Farm Press Blog

T. Boone Picken’s energy gospel part 2: natural gas as a bridge to the future

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:09:00 +0000

“Natural gas will do everything we want it to do,” says T. Boone Pickens. “It’s 130-octane fuel, it’s 25 percent cleaner than oil — and we have an abundance of it."

Farm Press Blog

Southwest Farm Press visions of spring photo contest

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:47:00 +0000

Spring is a colorful time in the Southwest. Wildflowers add splashes of color to pastures, rangeland and roadsides. Newborn calves, foals and lambs offer delightful images.

Farm Press Blog

Water jihads and Moe Howard haircuts

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:38:00 +0000

Almost from the dawn of time, water cataclysm has been based on too much of a good thing. Throw that archetype out the window and prepare for historical change — the barren age is upon us. Water wars are coming and even if only a portion of dire predictions pan out regarding pending shortages, the outlook is alarming.

Farm Press Blog

An eminent domain fight, a Pigford sign-up deadline and catfish inspections

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Folks tend to get upset when land they own is forcefully taken over by outside interests claiming eminent domain. Government projects, infrastructure needs, and economic health may be legitimate reasons to invoke the law but it doesn’t leave those whose lands are taken any less aggrieved. And what if it isn’t the government that takes your land or land-use rights, but a private company?

Farm Press Blog

Farm kids learn valuable lessons from their labor

Tue, 01 May 2012 20:40:00 +0000

The United States Department of Labor was correct in reversing its decision to impose severe restrictions on the tasks young people may perform on family farms.

Farm Press Blog

Chasing rabbit trails may be over when it comes to BSE reporting

Tue, 01 May 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Finally, media outlets from coast to coast have gotten the message. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)—once coined as Mad Cow Disease by reporters and news anchors across America—is a rare disease in cattle and poses little threat to the public, thanks to an effective safety system established years ago and designed to protect the public from health risks associated with the disease.

Farm Press Blog

Celebrate Earth Day thank a farmer

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:46:00 +0000

Farmers have a relationship with the earth that most of us can neither fully appreciate nor adequately understand. Some years the earth yields up a bountiful crop. And some years, such as 2011, it cedes harvest grudgingly. But farmers persist and they work hard to preserve the resources that make their livelihood possible.

Farm Press Blog

Crop insurance, conservation cuts counterproductive

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:10:00 +0000

Natural disaster is part of the risk farmers face every year. But the nation’s ability to produce adequate food and fiber cannot be overstated. And the importance of the investment government can make to assure they have affordable insurance coverage and assistance with conserving natural resources cannot be over-emphasized. Cutting these two programs now would be foolhardy in light of what happened last summer.

Farm Press Blog

Farm bill debate starting to heat up

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:27:00 +0000

While it’s a long shot that U.S. agriculture will see a new farm bill by the time the old one expires later this year, the information gathering process is already underway, with the House Agriculture Committee announcing a number of hearings across the United States this spring.

Farm Press Blog

Perception trumps facts regardless of validity

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:27:00 +0000

Perception, whether true or not, often makes a bigger impression on public confidence—or lack of it—than any accumulation of certifiable facts can achieve.

Farm Press Blog