food

Lab-grown meat's carbon footprint, hay harvest yields are looking good in the Four Corners, and breaking down the cost of a 4th of July cookout meal.

U.S. farm exports are set to decrease by 8% this year, climatologists are suggesting that the U.S. will see a shift from La Nina to El Nino conditions this summer, almost one-third of winter wheat acreage could be abandoned this year, prices for beef for grilling will be higher this summer, and a new business is using mini and micro burros to serve drinks at parties and other events.

This Thursday, the Navajo Nation Special Diabetes Program and Kayenta Unified School District are teaming up to host a Navajo Food Summit at Monument Valley High School in Kayenta, Arizona. Former President of the Navajo Nation Jonathan Nez will kick the summit off with a keynote address on Thursday morning. And a bill to expand substance abuse treatment in Colorado schools has been approved by both the state House and Senate.

Some Colorado families will see a reduction in federal food assistance this month. A temporary increase during the COVID-19 pandemic of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, ended officially on February 19. And a bill to add protections for overdose reporting cleared its first hurdle at the State Capitol yesterday.

Farmland sales prices show strong land values, proposed legislation in Iowa over SNAP food allowances could leave pork producers in a bind, and a recent survey shows that Coloradans want to support the state’s agricultural industry.

China remains the largest customer for U.S. agricultural products again in 2023, the shortage of eggs due to avian flu outbreaks has driven up the price to an average of $4.25 a dozen, and southwest Colorado sees it's biggest snow storm in about 10-12 years.

The USDA predicts that food prices will continue to go up with big increases in the price of eggs, China will need 8 million more acres of crop land annually, Maricopa County in Arizona is losing farmland at a faster rate than any other county in the nation due to low density residential development, and the CSU Coperative Extension is hosting an Annie's Project Workshop January 19th to the 21st at the Dolores Community Center.

The food pantry has also been seeing an increase in shoppers since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A look ahead to what consumers may expect to pay for groceries in 2023, how the war in Ukraine is affecting farmers there, and China needs more cropland for its growing consumption of feed grains, oilseeds, and food grains.

Kaiser Permanente and other healthcare providers are expanding abortion services in Colorado. And in Cortez, The Good Samaritan Food Center helps combat hunger in the Four Corners region.