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Farm News & Views
Weekly

Agriculture news from an alternative point of view

Latest Episodes
  • The impacts from the Smokehouse Fire on farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma and Texas, a new website offers help with livestock and pasture management for small acreage landowners, the Four Corners Region remains abnormally dry, and a recent study finds the pesticide chlormequat in an overwhelming majority of oat-based products.
  • Wildfires in the panhandle of Texas and south central Oklahoma could impact beef supply, more concerns about getting a new Farm Bill passed in Congress, the EPA announces a new Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,and cases of canine respiratory disease in Colorado have dropped significantly.
  • Cattle prices reach a record high, falling water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer create uncertainty for farmers and municipalities, and a strong El Nino weather pattern has kept winter temperatures warmer this year.
  • The USDA releases the 2022 Ag Census, revealing that since 2017 the U.S. lost nearly 142,000 farms and more than 20.1 million acres of productive farmland, that just over 26,000 farms account for 50% of all sales for all products, and an overall continued rise in the average age of farmers.
  • Problems with Dicamba herbicide leaves farmers caught in the middle, a new Farm Bill continues to languish in Congress, and a Livestock Workshop Series will offer local producers educational opportunities.
  • Increasing resistance in weeds to common herbicides is impacting crop production in the U.S., and farmers may need to start paying closer attention to what’s happening in their fields and not depend on magic seeds or potions.
  • Colorado Governor Jared Polis announces grants for development of the simultaneous use of land for solar energy production and agriculture, the Colorado Department of Agriculture is inviting agricultural producers to submit listings for this year’s Farm Fresh Directory, the latest Rural Mainstreet Index finds that farmland prices increased over the past month while borrowing costs have increased, and agricultural leaders express concerns about where the U.S farm economy may be headed.
  • A new Farm Bill from Congress seems to still be a long way off, the Senate Agriculture Committee Chair outlines key farm bill programs, the American Farm Bureau Federation wants a new farm bill to address agriculture's labor challenges, John Deere partners with Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite-based high-speed internet for its machines, and drought continues to hamper the number of ships that can traverse the Panama Canal.
  • A group of senators is encouraging consideration of a farm bill that provides support for projects that address drought, the Colorado Master Irrigator Program kicks off on January 18th, cattle markets are starting 2024 in a much better position than they were a year ago, and meteorologists predict that we’ve likely reached the peak of the El Nino weather pattern this winter.
  • Recent winter storms bring much-needed moisture to the Four Corners, environmental data show that December 2023 was the warmest December on record, and the ag economy was down in 2023 compared to 2022 (the worst since 2013) which could indicate the ag economy is heading into another farm debt crisis.