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Inflation drives up hay prices, forcing some horse owners to sell

Nov 9, 2022
Inflation is driving up the cost of things like fertilizer, which drives up the cost of growing hay and feeding horses.
Tom Johnston takes the tarp of his hay stack to prep it for customers. He sells his hay to customers across the country.
Caitlin Tan

Despite drought, this Iowa farmer had a record harvest

Nov 8, 2022
April Hemmes was in the "Goldilocks spot" when it came to weather.
April Hemmes on her farm in 2019. This year, she had a record soybean harvest despite a drought earlier in the year.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace

Low water levels in the Mississippi River are disrupting the supply chain

Oct 24, 2022
Austin Golding says his family's barge business was able to plan ahead, but it's still costing the company money and productivity.
A tug pushes a barge down the Mississippi River through St. Paul, Minnesota.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

Drought in South Texas has farmers worried about their crops

Oct 17, 2022
In South Texas, two reservoirs supply water to both sides of the border. For the past few years, they’ve struggled to remain half-full.
Above, a cotton field post-harvest near Waxahachie, Texas, on Sep. 19. Farmers across south Texas are grappling with historically dry conditions.
Andy Jacobsohn/AFP via Getty Images

Black farmers' lawsuit points to limited remedies for past discrimination

Oct 13, 2022
A program to address USDA discrimination against Black farmers was revised after white farmers said it discriminated against them.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Hurricane Ian spares fertilizer plants but sends a warning to the U.S. industry

Sep 29, 2022
A direct hit would have been bad news for a world already struggling without enough fertilizer.
The commission, formed by the Biden administration to look into discrimination against minority farmers, released its first report last week.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

How inflation and "wild weather" are affecting one family farm

Sep 27, 2022
Anne Schwagerl, co-owns and operates Prairie Point Farm in Minnesota, where she's experimenting with new crops.
At Prairie Point Farm, Anne Schwagerl says they'll harvest soybeans, then corn. Above, soybeans are planted on a farm.
Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images

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Nevada farmers shake up traditional water rights with a new way to fight scarcity

Sep 23, 2022
Growers agreed to a plan that requires all irrigators to reduce their water use over time, instead of using a senior water rights strategy.
Marty Plaskett, a hay farmer in Diamond Valley, Nevada, stands near one of the irrigation pivots that waters his alfalfa field.
Kaleb Roedel/Mountain West News Bureau

The Corn Belt is facing smaller yields, but higher prices are keeping this farmer's hopes up

Sep 15, 2022
Drought has made the last few years tough for farmers like Keith Alverson of Chester, South Dakota. But higher corn prices are keeping him optimistic.
Farmers in the Corn Belt have endured two years of drought.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

What might it take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture?

Sep 15, 2022
The USDA is doling out about $3 billion to projects that provide incentives for sustainable farming and forestry practices.
The Biden administration plans to invest billions into battling greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the carbon footprint.
Getty Images