It's tough going right now for Missouri, Illinois corn growers

Maria Altman — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:51:39 +0000

Farmers in Missouri, Illinois and much of the Midwest are having a tough time getting their corn planted.

The US Department of Agriculture says in Illinois just 7 percent of the corn crop is in the ground; while in Missouri it’s 22 percent.

Usually, nearly half of the nation’s corn has been planted by this time.

The National Corn Growers Association vice president Paul Bertels says it’s not just the rain that’s been a problem.

Exploring our global food system at the Natural History Museum

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Can a watermelon be grown in the shape of a square? What do Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps eat for breakfast? Which island nation produces the most lamb in the world? Consumers interested in pulling back the curtain on our food system will get these and many other questions answered at “Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture.” The exhibition, on view now at the American Museum of Natural History, explores how our food is produced, distributed and eaten.

'The Moo Man' casts light on challenges facing small dairies

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:00:00 +0000

This story is part of True/False Conversations, a series of in-depth interviews with the filmmakers of this year’s True/False Festival. Find the rest of them here or This is the latest installment of Harvest Public Media’s Field Notes, in which reporters talk to newsmakers and experts about important issues related to food production.

Women in ag are topic of new Missouri Extension course

Associated Press — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:16:56 +0000

The University of Missouri Extension is offering a series of courses aimed at helping women in agriculture.

The courses are part of Annie's Project, a program that started in Illinois about nine years ago, and has since spread to other states. The program is named for an Illinois woman who ran a farm and raised six children in the 1950s.

Topics include farm record-keeping and taxes, business plans, how property is titled, pasture rental contracts and estate planning.

Wanted: Large-animal veterinarians willing to work in rural areas

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:00:00 +0000

It's no secret that agriculture in the U.S. has gone through major changes in the past century. But let's focus in on ag labor for a second: back in 1900, 41 percent of the national workforce worked in the agricultural sector. By 2000, just 1.9 percent did, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Over the same time period, millions of residents left rural communities behind, seeking job opportunities in cities.

Reports shows drought is getting worse

Associated Press — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 22:07:13 +0000

A new report shows that the nation's worst drought in decades is getting worse again, ending an encouraging five-week run of improving conditions.

Why is farmland so expensive?

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:09:28 +0000

On Friday, I left the rolling hills of Columbia, Mo., and headed northwest, to the flat farmland of Saline County. The purpose of the drive was to get a look at the priciest cropland in Missouri for a story I'm doing on how investors with no connection to farmland are increasingly interested in buying acreage in the Midwest. I had heard from farmers and real estate brokers that cropland values were at all-time highs in the Corn Belt, and incredibly many of the tracts of land are being paid for in cash.

Higher percentage: ethanol in gas, hogs sent to market

Kristofor Husted — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:44:55 +0000

There’s a new kind of gas on the market, with more ethanol in it than the gas we usually put in our cars. That’s beneficial for corn farmers who grow the corn that ethanol is made from and want more of it in your gas. But while the ethanol industry fought for years to bring this fuel to the market, now that they’ve won… good luck finding it. Even in Corn Country, pickings are slim.

Debate this: Which presidential candidate is better for agriculture?

Sandhya Dirks — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:35:37 +0000

The presidential candidates have yet to meet in a face-to-face debate. But last week in Des Moines, Iowa, ag leaders witnessed a preview of sorts during a Presidential Forum on Agriculture held in advance of the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.