Communities across the nation, including dozens in the Dakotas, are joining in a growing nationwide trend of forming markets with a very short farmer-to-consumer transportation system: goods go straight from the farmer’s hands to the consumer’s. Read More »
USDA released its much-anticipated June Acreage report on Friday, June 28, 2013. Because of wet planting conditions across much of the Corn Belt, including Iowa and Illinois, many expected about 2 million fewer acres of corn would be planted than reported in the March Prospective Plantings report, with about half of those lost corn acres being switched to soybeans. However the report indicated that did not occur, said Darrell R. Mark, Adjunct Professor of Economics at South Dakota State University. Read More »
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a statement concerning use of pesticides and their unintended negative impacts on pollinator health. Read More »
Does it matter who owns farmland? It might, according to several recent surveys and studies, which suggest that land owned by the person who farms it can be better for local communities, and may be more likely to have in place conservation measures, than land that is rented. Read More »
A look at ownership of farmland Read More »
After raising the issue of the relevancy of rural places to the national political conversation last December, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took a step beyond that Tuesday as he addressed the National Rural Assembly: Why aren’t rural advocates outraged when rural places are dismissed as irrelevant? Read More »
What's the best balance of urban and rural for the healthiest society? What is our argument for keeping our rural places strong and vital? Read More »
Is the abundance of rain the Dakotas have seen in the past few weeks a blessing or too much of a good thing? The answer to that question probably depends on where live—but how you farm also matters, area scientists say. Read More »
Some unusual weather events were reported in northeast South Dakota recently, but area producers welcomed the timely rains that came with them. Read More »
Two weeks after deadlocking 2-2 on whether to issue a conditional use permit to a beginning York Township farmer, Day County Commissioners last week voted 3-1 to approve the final piece of the puzzle that will allow Scott Schiley to build a concentrated animal feed operation (CAFO) for up to 480 cattle, the first one since Day County enacted its zoning ordinances. Read More »
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