agriculture

Today’s KSJD Outdoor Report takes a detour across the pond to the English countryside, where the Absolute Units podcast from the Museum of English Rural Life explores stories of queer life outside the city. In its new episode, “Queer Rural Lives: Searching the Archives,” hosts Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan talk with researcher Tim Jerrome about uncovering hidden LGBTQ+ histories in farm records and rural archives — and how museums can bring those voices to light.

Chocolate is one of America's most popular treats, you'll find it in every bakery and grocery store across Colorado. But the long process behind your candy bar starts sometimes over a thousand miles away in the jungles of Thailand or Ghana where the finicky cacao tree is able to grow. Since 2019 Pollinator Chocolate in Carbondale, Colorado has been taking select cocoa beans and turning them into a confectionary that goes above and beyond.

Recent storms brought record rainfall across the Four Corners — with some areas seeing a third of their annual total in a single day — but drought conditions remain. Water users across the Upper Colorado River Basin are facing deep, uncompensated cuts, forcing widespread farmland fallowing and new pressure on long-term water management.

Farm organizations are warning that America’s agricultural economy is sliding toward crisis levels reminiscent of the 1980s, as low crop prices, high input costs, and ongoing trade disputes squeeze producers. The American Farm Bureau Federation has urged federal leaders to authorize bridge payments and enact long-term solutions to stabilize farm incomes, while analysts note that diversified farms and livestock producers are faring better thanks to strong markets.

Colorado is permitting a Florida-based company to deploy warm-weather cloud seeding in Weld County. It's an attempt to make more rain fall on farm fields.

U.S. farmers are feeling the pinch as corn and soybean markets continue to fall — with China halting soybean purchases and redirecting its beef imports to Brazil and Australia. Meanwhile, new U.S. port fees targeting Chinese-owned and Chinese-built vessels threaten to raise export costs and further reduce global competitiveness for American grain. Cuts to the USDA and Forest Service budgets are adding to concerns for rural communities already under financial strain.

University of Montana Climate Office launches regional project to strengthen drought resilience while the Four Corners shifts its focus to snowpack

Farm economists say the U.S. ag economy is in recession, as trade wars, high costs, and lost exports to China deepen uncertainty for farmers.

With slashed property taxes, weed and pest managers seek stability for programs like trained dogs.

In the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, more people are struggling to put food on the table. LIFT-UP's Mobile Food Pantry is helping meet the growing demand for food assistance.