The EPA’s proposed “Waters of the United States” rule would add to the Clean Water Act by defining whether a water body is – or is not – protected by the act. The public has until Oct. 20 to formally comment on the proposed rule. So far, the rule has received nearly 6,000 comments. Hundreds of other
In March, the EPA issued a proposed rule to define what is considered a water body under its jurisdiction. Since then, farmers throughout the Midwest have expressed concern over the rule. Some have even claimed it could drastically change the way farmers run their businesses.
Two new studies of private well water in Kewaunee County, Wis., have linked contamination to fertilizer, livestock manure and human waste — laying bare a situation that county conservationist Andy Wallander, after 25 years on the job, can sum up in a sentence.
A single pixel in satellite imagery will allow farmers to see exactly how their crops are performing down to a single acre with highly detailed maps. The new methodology will cost farmers an estimated 50 cents per acre per year.
During the 2013 planting season, U.S. farmers had nearly two dozen different crop insurance policies to sort through when deciding how to best protect themselves from losses caused by bad weather, price drops and other perils. A Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting analysis revealed that two o
Ten years ago, U.S. farmers who chose to insure their crops from weather disasters and market fluctuations received a combined total of about $3.2 billion in insurance payouts in a year. Those payouts have steadily increased by billions of dollars since then, leaving some skeptics arguing that the i
It took two years for the U.S. Congress to come together and pass the Agricultural Act of 2014, a piece of legislation known simply as "the Farm Bill." During that period of heated discussion, at least 80 groups spent millions of dollars lobbying on topics that included the Farm Bill and crop insura
Experts predict that the agriculture industry may soon account for roughly half of all drone flights in the United States. As part of that trend, farmers from across the country gathered in central Illinois this week for the Precision Aerial Ag Show, a showcase of unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise
When it opened in 1914, the Panama Canal introduced the harvest from Midwest farms to the world and helped link U.S. farmers to the global economy. Nearly a century-old, the canal today remains an important connector of global trade, from the U.S. heartland to Asia.
Earlier this month, the White House released the 2014 National Climate Assessment. Among its findings, the assessment reported that climate change will threaten U.S. food security and negatively effect the $330 billion a year agriculture industry. If the assessment's predictions hold true, crop insu
Wet and soggy conditions in some parts of the United States are delaying spring planting for farmers. The conditions have grown so unfavorable in some areas that farmers are taking to social media to publicize their problems. On Twitter, the tag “#plant14” has frequently been populated by images of
As China has rapidly shifted from a rural society to a more urban society, U.S. meat-production companies have looked to capitalize on new business opportunities. Tyson Foods Inc and Cargill, two of the largest poultry producers in the world, have already established production plants in China. Howe
