The average age of American farmers is roughly 58 years old, and it has been increasing every year. According to the 2017 USDA census, only eight percent of the farmers surveyed were…
Tag: Politics
What Farmers Really Want From the 2023 Farm Bill
One of the most important pieces of legislation for farmers and ranchers across the US is the Farm Bill, an omnibus document that covers a wide range of programs—from food access to…
This Bill Could Help Alleviate Agriculture’s Labor Shortage
Farms across America are struggling to find enough workers. In hopes of deepening the pool of potential workers for American farms, Senate Republicans and Democrats are working to push through an immigration…
The Perilous State of School Lunches
A new political battleground was drawn this summer in an unlikely place: the school cafeteria. During the COVID-19 pandemic, funds from the American Rescue Plan Act made universal free lunch accessible in…
Lawmakers Are Exploring Ways to Support Beginning Farmers
The list of challenges young farmers need to overcome in order to start their own farm is increasingly long. Lately, getting into farming has been further complicated by the rising cost of…
Opinion: With Sky-High Fertilizer Prices, There’s an Opportunity to Grow Crops More Sustainably
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Farmers are coping with a fertilizer crisis brought on by soaring fossil fuel prices and industry consolidation. The price of synthetic…
President Biden Calls on Farmers to Double Crop in Face of Food Insecurity
On an Illinois farm Wednesday afternoon, President Joe Biden asked American growers to double crop—planting a second crop in the field after the first one is harvested—this season in an effort to…
The Meatpacking Industry Drafted Trump’s 2020 Order to Keep Plants Open At the Expense of Worker Safety
This article is republished from The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Read the original article. Lawyers for Tyson Foods, one of America’s largest meatpacking companies, drafted an early version of a 2020 executive order…
In Oregon, Klamath Tribes Oppose Water Release for Farmers
In the Klamath Basin, more than 1,000 farmers and ranchers draw water from the Klamath River, which flows through southern Oregon and northern California, from the Upper Klamath Lake to the Pacific…
Manure Supplies Running Low as Global Fertilizer Crisis Brews
For most people, there’s nothing particularly enticing about fertilizer. But those people may be learning more about potash, manure, spreaders and more because there is a global fertilizer shortage that could have…