New farmers nonetheless face hurdles, the main one being access to affordable land and credit. Today’s beginning farmers must overcome competition for land from developers, investors, retirees seeking country retreats and large agricultural businesses.
It turns out, when you actually compare chemical-intensive and organic farming in the field, organic proves just as productive in terms of gross yield—and brings many other advantages to the table as well.
Opponents of stricter regulation of air pollution typically argue that jobs would be lost if the federal government tightened limits on industrial emissions of ozone. A new study presents a counterpoint: lower ozone levels seem to increase worker productivity.
Running a successful farm business relies on hard work, good soil and seeds and, most of all, weather. So it makes sense that many farmers have real concerns about climate change.
On Sept. 22 the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) hosted four "Food Dialogues" in major agricultural production and policy areas to, in their own words, answer consumers' questions and have an open discussion about American production agriculture and the future of food.
How the government can nudge people to spend food dollars in a way that benefits local small-scale farms and creates farmers' markets in areas where consumers have no alternative
Discussions, which were held across the country, included people from across the farming and food policy spectrum, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and were hosted by Claire Shipman of ABC News.
There's just something wonderful about farmers markets, said Sersland, who sells fruit and vegetables grown at Dave Lewis Farms, six miles west of town. "You get the healthy lifestyle from eating fresh produce," she said. "And you keep the dollars local."
In farm country, business is still booming. Commodity prices remain high, and investors are funneling millions of dollars into buying farmland, making it quite enticing for the would-be farmer who wants to leave the rat race.
Illinois officials hope serving the invasive species on a plate is the creative solution to two big problems: controlling the plankton-gobbling carp from entering the Great Lakes and record numbers of people facing hunger.