Slow Money: Pairing investors with food businesses
Forget Wall Street. One way some well-off Northwesterners avoided steep losses in the stock market in recent years was by making unusual alternative investments: in small farms and food businesses....
View ArticleMiddle East among factors causing wheat price volatility for Washington farmers
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-954554.mp3 The tumultuous political climate in the Middle East is creating volatility in the price of wheat. Northwest farmers and...
View ArticleOrganic farming down in Washington despite growing demand for organic foods
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-960610.mp3 As sales of organic foods continue to climb across the country, organic farming in Washington has decreased. That...
View ArticleNorthwest farmers hope to regain Mexican market
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-976744.mp3 U.S. produce is about to get cheaper in Mexico. That includes apples, pears and potatoes from the Northwest. Mexico has...
View ArticleWashington wheat crops way above average
Cooler temperatures this year have given Washingtons wheat famers a boost. The cool wet spring combined with good ripening conditions in July and August have increased yields here. At the same time,...
View ArticleHousing study finds cramped quarters in Walla Walla County
RICHLAND, Wash. A new study says increasing numbers of families in Walla Walla County are living in overcrowded conditions.
View ArticleAnniversary brings out gratitude for troops in one farmer
Reflections of an eastern Washington farmer harvesting alfalfa with a massive tractor: This is about the only piece of farm equipment that has air conditioning. (Laughs) My name is Collette McEntire...
View ArticleAnniversary stirs sadness and hope for one farm laborer
Reflections of a farm laborer and his son near Eltopia, Wash.: My name is Victor Santillan and I work for Agri-Pack, stacking hay in the trucks. Im from Durango, Mexico and Im proud of it too. I think...
View ArticleFires destroy three major haystacks in Eastern Washington
Police in eastern Washington are trying to figure out who has been intentionally torching haystacks near the tiny town of Mattawa. Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones says in the last two weeks two fires...
View ArticleAgriculture industry 'Tremendous Force' in Idaho economy
Agriculture is a tremendous force in shaping the Idaho economy, according to John Hammel, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Idaho. Hammel told state budget...
View ArticleInsect experts issue 'urgent' warning on using biotech seeds
For America's agricultural biotech companies, the corn rootworm is threatening to turn into their worst nightmare.Last year, we reported that a major insect pest, the corn rootworm, had "found a chink...
View ArticlePray For Rain: Food Prices Heading Higher
A fierce drought has been scorching crops this summer, but it's still too soon to know exactly how much of a hole it will burn in your wallet.The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just released its...
View ArticleThis Drought's No Dry Run: Lessons Of The Dust Bowl
This summer's drought continues to wilt and bake crops from Ohio to the Great Plains and beyond. Under a baking, late-afternoon sun just outside of the tiny east-central Illinois town of Thawville,...
View ArticleDrought, wildfires force ranchers to look for efficiencies
The people who raise cattle destined to become steak or hamburger on your dinner plate are feeling the pinch. Wildfires this summer have scorched more than a million acres of Northwest rangeland. In...
View ArticleNorthwest asparagus comes a tad early
Northwest farmers are beginning to harvest the first asparagus of the year this week in southeast Washington. That’s a tad earlier than usual. And after last year's farm-labor shortage, growers across...
View ArticleWith Economy Stuck In The Mud, Farmers Sink Deeper Into Debt
At the Lee Valley consignment sale near Tekamah, Neb., dozens of used tractors, planters and other equipment were on the auction block for farmers trying to save a few extra dollars. It was a muddy...
View ArticleTo Survive The Bust Cycle, Farmers Go Back To Business-School Basics
After several boom years while the rest of the economy struggled, farming is entering its third year on the bust side of the cycle. Major crop prices are low, while expenses like seed, fertilizer and...
View ArticleSons Are Still More Likely Than Daughters To Take Over The Family Farm
Growing up on their family farm in West Bend, Iowa, Haley Banwart and her brother Jack were like any other farm kids. They did chores, participated in 4-H and even raised cattle together."My brother...
View ArticleHow Rural Farming Communities Are Fighting Economic Decline
The town of Brookfield, in north-central Missouri, is a close-knit community with a population of about 4,500.Becky Cleveland, who grew up here, says that when she was a kid, there were four grocery...
View ArticleWhy Some Farmers Don't Want The Government To Save Their Land
Pierce County leaders are exploring a way to save more farmland from the development sweeping the Puget Sound region. But they risk upsetting some key stakeholders: the farmers. Every county in...
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