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Soil science is a relatively new field and becoming more critical in the work to keep soil healthy and productive. The discovery of century-old soil samples at a land-grant university could offer big clues into how soil has changed over time.
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Four months after the first reported cases of bird flu in dairy cows, the price of milk and demand for it have largely remained unchanged. Industry experts say whether that remains the case will depend on how far and how quickly cases spread.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s SUN Bucks doles out $40 per month over the summer for each eligible child. This is the first year for the program, and it's expected to reach about 21 million kids. Yet 13 states, including Oklahoma and Iowa, turned down the funding.
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Many small businesses owners are planning on retiring soon, but finding buyers to keep the businesses going can be a challenge, especially in rural areas.
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Worsening local effects on health and recreation in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin are spurring action on problems that also cause the Gulf of Mexico’s chronic “dead zone.”
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One year away from a federal deadline to reduce nutrient runoff into the Gulf of Mexico by 20%, increases in tile drainage, livestock and fertilizer use have made success unlikely.
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It’s National Pollinator Week, an annual event created to bring attention to the sharp decline in pollinator numbers due to habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. Butterflies often capture people’s attention and help spark interest in pollinator conservation, something butterfly farms are helping promote.
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Biosolids are a cheap, nutrient-rich fertilizer that have been applied on millions of acres of farmland across the country, but toxic “forever chemicals” are creeping their way into the fertilizer. A proposed federal provision aims to better protect farmers from PFAS contamination.
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Researchers and bug enthusiasts are cooking up cicadas as sweet snacks or pizza toppings this summer. Some hope cicadas will help entomophagy – the practice of eating insects – catch on.
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The prospect of precision agriculture has existed for decades, but many of the technologies and techniques that will enable it have been slow to catch on.
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It’s been an above-average spring for tornadoes and other severe storms in the Midwest and Great Plains. Experts say a big reason is that weather conditions were ripe for tornado-forming storms.
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Solar power is the fastest growing source of electricity in the U.S., but some new solar installations are taking over productive farm ground. Scientists are trying to develop ways to get both calories and kilowatts from the same land, but that’s not as easy as it might seem.