Category Archives: News

It’s brown, about three-quarters of an inch long and it is feasting its way through the mid-Atlantic. The brown marmorated stink bug is munching through apple orchards in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, causing nearly $37 million in damage, … Continue reading →

Losses from managed honey bee colonies totaled 30 percent nationwide during the 2010/2011 winter, according to a survey conducted by USDA and the Apiary Inspectors of America. But those losses are marginal compared to previous years. During the 2009/2010 winter, … Continue reading →

  (WHNT News 19)

The deadline for the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) and the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), is quickly approaching. Producers who have not signed up for either program have until June 1 to do so. “Producers must be aware … Continue reading →

Livestock losses due to the Texas drought have reached $1.2 billion in six months, according to economists with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Farmers are selling off herds, crop conditions are deteriorating and ranchers are being forced to feed hay … Continue reading →

Milk production is up 1.7 percent from April 2010, according to a report by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Production of milk last month in the 23 major states totaled 15.5 billion pounds with production per cow totaling 1,834 … Continue reading →

Improper use of a growth accelerator is to blame for acres of exploding watermelons in eastern China. Farmers used forchlorfenuron during overly wet weather and administered it too late in the season, causing the watermelons to burst. Producers used the … Continue reading →

Study Could Allow Consumers to Trace Livestock from Farm to PlateResearchers at Michigan State University have launched a pilot program that will allow consumers to trace where their hamburgers and steaks originated. Using Michigan’s livestock tracing program — which requires … Continue reading →

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture began assessing damage to Missouri farmland affected by the recent flooding. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon sent a letter to USDA requesting the assessment, which is the first step to counties in the state … Continue reading →

A new Missouri law will limit nuisance lawsuits against livestock and crop producers. Gov. Jay Nixon signed the measure, which restricts how much money people could win, also stops neighbors from filing repeated nuisance claims regarding similar conditions against the … Continue reading →