On The Brink: Farm Crisis Fears
Corn growers and specialty crop producers are facing mounting financial pressure as input costs soar and commodity prices drop. With farm aid ramping up and the DOJ investigating antitrust concerns, U.S. agriculture sits on the edge of a potential crisis.
Biological Remediation of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil
A bioremediation pilot project in Texas successfully treated highly saturated crude oil–oil-contaminated soils using Huma® products. Within 30 days, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) dropped from 75,000 ppm to below 10,000 ppm, demonstrating the effectiveness of probiotic technology in transforming toxic...
The Farm Bill That Rocked the 80s (and Beyond)
The 1985 Farm Bill wasn’t just another piece of legislation; it reshaped modern agriculture. Born out of the farm crisis, it introduced conservation programs, supply controls, and payment systems that still influence farming today. Forty years later, its legacy continues...
New Crop, Old Crop: Making Sense of Grain Markets
If you’ve ever listened to a grain commodities report, you’ve probably heard the terms new crop and old crop. But what do they actually mean, and why do prices vary so much between the two? Using corn as an example,...
Pickin’ Time or Payout Time? The Reality of Fall Harvest
Fall is usually the most exciting season on the farm, but this year rising input costs and declining farmer sentiment are overshadowing the joy of harvest. With corn facing steep losses per acre and overall farm expenses projected to hit...
When One Calf Costs Four Acres of Corn
Farm prices are on a wild ride. Beef is breaking records while corn is sinking to multi-year lows. Today, it takes roughly the value of four acres of corn to buy just one fed calf. What does this price gap...
Back to ’72: My First Farm Progress Show
In 1972, the Farm Progress Show came to my hometown of Galesburg, Illinois and even to the farm of my family’s closest friends. That year’s show was the biggest in history, drawing over 360,000 people and marking the dawn of...
Corn Records Without Rewards
Corn Records Without Rewards U.S. corn growers are smashing records in acreage and yield, but instead of golden returns, many are facing low prices and soaring input costs. Record bushels don’t always mean record profits.
Depression Food: A Garden-Fresh Tribute to the Greatest Generation
A heartfelt reflection on a simple summer dish of homegrown vegetables, honoring the resilience, self-reliance, and enduring legacy of Fred's grandparents who lived through the Great Depression.
#FarmersMarketWeek: The Shortest Distance to Better Eating
#NationalFarmersMarketWeek: The Shortest Distance to Better Eating What is food really grown for: nutrition, taste, or just to survive a long supply chain? The truth may surprise you. This National Farmers Market Week, we explore why much of our food...
Moving Closer to Farmers
Just as all politics are local, all farming is local. Terrain, soils, weather patterns, market access and cultural production practices vary dramatically across the Fruited Plain, as do the issues and concerns shaping ag policy. So it only makes sense...
The South Is Sweating and So Is The Corn
Just step outside. It's brutal. You’ll instantly know it’s “sweating season” across the South and much of the Midwest. Sure, temperatures are hot, consistently now in the upper 90s across the Delta. But it’s the humidity that instantly gets your...
