As North Dakota farmer’s get beat up by the near-term fallout of our international trade negotiations, is there more we can be doing to help them out? What about deregulating a long vilified crop? The North Dakota legislature has taken positive steps toward opening the door to hemp in recent years; that’s a good thing.
Read & Share sourced from: Wisconsin WatchHow much land does it take to develop a multi-source revenue self-sustaining farming operation in which the outputs from one side of the operation provide inputs to the other? In Southern California — 200 acres. While many aspects of this story won’t translate perfectly — or perhaps not at all — to farming and ranching
Read & Share sourced from: Inc.
In a political move that could be described as eyebrow-raising, the North Dakota Grain Growers Association has voted to part ways with its national organization. Citing examples that go back more than a decade, the NDGGA didn’t feel they were being represented at the national level to a degree in accordance with their dues; the
Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald
Have you noticed the global economy reorganizing in relation to all these trade conversations? Ask a soybean farmer if trade and tariff posturing and global politics matter in North Dakota; if they’re paying attention, they’ll tell you international politics matter on small North Dakota farms. And we’re not alone; our neighbors to the North are
Read & Share sourced from: Regina Leader Post
What does the future of farming look like? If you’re in the camp that believes the march of technology is unstoppable, than you’re probably willing to bet on automation. Testing that automation in a literal field is a first step to wider introduction. Check out this story from Inforum to see how Fargo is moving
Read & Share sourced from: InForum
The pressure on the ranching business is coming from every direction. You may have previously read about competition from a new product line. In the story linked below, you’ll find a challenge of a more political nature. David Lynch with the Washing Post has the story on the impacts of world trade — and the
Read & Share sourced from: The Washington Post
It’s here, figuratively. Literally, we can expect it by the end of the year. It’s the no-meat cheeseburger, and many reports on the topic come with claims that people can’t taste the difference between the Impossible Whopper and the genuine article. Maybe, it’s a marketing gimmick. But meat-substitute stories have been a common topic here
Read & Share sourced from: The Verge
If you’re familiar with the farming industry you know it’s a technology and data driven industry. Investment in higher yield is built into the cost of growing food — around here, but the American model is not the rule in other parts of the world. When it comes to farming practices, and particularly the use
Read & Share sourced from: Scientific American
It wasn’t that long ago that the conservation lands of North Dakota and South Dakota were a refuge of sorts, for honey bees. But policy changes and rising commodity prices led to changes in land use and in a short period of time, we’ve lost a lot of prime habitat.
Read & Share sourced from: Associated Press
In a just-arising question, the answer to which is sure to have implications for North Dakota ranchers, we’ve found ourselves at a point in history where we’re asking — almost philosophically — what is meat? The question is born from the emerging technology that allows us to grow animal tissue in a lab. WIRED has
Read & Share sourced from: WIRED
What do you get when you put a bunch of common-sense North Dakota farmers on a bus with a bunch of Washington bureaucrats? No, this isn’t a set-up for a joke — it’s a real-life news story, and the meeting happened not-far from Minot. Agweek has the article on the meeting that’s the hopeful basis
Read & Share sourced from: AGWEEK
On the top of the world, there’s a little island that belongs to Norway; its global importance is hard to overstate. It’s our final insurance policy. If everything goes haywire, this is the place we go to get the seeds to begin growing critical crops. It’s our genetic safety deposit box. And it’s getting an
Read & Share sourced from: The Verge
Industrial hemp? Not surprising. Grapes? You’ve probably heard about a local vineyard. But shrimp? Yep, that’s on the list as well. What do they have in common? They’re not our widely grown crops, but more and more small farmers are embracing the entrepreneurial spirit and taking risks on less-traditional ideas. Catch the story from the Grand
Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald
As farms get bigger, particularly dairy farms, the more plastic they use. And disposing of that plastic creates a crisis of both conscious and economics. In other words, it’s expensive and, in most cases currently, bad for the environment. But a company in Arkansas has found a profitable way to solve the problem. Collect the
Read & Share sourced from: InForumHow do you make a product or a company more profitable? There are lots of ways including reducing costs through innovative practices, creating a differentiated product that commands a higher price. And there’s also vertical integration — the method of getting control of the supply chain and middlemen that separate a raw product from the
Read & Share sourced from: Philly.com
The discussion about allowing backyard hens in Minot is taking place right now. One of the factors being considered is whether these animals a risk to public health? And how do we balance that against the benefits of fresh, locally sourced food? On the public health side of the equation, this story out of Des
Read & Share sourced from: Star Tribune