Meet the farmers of the future: Robots
Brandon Alexander would like to introduce you to Angus, the farmer of the future. He’s heavyset, weighing in at nearly 1,000 pounds, not to mention a bit slow. But he’s strong enough to hoist 800-pound pallets of maturing vegetables and can move them from place to place on his own.
Agriculture industry seeks to create right to farm
In the nation’s agricultural heartland, farming is more than a multibillion-dollar industry that feeds the world. It could be on track to become a right, written into law alongside the freedom of speech and religion.
Report highlights child labor on tobacco farms
You may have to be at least 18 to buy cigarettes in the U.S., but children as young as 7 are working long hours in fields harvesting nicotine- and pesticide-laced tobacco leaves under sometimes hazardous and sweltering conditions, according to a report released Wednesday by an international rights group.
The secret, dirty cost of Obama’s green power push
CORYDON, Iowa — The hills of southern Iowa bear the scars of America’s push for green energy: The brown gashes where rain has washed away
The state of cotton: As statewide acre totals dwindle, Golden Triangle farmers see an increase in cotton acres
They are out there now, those pieces of stray cotton crowding the edges of some Golden Triangle roads.
For decades, around this time of year when farmers head into fields to harvest, cotton has been roadside scenery in Mississippi.
Down on the farm: Getting to know your food and where it comes from
Old MacDonald made room for a younger generation of farmers Sunday, plus an estimated 50 to 70 people who wanted to check out their farms. The fairly new Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network coordinated free tours Sept. 29 of Black Creek Farms in Columbus, Beaverdam and High Hope Farms in Cedar Bluff, and Bountiful Harvest Farm in Starkville.
Certified Naturally Grown: An alternative label to organic
SCHAGHTICOKE, N.Y. — Justine and Brian Denison say they adhere to all the growing practices required for organic certification, yet if they label their beans
Heavy rains are blessing, curse to local farmers
For thousands of years, farmers have studied the sky, wondering when the next rain will fall. This growing season, Lowndes County farmers haven’t had to do much wondering.
Late cotton planting amplifies bug threat
JACKSON — Farmers are finally catching up on cotton planting, but experts are worried that the late start could expose the crop to more insects
Crop insurance juicy target in ‘fiscal cliff’
Rural lawmakers worry that $9 billion in annual federal crop insurance subsidies are an easy target for spending cuts in a “fiscal cliff” deal so they’re shopping around for a late compromise on a farm bill to protect them.
USDA chief: Rural America becoming less relevant
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has some harsh words for rural America: It’s “becoming less and less relevant,” he says.
More rain needed for Miss. soybeans
Agriculture experts at Mississippi State University say Mississippi’s soybean crop needs more moisture to complete what has at times been a dry season. Mississippi State’s University Extension Service says recent rains, along with irrigation, have helped after a dry spell in June.
King Cotton: Cotton has made a comeback in Mississippi
Cotton is back and Mississippi farmers are hoping to cash in.
Several years of declining global prices, which saw farmers across the country selling their cotton pickers and converting former cotton fields to grain crops, have created a shortage.
Despite heat, recent rains help jump-start crops
Record temperatures have some farmers sweating about the viability of their crops in August. Farmers in Lowndes County, however, aren’t hurting as badly.