The suicide rate for farmers is more than double that of veterans. Former farmer Debbie Weingartengives an insider’s perspective on farm life – and how to help.
Continue reading… “Why are America’s farmers killing themselves in record numbers?”
This Kenyan Startup Uses Mobile Phones To Build Credit For Farmers
If you want to help the world’s poorest, help them to farm. So says Bill Gates, and it makes sense. More than three-quarters of the poorest live in rural areas and most are smallholder farmers working less than two acres. They often lack the seeds, machinery, livestock, and finance they need to grow, so they struggle to emerge from poverty.
Two young entrepreneurs from Kenya have an idea to help: FarmDrive develops credit histories for farmers, so they become more attractive to financial institutions offering loans. So far, they’ve signed up more than 3,000 farmers on their mobile-based platform. In 2016, working with a financial partner, they helped disburse about $130,000 in loans to 400 farmers.
Continue reading… “This Kenyan Startup Uses Mobile Phones To Build Credit For Farmers”
Chrysler’s photographic Super Bowl ad for Ram trucks
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE[/youtube]
The Chrysler Group LLC aired a very photographic commercial during the 2013 Super Bowl. This was their second during the Super Bowl, called “Farmer,” and it was for the Auburn Hills-based automaker’s Ram truck brand.
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Organic milk shortage around the U.S.
“Where’s my organic milk?” There is a shortage of organic milk across the country, and it has become so bad in areas like the Southeast that Publix stores from Florida to Tennessee have put up signs in dairy cases anticipating the shopper’s frustration.
Kinze Manufacturing develops ‘autonomous’ tractor
Kinze Manufacturing’s autonomous row crop technology.
Kinze Manufacturing hopes to do for tractors what Roomba has done for vacuum cleaners.
Continue reading… “Kinze Manufacturing develops ‘autonomous’ tractor”
Direct to the People – Bypassing the Brokers
Futurist Thomas Frey: It has always seemed outrageous to me that in a world where so many people are dying of obesity, that we can still have an equally unacceptable number of people dying of starvation.
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Wind Turbines Contributing to Decline of Bat Population
Wind turbines are a major threat to bats.
Wind turbines are killing many thousands of bats contributing to a population decline that may be costing farmers millions of pounds, say researchers. Scientists found the blades of wind turbines were a major threat to bats particularly when they are migrating.
Massive Escape of Genetically Modified Crop Into the American Wild
Canola
A genetically modified (GM) crop has been found thriving in the wild for the first time in the United States. Transgenic canola is growing freely in parts of North Dakota, researchers told the Ecological Society of America conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Continue reading… “Massive Escape of Genetically Modified Crop Into the American Wild”
Ban on Russian Grain Exports Causes Surge in U.S. Wheat and Corn Prices
A severe drought destroyed one-fifth of the wheat crop in Russia and wildfires swept in to finish off some of the fields that remained.
A temporary ban on Russian grain exports will boost income for U.S. farmers this year, but more demand could cause shipping bottlenecks.Russia, one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, is facing a shrunken crop due to a severe drought. Its announcement Thursday that it will ban grain exports through the end of the year to control domestic prices raises the possibility of stronger-than-expected U.S. exports.
Continue reading… “Ban on Russian Grain Exports Causes Surge in U.S. Wheat and Corn Prices”
Round-Up Resistant Weeds Pose a Threat to Farmers
A certified crop adviser and agronomist looks for weeds resistant to glyphosate.
For 15 years, Eddie Anderson, a farmer, has been a strict adherent of no-till agriculture, an environmentally friendly technique that all but eliminates plowing to curb erosion and the harmful runoff of fertilizers and pesticides.
Continue reading… “Round-Up Resistant Weeds Pose a Threat to Farmers”
‘Corn Smut’ – Revolting Fungus That Could Make You Younger and Healthier
“The devil’s corn”
This looks like an alien parasite, or maybe an evil brain, but it’s actually a fungus that attacks corn. U.S. farmers call it “corn smut” and have spent millions to eradicate it. But it’s actually better for you than corn.
Continue reading… “‘Corn Smut’ – Revolting Fungus That Could Make You Younger and Healthier”
Future Ag – Can Better Food Create Better People?
Radical transformations are brewing in the world’s oldest industry
Can better food create better people? Will a better food supply lead to healthier, stronger, better thinking people? This is exactly the premise that is driving many of the advances in farming today.
Continue reading… “Future Ag – Can Better Food Create Better People?”