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October 13, 2008 11:32:05 AM CDT

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Stories related to: farming

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  • April 2008

    • Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer

      New York Times  |  Apr 30, 08 10:02 AM CDT

      Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer

      (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 fertilizers is significant and negative, the New York Times reports. More »

      Tags

      food prices  • farming  • corn  • crops  • developing countries  • rice  • food supply  • fertilizer

    • Humble Spud Could Solve Food Crisis

      Reuters  |  Apr 15, 08 2:39 AM CDT

      Humble Spud Could Solve Food Crisis

      (Newser) - Sharp hikes in the prices of staples like wheat and rice are sending shockwaves around the world and convincing governments to rediscover the virtues of the potato, Reuters reports. Spuds are nutritious, will grow just about anywhere, and they yield up to four times more food per acre than other staples. Peruvians, faced with soaring wheat prices, have been switching to potato bread. More »

      Tags

      food  • food prices  • farming  • Peru  • crops  • food shortage  • food supply  • potato

  • February 2008

    • Gene Discovery Holds Hope for Drought-Safe Crops

      BBC  |  Feb 28, 08 2:45 AM CST

      Gene Discovery Holds Hope for Drought-Safe Crops

      (Newser) - Scientists have discovered a gene that controls how plants absorb carbon dioxide and release moisture in a breakthrough discovery that could help develop drought-resistant crops, reports the BBC. The gene that regulates the work of stomata, or pores on plant leaves, has been sought by biologists for decades. The gene also controls the amount of water vapor a plant releases into the atmosphere, and its manipulation could affect climate change. More »

      Tags

      Africa  • farming  • genes  • crops  • carbon dioxide  • drought  • plants  • Nature  • genetically modified crops

    • Climate Change May Trigger Crop Failures

      National Geographic  |  Feb 3, 08 9:21 AM CST

      Climate Change May Trigger Crop Failures

      (Newser) - Climate change could cause severe food shortages in South Asia and southern Africa, two of the poorest regions in the world, by 2030, National Geographic reports. "We were surprised by how much, and how soon, these regions could suffer if we don't adapt," said one of the study's authors. Decreased yields could pump up costs in the global food market as well. More »

      Tags

      climate change  • greenhouse gases  • farming  • crops  • hunger  • South Asia  • Southern Africa  • World hunger  • global food market

  • December 2007

    • Fish Farming Wiping Out Wild Salmon

      Washington Post  |  Dec 13, 07 11:01 PM CST

      Fish Farming Wiping Out Wild Salmon

      (Newser) - Fish farming could drive some species of wild salmon to extinction, a new study says. Canadian researchers found a direct connection between the growth of such farms in British Columbia and a sharp drop in wild salmon nearby, the Washington Post reports. They attribute the problem to deadly sea lice that thrives in the farms, then spreads to wild salmon that swim by the netted cage.  More »

      Tags

      farming  • fish  • salmon  • British Columbia  • seafood  • aquaculture

  • November 2007

    • Noah's Flood Transformed Agriculture

      Reuters  |  Nov 19, 07 10:33 AM CST

      Noah's Flood Transformed Agriculture

      (Newser) - The real-life inspiration for the biblical flood may have been responsible for the widespread adoption of agriculture in Europe, according to a new study. About 8,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, ice sheets melted, causing massive flooding in the Black Sea basin. That forced farmers to disperse, and they migrated to new areas where people still relied on hunting and gathering. More »

      Tags

      France  • Italy  • Turkey  • Europe  • flood  • agriculture  • farming  • Balkans  • Black Sea  • Yugoslavia  • Noah's Ark

  • October 2007

    • 10 Jobs Not Long for This World

      Forbes  |  Oct 23, 07 9:54 AM CDT

      10 Jobs Not Long for This World

      (Newser) - Getting a job is hard enough—you don't want one that won't be around in five or 10 years. Forbes pulls out its crystal ball to see which jobs are not long for this world: News analysts, reporters, and correspondents Economists Radio announcers Travel agents More »

      Tags

      list  • unemployment  • radio  • farming  • employment  • outsourcing  • job market  • careers  • job search

    • Rules Eased for Farm Workers

      Los Angeles Times  |  Oct 7, 07 6:43 PM CDT

      Rules Eased for Farm Workers

      (Newser) - Faced with the prospect of crops rotting in the fields for want of hands to pick them, the Bush administration is quietly easing immigration regulations on farmworkers, the Los Angeles Times reports. Farmers have been caught between the recent crackdown on illegal aliens crossing the border from Mexico and the notoriously inefficient H-2A program, which lets farmers apply for temporary immigrant workers. More »

      Tags

      immigration  • farming  • illegal immigrant  • immigrant

  • August 2007

    • Rodent Attacks Demolish Spanish Crops

      Christian Science Monitor  |  Aug 20, 07 2:07 PM CDT

      Rodent Attacks Demolish Spanish Crops

      (Newser) - As many as 750 million voles have descended on farmland in central Spain, and with government response slow, farmers are taking matters into their own hands. The reason the number of rodents has exploded over the past few months is unclear, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but a likely explanation is a mild winter—potentially the product of global warming. More »

      Tags

      climate change  • global warming  • Spain  • farming  • farmer  • rodents

    • Deserts Eat Up China's Usable Land

      Christian Science Monitor  |  Aug 16, 07 5:03 PM CDT

      Deserts Eat Up China's Usable Land

      (Newser) - With China's deserts spreading another 950 square miles each year, the government is evicting families and replanting farms to stem the tide, the Christian Science Monitor reports from Gansu province. With 20% of the world's population but 7% of its arable land, China's decades-old problem has worsened due to overfarming, deforestation and global warming. More »

      Tags

      China  • climate change  • environment  • global warming  • farming  • deforestation  • desert

    • Consumers Scramble for Cage-Free Eggs

      New York Times  |  Aug 12, 07 6:13 AM CDT

      Consumers Scramble for Cage-Free Eggs

      (Newser) - The hottest new trend to hit the food industry is the cage-free egg, laid by ostensibly happier chickens allowed the run of large barns, the NY Times reports. Mega-brands like Whole Foods and Ben and Jerry’s now use only cage-free eggs, and even Burger King is switching, but overheated demand is beginning to outstrip supply. More »

      Tags

      food  • farming  • animal rights  • Whole Foods  • cage free  • egg

    • UK Inspects 3rd Foot and Mouth Case

      Reuters  |  Aug 8, 07 4:47 PM CDT

      UK Inspects 3rd Foot and Mouth Case

      (Newser) - A third suspected case of foot and mouth disease has been located in southern England, health officials said, as the EU lifted a ban on slaughtering animals but kept up the prohibition on exporting animal products. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that British veterinary investigators pinpointed two research labs they say have a “strong probability” of initiating the outbreak. More »