Farming News

Robots, Drones and Driverless Tractors Usher In New Age of Farming

Tractors plow the farm fields without drivers, guided by satellites and iPhones. Solar-powered robots tend to plants on the ground like giant outdoor Roombas, while drones fly overhead spraying the crops. It may sound like science fiction โ€” perhaps Uncle …

US Farmers Opt for Soy to Limit Losses as All Crop Prices Slump

Mark Tuttle planted more soy and less corn on his northern Illinois farm this spring as prices for both crops hover near three-year lows and soybeans’ lower production costs offered him the best chance of turning a profit in the …

Rising Spring Rains Pose Challenges for Midwest Farmers

SABINA, Ohio (AP) โ€” It was just after dark as Ross Woodruff hopped into a truck to haul soybean seeds out to his brother, Mark, whose planter had run out. It was the first day they could plant after heavy …

California Cities and Farms to Get 10% of Requested State Water Supplies When 2024 Starts

California water agencies serving 27 million people will get 10% of the water they requested from state supplies to start 2024 due to a relatively dry fall, even though the state’s reservoirs are in good shape, state officials said. The …

Louisiana Citrus Farmers Seeing a Mass Influx of Salt Water

Commercial citrus growers have dwindled over the past few decades in south Louisiana, where farmers have had to battle hurricanes, flooding, invasive insects, freezes and drought to keep their groves alive. The latest hurdle comes from a slow-moving threat, a …

Drought and Low Mississippi River Levels Pose Challenges for Midwest Farmers’ Crop Transportation

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) โ€“ A long stretch of hot, dry weather has left the Mississippi River so low that barge companies are reducing their loads just as Midwest farmers are preparing to harvest crops and send tons of corn …

U.S. Agency Covering Matching Costs Following New Mexico Fire

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will waive cost-sharing requirements for New Mexico farmers and ranchers affected by the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujรกn announced that the agency will cover cost sharing for emergency …

California Drought Hurting World’s Top Almond Producer

As temperatures recently reached triple digits, farmer Joe Del Bosque inspected the almonds in his parched orchard in California’s agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley, where a deepening drought threatens one of the state’s most profitable crops. Del Bosque doesn’t have enough …

Drought Indicators in Western States Flash Warnings of the ‘Big One’

Sarah Brunner opened the irrigation spigots on her farm in March, three months early. The rain should have still been falling in California. Now that summer is taking hold, she and her husband are considering shifting their meager water supplies …

Arizona Farmers Should Expect Less Water in 2022

Arizona officials are putting farmers in south-central Arizona on notice that the continuing drought means a “substantial cut” in deliveries of Colorado River water is expected next year. A joint statement issued Friday by the state Department of Water Resources …