farming

U.S. Pays Farmers Billions To Save The Soil. But It's Blowing Away

5:32pm June 07, 2017

by Dan Charles

Right now, the government rents farmland to help protect soil and water. But once the land is farmed again, the benefits disappear. Environmentalists want to change that.

A tractor pulls a planter while distributing corn seed on a field in Malden, Ill. Two scientists agree that pesticide-laden dust from planting equipment kills bees. But they're proposing different solutions, because they disagree about whether the pestici

Two Scientists, Two Different Approaches To Saving Bees From Poison Dust

8:00am May 27, 2017

by Dan Charles

Two scientists agree that pesticide-laden dust from planting equipment kills bees. But they're proposing different solutions, because they disagree about whether the pesticides are useful to farmers.

Carmen Black (left) took over a farm in Iowa last year. Don Bustos has been farming in New Mexico for decades.

What To Expect When You're Expecting To Own A Farm

5:10pm May 09, 2017

by Connor Donevan

Why you eventually have to stop picking sweet corn at 1 a.m. and other advice from a veteran farmer to one who is just getting started.

Politics & Government

NC Lawmakers OK Limiting Nuisance Lawsuits Against Hog Farms

9:19am April 28, 2017

by Emery P. Dalesio, Associated Press

North Carolina lawmakers decided Thursday that hog and poultry operations should get added protection from lawsuits by neighbors complaining that swarms of flies and the intense stink of animal was

The avocados on the right are Hass, America's favorite variety of the green fruit. At left are GEM avocados, the great-granddaughter of the Hass. GEM avocados grow well in California's Central Valley and, in taste tests, they scored better than the Hass i

California Is On Its Way To Having An Avocado Crop Year-Round

3:15pm April 27, 2017

by Ezra David Romero

Americans ate 2 billion pounds of avocados last year; many came from Mexico. That's because avocados grow year-round in Mexico's climate, but not California's. Researchers are working to change that.

What remains of the home of O.T. Jackson, the founder of Dearfield, Colo., sits on the town site in rural Weld County.

A Forgotten Piece Of African-American History On The Great Plains

10:00am April 12, 2017

by Luke Runyon

Nearly a century ago, Dearfield, Colo., was a thriving African-American farm community, admired by many of its white neighbors. There were even early signs of integration. Then came the Dust Bowl.

Farmers are lobbying for the ability to buy software to fix their equipment, and some are hacking their way around the problem.

National

Farmers Look For Ways To Circumvent Tractor Software Locks

6:18pm April 09, 2017

by Grant Gerlock

Fixing a modern tractor takes more than the right parts, but also the right software. Farmers are lobbying for the ability to buy that software, and some are hacking their way around the problem.

Queue Listen Now

Faith has hope for her tomato seedlings.

Health & Safety

The Big Dreams Of A First-Time Farmer

3:29pm April 03, 2017

by Esther Ngumbi

Faith is an HIV counselor in Kenya but her salary is low. So this spring, she's planting kale and other veggies in the hope of a cash crop. And learning some life lessons along the way.

Mother Nature Hands Fruit Farmers Weird Weather, Sleepless Nights

11:45am March 14, 2017

by David Ford

The unseasonably warm February weather in North Carolina accelerated the growing season for early-blooming strawberry and blueberry plants.

Queue Listen Now

Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students Liz Hada, left, and Melissa Garcia Rodriguez say they have experienced racial tension in some of their classes, despite feeling generally welcomed by most students and faculty.

National

To Diversify The Farming Landscape, Diversify Who Works It

10:06am March 02, 2017

by Amy Mayer

The people working on farms and elsewhere in agriculture often don't reflect the nation's demographics. Changing that is becoming a priority, in hopes that new people will bring fresh ideas.