Blog Postings
October 03, 2012 by USFRA
New techniques used in farming and ranching prove key this growing season
The growing season of 2012, no matter the geographical location in the United States, is a challenging one. Amidst one of the worst droughts in a century, dry, hot conditions are wreaking havoc across the nation. According to Bloomberg news (Aug. 1, 2012), more than half the counties in the U.S. were considered drought-stressed. Most of the areas that faced this stress were in corn, soybean and livestock-raising country. The weather impacts crops as well as meat and poultry, since corn and soybeans – important staples in the diets of many farm animals – are two of the hardest hit crops.
September 04, 2012 by USFRA
FROM EATOCRACY ON AUGUST 30, 2012
After a very wet spring in 2011 that delayed planting, the 2012 crop season looked promising as planting conditions were optimal. The outlook was refreshing as it meant few setbacks on the crop. However, the good conditions during planting quickly turned as our family waited and waited for moisture. Unfortunately, when the rains did arrive, they were few and far between.
May 23, 2012 by USFRA
FROM TIME ON MAY 22, 2012
By Bryan Walsh
Climate change is the environmental problem that obsesses us, the one that's the focus of high-flying international summits and hardcore national politics. But it's not the only environmental problem — and it's not even the biggest one. That happens to be the crisis in agriculture and land use, the subject of what Jon Foley — the head of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment — calls the "other inconvenient truth."
May 22, 2012 by USFRA
FROM TIME ON APRIL 26, 2012
By Bryan Walsh
When it comes to energy, everyone loves efficiency. Cutting energy waste is one of those goals that both sides of the political divide can agree on, even if they sometimes diverge on how best to get there. Energy efficiency allows us to get more out of our given resources, which is good for the economy and (mostly) good for the environment as well. In an increasingly hot and crowded world, the only sustainable way to live is to get more out of less. Every environmentalist would agree.
April 21, 2012 by USFRA
Earth Day is always a good time to reflect on how we treat the environment, and the actions and improvements we’re making for the betterment of our planet. Farmers use the land to produce fruits, vegetables, and grains and graze livestock. Because our farmers and ranchers are so closely tied to the earth and its valuable resources, they are continuously looking for new management practices to improve their land, which means so much to them.
February 08, 2012 by USFRA
FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ON DECEMBER 4, 2011
Feeding the Future
AS CLIMATE-CHANGE negotiators from nearly 200 countries meet this week in South Africa, Carter Roberts, the World Wildlife Fund’s president, argues that the leading environmental challenge of this century won’t be global warming. It will be feeding people.
The WWF reckons that about 70 percent of the world’s land either is used to produce food or is unsuitable for that. Global population is heading from 7 billion toward a possible 10 billion by 2100. Per capita consumption rises as countries develop. Some vacant land may not be all that fertile.
August 18, 2011 by USFRA
Here today, gone tomorrow. It´s a common sentiment in a fast-changing world. But while most of us won´t be around a century from now, hundreds of millions of people will live in the United States and will need to be fed. If growth trends continue, it´ll be many more millions than the 310 million who live here now. And there will be less farmland and ranchland available to do it with. That´s why sustainability is so crucial to America´s food industry – and America´s future.
June 05, 2011 by USFRA
From The New York Times
CIUDAD OBREGÓN, Mexico — The dun wheat field spreading out at Ravi P. Singh’s feet offered a possible clue to human destiny. Baked by a desert sun and deliberately starved of water, the plants were parched and nearly dead.