Agriculture News November 6 2012

By K. McDonald on November 6th, 2012

Friends, I apologize to admit that this poster pretty well sums up the excitement that I’m feeling today.

Here are my chosen news links for this week….

● Did Farmers of the Past Know More Than We Do? (NYT)

● Typhoon No Bar to Third Record Chinese Corn Harvest (bloomberg)

● Farmers at mercy of the market. Fuel and fertilizer costs, which make up about 40 percent of his annual budget, have risen at unpredictable rates. (idahopress)

● Bananas, cassava, and the cowpea plant could play increasing roles in a warming climate world (BBC)

● Deere & Co (DE.N), the world’s largest farm equipment maker, said on Thursday it would lay off 367 workers at its primary harvester factory in East Moline, Illinois, and idle most of the plant’s other employees for a month because of reduced demand for combines. (Reuters)

● China imported 524,156 tonnes of wheat last month, a rise of 196% on September last year (agrimoney)

● India looks likely to harvest bumper wheat crop in 2013 – its sixth in a row to exceed demand. (Reuters)

● Land rent could be complicated this winter (The Republic)

● When there is little water available for plants to grow, their roots form alliances with soil microbes that can promote plant growth even under water-limiting conditions (PhysOrg)

● Global Meat Production and Consumption Slow Down (worldwatch)

● Potash Hits Stony Ground in Israel (WSJ)

● The cost of seeds will go up in 2013. Prices for corn seed are expected to rise 5-7 percent, 7-10 percent for soybean seed and more than 10 percent for wheat seed. (Purdue)

● Feedlot Prospects Worrisome for U.S. Cattle Industry (sciencedaily)

● INVESTMENT: The Andersons: Target in global grains race may be a steal (Reuters)

● The Man with a million acres (WSJ)

● Several advocates for renewable fuels and alternative energy made the annual list of top lobbyists in Washington D.C. compiled by “The Hill.” 1) Renewable Fuels Association 2) Growth Energy. (domesticfuel)

● US criticizes Laos decision to build dam across Mekong River Environmentalists say it would also disrupt fish migrations, block nutrients for downstream farming and even foul Vietnam’s rice bowl by slowing the river’s speed and allowing saltwater to creep into the Mekong River Delta. (AP)

● ENERGY: Xcel’s SmartGridCity plan fails to connect with Boulder (denverpost)

● Famed genomics researcher J. Craig Venter, who is working to develop biofuels from photosynthetic algae, acknowledged this week that alternate fuels are “dead” unless the federal government mandates their use with a carbon policy. … Without strong government intervention, Venter said, that day will never come. (NCTimes)

● Japanese fish farming scientists are producing disease-resistant fish (The economist)

● Growing vegetables without soil on Gaza’s rooftops (BBC)

● The vegetables anyone can grow: Edible weeds (Eat that weed)