agriculture

A trailer loaded with chickens passes a federal agent outside a Koch Foods plant in Morton, Miss., on Wednesday.

National

Chicken Plants See Little Fallout From Immigration Raids

1:56am August 10, 2019

by Scott Horsley

The Trump administration says its crackdown helps discourage illegal immigration. But workers' advocates warn it leaves vulnerable employees open to exploitation and unsafe working conditions.

Queue Listen Now

Large swaths of forest have been cut down in Brazil in recent decades to make room for farming. Deforestation contributes to global warming, and reversing it will be necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change.

To Slow Global Warming, U.N. Warns Agriculture Must Change

7:19pm August 08, 2019

The way we produce food and manage land must change radically if humans hope to avoid catastrophic global temperature rise, according to a new report by the United Nations panel on climate change.

Queue Listen Now

Bees crawl over larvae and capped honey cells on a hive frame. Larvae are especially vulnerable to pests like Varroa mites.

More Bad Buzz For Bees: Record Number Of Honeybee Colonies Died Last Winter

6:58pm June 19, 2019

by Susie Neilson

An annual survey of beekeepers shows the rate of colony death last winter was the highest reported since the survey began 13 years ago.

A worker dumps a bucket of tomatoes into a trailer at DiMare Farms in Florida City, Fla., in 2013. The Trump administration is preparing to level a new tariff on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico in response to complaints from Florida growers.

Food Fight: Trump Administration Levels Tariffs On Mexican Tomatoes

8:21pm May 07, 2019

by Scott Horsley

Under pressure from Florida lawmakers, the Trump administration is taking steps to protect domestic tomato growers from Mexican competition.

Queue Listen Now

Marijuana plants grow in a marijuana cultivation facility on July 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cannabis 101 At The University Of Connecticut

1:59pm March 16, 2019

by Patrick Skahill

With expanding markets for hemp and marijuana, some students believe that taking the class could help their careers. "I'm definitely interested in the plant and where it can go," Madison Blake said.

Queue Listen Now

Sanjay Sathe, 44, grows onions on about an acre of land on a roadside in India's Maharashtra state. His family farm prospered under his grandfather and father, but now he has to raise goats because the price of onions keeps falling.

World News

'I Rue The Day We Ever Became Farmers': In Rural India, A Struggle To Survive

1:37pm February 12, 2019

by Lauren Frayer

"The farmer dies feeding this country, but no one fights for the farmer," says a woman whose son, a farmer, died by suicide. He was $40,000 in debt. Her husband died of a heart attack days later.

Queue Listen Now

Politics & Government

Federal Shutdown Prompts Judge To Freeze Hog Nuisance Trials

11:30am January 04, 2019

by Associated Press

Economy

Hurricane Florence Cost North Carolina Farmers An Estimated $1.1 Billion

4:58pm September 26, 2018

by Sean Bueter

Hurricane Florence caused more than a billion dollars in losses to one of North Carolina's most important industries, according to the state's initial estimates.

Economy

North Carolina Tobacco Farmers Expecting Big Losses From Florence

2:07pm September 19, 2018

by Associated Press

As North Carolina's farmers evaluate their crop losses after Hurricane Florence, it looks like damage to tobacco fields and barns could be the most costly.

The Big Iron Farm Show draws thousands of farmers and farm equipment-makers to a fairground in West Fargo, N.D. For many this year, concerns about crop yields have been eclipsed by worries about President Trump's trade policies.

Farmers Hope For China Trade Deal, But For Now They Worry About Tariffs' Impact

3:03pm September 13, 2018

by Jim Zarroli

At the Big Iron Farm Show in North Dakota, the usual concerns about crops have been heightened by another big worry: a trade war with China that's already driven soybean prices down sharply.

Queue Listen Now