the Clean Water Act.
Nearly $4 billion in safety-net payments to start soon
Farmers can expect to receive their safety-net payments for the 2014 crop year in the mail beginning this month. Nearly $4 billion will be dispersed nationwide.
Farmland values not down everywhere in the Midwest
Some ag economists and farm real estate specialists agree that softening grain prices have put downward pressure on farmland values in some states – but not in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, according to the USDA.
