Agriculture

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.

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.

The overdue farm bill is finally making its way through Congress, after the House agriculture committee recently advanced a proposal. Food assistance is likely to be one of the biggest sticking points as the draft moves forward.

The EPA could soon face a lawsuit for not protecting farmers from “forever chemicals.” Few states regulate PFAS in biosolids fertilizer, but farmers in the northeast are now calling for federal standards.

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch in Ionia County let go of 400 employees and contractors as millions of birds in the state are affected with the highly pathogenic virus.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service recently announced it is discontinuing a few market surveys due to budget cuts. Some lawmakers and industry groups have expressed concern and want the decision to be reversed.

It’s been a year since NASA kicked off an effort to provide farmers with useful information garnered from satellite images of Earth. The program includes research at two universities in the Midwest.

Michigan's commercial poultry and dairy operations are being asked to beef up their biosecurity measures on their farms following a recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the food program for low-income individuals — has become one of the hottest topics in farm bill negotiations, as congressional Republicans seek more changes.

Sheep producers in the Midwest say wool prices have been dismal for decades, but in recent years they’ve plummeted. Now producers are looking for new ways to add value to this fiber or drop it all together.