Pivotal Issues Blog

By Justin Fredrickson The big dams and reservoirs that make up the California water system transformed the state from a place the Spanish and Mexican colonizers deemed not good for much except cattle and missions into an incredibly fertile and productive agricultural Eden, and a place that could support thriving urban centers. The architects of […]

By Doug Rich The United States is a ground beef nation. The move to upscale hamburger chains is one of the trends in the beef Paul Heinrich highlighted during his presentation at the 2016 Cattlemen’s Day in Manhattan, Kansas, March 4. Heinrich is chief executive officer at Encore Food Solutions, LLC. He has 20 years […]

Back when there were only three television channels and Johnny Carson was the king of late night, one of his running gags was a reference to Burbank’s summer weather where the audience would shout back: How hot is it? A lot of us would like to know what the answer to that question will be […]

Vilsack says announcement is “a significant step forward in strengthening our bond and broadening agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba.” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several measures that will foster collaboration between the U.S. and Cuban agriculture sectors during his second visit to Cuba. While in Cuba, Vilsack announced that USDA will allow […]

Nebraska winter wheat is off to a good start, but stripe rust and other rust diseases are showing up in southern states. By Tyler Harris Nebraska’s winter wheat crop had a rough go round last year. Following severe winterkill and disease pressure from stripe rust and fusarium head blight, Nebraska saw some of the lowest […]

Kentucky grower spends big to reap more bushels: By: Chris Bennett   Come early spring, Phillip Meredith is running like he’s stolen something, desperate to get into his fields and scratch northern Kentucky With abundant water supply and 1,650 acres under pivot irrigation, Kentucky farmer Phillip Meredith is able to zero-in on every detail of […]

How four farmers found the right cover crop to fix their soil’s problems: Without question, cover crops can improve soil health—and better soil health means more efficient use of resources and the potential for higher yields. But failing to select the right cover crop will waste money as surely as dense, crusted soil wastes rainfall. […]

By Holly Spangler Former anti-GMO activist says science supports biotechnology for food production, and says mandatory labeling would give activists ‘nothing left to fight.’ Published on: Jan 12, 2016 Once upon a time in the not-so-distant past, Mark Lynas would crawl through mud, clandestinely seeking to destroy European GMO crops. “Machetes and all that,” he added […]

Article from www.k-state.edu The High Plains Aquifer provides 30 percent of the water used in the nation’s irrigated agriculture. The aquifer runs under South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. | Download this photo. MANHATTAN — A new Kansas State University study finds that the over-tapping of the High Plains Aquifer’s […]

By Larry Dreiling The U.S. House Jan. 13 approved a joint resolution to block the controversial Waters of the United States rule in the Clean Water Act. The resolution, which passed the House by a 253-168 vote had passed the Senate in November by a vote of 53-44. The votes were for naught, as President […]