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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: crops

crops stories: 33 news summaries

1 - 20 of 33 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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(Newser) - A falloff in demand and an end to subsidies has tobacco farmers across the country turning to the vino, the Wall Street Journal reports—farming grapes and making wine, that is. “The small-plot tobacco farmer is a thing of the past,” says a North Carolina wine official,... More »

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farming • tobacco • crops • wine industry • vineyard • winery

 Fungus Poised 
 to Kill Off 
 World's Wheat 

US scientists race to find plants resistant to the Ug99 fungus

Jun 14, 09 6:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - A rust-colored fungus could destroy 80% of the world's wheat crops in a few years unless scientists counter it with genetically resistant strains, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Ug99 fungus—an ancient wheat-killer that rose up again in Africa 10 years ago—is already threatening 19% of the world's... More »

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fungus • wheat • crops • genetic research • Uganda • Ug99 • stem rust

 Bizarre Dust Stains 
 Snow-Capped Rockies 

Dust could leave crops dehydrated by late summer

May 24, 09 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - A veil of dust coating the snowcapped Colorado Rockies is accelerating river runoff and has farmers scrambling to avoid an arid crop season, the Los Angeles Times reports. An unusually high number of dust storms and unseasonably warm temperatures have caused rivers to swell near flood stage. “It creates... More »

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environment • water • Colorado Rockies • crops • Colorado • mountain

 Hoe-town: 
 10K-Acre Farm 
 Eyed for Detroit 

Michigan investors seek to turn deserted streets into cropland

Apr 7, 09 5:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Motor City could turn into Maize City if a Michigan investment group has its way and turns 10,000 acres of largely deserted streets into farm plots, reports BusinessGreen. Hanz Group hopes eventually to acquire almost 10% of Detroit's 143 square miles for development into cropland, Christmas tree and lumber... More »

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investors • Detroit • Michigan • crops • farm • cash crops • economy • fiscal crisis • Motor City

 China Battles 
 Worst Drought 
 in 60 Years 

Beijing introduces emergency measures as country dries out

Feb 6, 09 7:46 AM CST
(Newser) - The Chinese government has released $44 million in emergency funds to battle a worsening drought that has left parts of the country drier than at any time since 1951. The drought has threatened wheat crops and livestock and portends rising food prices—at a moment when China is already facing... More »

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China • environment • drought • crops • canals

 Saltwater Crops 
 Could Ease Land Demand 

Hardy, saltwater-loving plants could produce biofuels from otherwise unusable land

Dec 5, 08 6:04 AM CST
(Newser) - A worldwide shortage of prime farmland has scientists taking a closer look at plants that thrive on briny water, Wired reports. Plants that can grow in earth too salty for other crops have huge potential for use as biofuel as well as food: One variety produces 1.7 times more... More »

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agriculture • farming • biofuel • plants • crops • farmland

 Science Supersizes  
 Thanksgiving 

Our fare is not the same as the pilgrims'

Nov 27, 08 2:45 PM CST
(Newser) - Thanksgiving food has undergone massive genetic changes in the centuries since the Pilgrims first prepared the feast, resulting in turkeys more than twice as big and corn six times as sweet. But human taste buds have evolved, too, meaning we don’t necessarily appreciate our new and improved fare any... More »

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agriculture • genetically modified crops • corn • DNA • turkey • crops • Thanksgiving • potatoes

(Newser) - Scientists have made a breakthrough that could dramatically boost the world's food production by making more land farmable, Wired reports. A slight change to a single gene allows plants to thrive in earth made toxic by aluminum, which currently renders nearly half of the world's soil useless for growing crops.... More »

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agriculture • farming • genetically modified crops • aluminum • crops • toxin • genetic engineering • genetic alteration

New England Pumpkin Crop Patchy After Summer Deluge

Heavy rains cut some yields by half due to bloating, rot and wash-outs

Sep 18, 08 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - An unseasonably wet growing season has devastated the New England pumpkin crop, the Boston Globe reports. The rain has multiple effects, almost all bad: some overwatered gourds swell so much they burst, while beds are washed out and depleted of fertilizer, leading to undersized specimens. And “pumpkins are... More »

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agriculture • New England • crops • Halloween • Pumpkin • rainstorms

 Midwest Awaits
 Bumper Corn Crop

Ideal growing weather wipes out flood fears

Aug 13, 08 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - America's farmers are on track to deliver the second-biggest corn harvest ever despite June floods, according to the Department of Agriculture. Shortages were predicted after severe flooding swamped fields, but the Midwest has had ideal corn-growing weather since, the New York Times reports. A healthy soybean crop is also expected.... More »

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agriculture • farming • corn • crops • harvest • farmer • farm • Department of Agriculture • corn belt • soybeans

