Farm News & Views

Damage from Hurricane Ian is expected to affect food prices from Florida crops, the threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza is rising again in the West, and despite the rumors, this coming winter is unlikely to bring a lot of moisture.

Drought is still persistent in the Four Corners but pasture and range conditions are better than expected, the High Desert Conservation District announces a Master Land Steward class, and the benefits of fallen leaves for soil health.

September 18th to the 24th is National Farm Safety week, the Colorado Water Plan starts to see investment, and how to conduct fall soil sampling.

Inflation Reduction Act aims at agricultural practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from crop and livestock production, U.S. farm incomes and exports are expected lower than 2021, and a study shows interesting findings about the effects on overall health of people who eat grapes.

What renewable energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act could mean for agricultural producers and rural communities, NOAA predicts another dry La Niña winter for the Southwest, and livestock rustling appears to be alive and well in Utah.

A survey of bank CEOs in rural areas indicates that rural economies are slowing down, the EPA continues to wrestle with problems related to the Roundup herbicide, and a residential developer in Hawaii is selling expensive land plots that can only be used for agricultural purposes.

A forecast for the Four Corners sees cooler temperatures continuing this fall, the USDA reports the value of the nation’s cropland in 2022 is up an average of 14% over 2021, history may be repeating itself with a possible farmland price bubble, and how to harvest the perfect ripe tomato.

A look at a few projects being proposed as solutions for the low water levels in the lower Colorado River basin, and how the decline in common milkweed threatens the monarch butterfly.

Two pieces of legislation are announced that could impact farmers, ranchers, and rural residents; "Farms Under Threat" looks at threats to agricultural land from expanding commercial, industrial, and residential development; a drop in cattle numbers due to drought is leading to the possibility of higher beef prices; and monsoon rain events have been very patchy in the Four Corners Region this summer.

A look at food price increases over the past year, the factors behind increased retail prices for beef, the Food and Drug Administration will now require a veterinary prescription for injected antibiotics for livestock, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature adds the monarch butterfly to its “red list” of threatened species.