Forget Scarecrows: Falcons Keep Pesky Birds Away

Farmers nationwide fight feathers with feathers

Aug 12, 08 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - On the heels of new federal regulations, US farmers are deploying falcons to stop smaller fowl from destroying their crops, the AP reports. Indigenous birds of prey may be used in place of older methods like pyrotechnics, propane cannons, and straw men in overalls to keep pest birds from eating... More »

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farming • crops • farmer • birds of prey • pest control • falcon

OPINION

 Anti-'Frankenfood' Activists
 Should Modify Stance

Opposition to genetically souped-up crops has run its course

Aug 4, 08 5:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - The recent destruction of a research crop of genetically modified potatoes in England highlights how attitudes towards altered crops have changed, the Economist writes. A decade ago, Greenpeace activists caught in the act of destroying food crops were acquitted because of popular fear of the consequences of “Frankenfoods.”... More »

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food • hunger • genetically modified crops • famine • crops • experiments • academic research • environmentalists

Forget the Farmers Market: Buy the Farm

21st century-style 'sharecropping' takes root nationwide

Jul 10, 08 3:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Consumers wanting food straight from the source are buying up shares of farms in growing numbers, the New York Times reports. For a set annual fee, shareholders buy access to the land and a guaranteed share of the harvest income. The number of community-supported farms in America has mushroomed from... More »

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agriculture • organic food • farming • crops • farmer • farm

 Floods Cloud Biofuel Future 

Ruined Midwest crops spark worries about fuel supplies

Jul 1, 08 4:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - The floods that swamped the corn belt last month have raised fresh fears about the future of biofuels, the New York Times reports. The ruined corn crop has sent the price of ethanol soaring, and experts worry that unpredictable weather could lead to future spikes in the price of energy... More »

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ethanol • corn • biofuel • crops • corn belt • Midwest floods • energy policy

 Grain Prices Surge
 With Midwest Floods 

Water inundating heartland expected to drive food, oil prices still higher

Jun 14, 08 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - The floods inundating the Midwest are pushing grain prices to new highs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Corn prices jumped 10% to a record high last week as farmland flooded. The domino effects will hit the ethanol industry, hog farmers, and even owners of catfish ponds who rely on corn... More »

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Iowa • Midwest • ethanol • corn • flood • flooding • crops • farmland • grain • farm • commodities

Poor Crops Threaten to Worsen Food Crisis

Bad weather in US, Australia threatens harvests amid shortages

Jun 10, 08 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Amid fears of looming food shortages around the world, this year’s crops aren’t providing much hope, the New York Times reports. While farmers in America have been hit with too much rain, Australian farmers are battling the effects of drought. US farmers planted 4 million more acres this... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weather • drought • crops • harvest • farmer • food shortage

Geneticists Solve Mystery of Giant Tomatoes

Without mutations on just 2 genes, red fruit would be tiny bud

May 12, 08 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Tomatoes would be about the size of blueberries if it weren't for two key genetic mutations, Reuters reports. Scientists mapping the plant's DNA discovered one gene that encourages additional cell division, and another that allows the fruit to grow many more internal compartments. Together the changes have created tomatoes up... More »

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agriculture • genetics • mutation • tomatoes • genes • crops

US Predicts Bumper Crops
Will Ease Food Crisis

Record-breaking grain harvests worldwide expected to bring prices back down

May 10, 08 9:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Farmers worldwide will reap record-breaking harvests of wheat and rice this year, the US projects, and the news is expected to ease some of the worldwide concern about food prices. The USDA says good weather will bring bumper crops that will replenish depleted stocks, Reuters reports. Analysts warned, however, that... More »

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agriculture • farming • USDA • wheat • crops • wheat prices • food security • global food market • food supply • rice prices

Save a Food From Extinction: Eat It for Dinner

'Food coalitions' aim to keep ingredients, recipes key to US heritage in circulation

May 1, 08 7:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Vanishing culinary breeds are getting a new lease on life, thanks to the efforts of an ethnobotanist with an interest in America's foodie past, the New York Times reports. While Makah ozette potato sounds like a "Final Jeopardy" answer, the once-endangered vegetable is one of the many culinary artifacts... More »

MORE ABOUT:
food • endangered species • agriculture • gourmet dining • crops • anthropology • Makah tribe • chickens • potato • American cusine

 Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer 

Prices skyrocket, ingredients scarce as growing population demands more food

Apr 30, 08 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - One of the less touted factors behind the global food crisis is a shortage in chemical fertilizer, which has helped boost crop yields dramatically and particularly benefited the developing world. But while growing demand is unlikely to be met for many years, the environmental impact of producing and using chemical... More »

MORE ABOUT:
farming • corn • crops • fertilizer • rice • developing countries • food prices • food supply

1 - 20 of 33 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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