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Tag: crops

  • Haiti farmers battered by Hurricane Melissa are still reeling, U.N. says

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    Cars are submerged in mudin Petit-Goave, Haiti.f ollowing Hurricane Melissa’s torrential rains.

    Cars are submerged in mudin Petit-Goave, Haiti.f ollowing Hurricane Melissa’s torrential rains.


    CLARENS SIFFROY

    AFP via Getty Images

    A month and a half after Hurricane Melissa killed dozens of people in Haiti, the country is still struggling with its aftermath.

    Haitians, who were already going hungry because gang violence has blocked highways and cut off commerce, are grappling with even more shortages and the loss of crops, the regional director of the United Nations’ World Food Program said Thursday during a visit to the country.

    As she spoke via video, a helicopter, still the only way humanitarian aid workers can get in and out of Port-au-Prince and into storm-ravaged areas, flew overhead.

    “We cannot forget Haiti,“ Lola Castro said, adding it remains one of five countries in the world where people “don’t have enough to eat every day.”

    Among the places she visited, Castro said, was the coastal town of Petit-Goâve, where a river overflowed its banks, killing at least 25 people. Along with homes and livelihoods, residents also lost their crops.

    “They have lost their families, their livelihoods, their crops, their cattle, their houses, and now they are trying to rebuild their lives,” she said.

    At least 43 storm-related deaths were reported in Haiti, even though Melissa did not hit the country directly and U.N. agencies tried to prepare the public ahead of the storm.

    There are ongoing efforts by the ministry of agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “to see how these communities can replant and rehabilitate their livelihoods,” she said.

    Castro said the U.N. agency is working on recovery and rehabilitation in a number of ways, including school feeding programs and working with the government on a system that registers everyone affected.

    The World Food Program provides over 600,000 children a hot meal every day in many schools in Haiti. Castro noted that with up to 90% of Haiti’s capital under gang control, the agency has created a large logistics operations to help get access to vulnerable communities.

    The World Food Program is equally active in Jamaica, where fishermen have lost their boats, and in Cuba, where the loss of almost all crops on the easter end of the island and an ancient, trouble-plagued electrical grid has made for “a very difficult situation.”

    Jacqueline Charles

    Miami Herald

    Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.

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    Jacqueline Charles

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  • Farmers issue warning as challenging conditions threaten key crops: ‘Very far behind’

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    New York farmers are hoping for a miracle after a wet spring and hot summer left crops in turmoil this year, reported Farm Progress.

    What’s happening?

    Upstate New York saw a rainy spring in 2025, causing the planting season to be pushed back to late June. Crops that had been planted earlier suffered from the soil’s nitrogen deficiency and slug damage. A hot and dry summer followed, preventing crop roots from setting properly.

    Now crop farmers are worried an early frost could wipe out their work. Todd Dumond, owner of Dumond Ag in Union Springs, warns that it could be devastating.

    “If we have a frost in early to front half of September, a killing frost, there would be no grain corn. It is very far behind. So, an early frost would be detrimental to corn,” he said, per Farm Progress. “Beans, they go a little differently. But there is much less vegetation there, poorer root development. So again, any stress is going to be amplified.”

    Why is weather important to crop development?

    Even the heartiest crops are impacted by weather conditions. As the climate crisis accelerates the planet’s overheating, poor conditions are likely to become more prevalent, and crops are more likely to fail.

    That has serious consequences, not only for farmers, whose livelihoods depend on these crops, but also for everyday people, who rely on them for food supplies. When crops like corn fail en masse, it doesn’t just affect the price of corn, but also of all corn products on grocery store shelves, as well as corn-fed meat products.

    Changing weather patterns also affect the food supply for wildlife. Extreme weather events can damage entire ecosystems and disrupt food chains, leaving animals struggling to find resources.

    What’s being done about crop failure?

    If an early frost does come, farmers will likely have to file claims on their crop insurance policies, though some have struggled with the process. The federal government may need to step in, as it did last year, when the USDA’s Farm Service Agency offered assistance following extreme weather.

    In the meantime, it’s important to stay up-to-date on critical climate issues. Information and education are the only ways to a cleaner, safer future for all.

    Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

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  • The Surprising Ingredient That Helped Polynesians Conquer the Pacific

    The Surprising Ingredient That Helped Polynesians Conquer the Pacific

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    Sweet potatoes are a very versatile tuber. You can roast them. You can bake them into a pie. You can turn them into the third best type of french fry. And apparently, you can make them an integral part of colonizing Polynesian islands.

    Sweet potatoes are not indigenous to Polynesia, having arisen thousands of miles away in Central and South America. Even so, the tasty root vegetable has become a staple of the islands’ cuisine. While it was known that the crop had arrived in eastern Polynesia some time after human settlement in 900 CE, and then spread westward towards New Zealand, scientists have debated exactly how and when it got there. Some evidence suggests sweet potato seeds reached the region through natural means, such as birds, wind, and sea currents. Now, new research hints that the crop’s presence was a major factor in enabling human expansion across the Polynesian islands.

    A team of archaeologists, led by University of Otago professor Ian Barber, scoured the New Zealand island Te Wāhipounamu for remains of ancient kūmara, as the Maori call sweet potatoes. They found what they were looking for at Triangle Flat, an area that was once home to a Maori farming complex. In the sand, they located sweet potato granules, which they then carbon dated.

    Results showed that the crop could have been planted as early as 1290 CE, over 100 years earlier than previously believed on the island, and around the same time that settlers first began colonizing the southernmost Polynesian islands. As Barber wrote in his ensuing study, published Wednesday in the journal Antiquity, the findings suggest sweet potatoes were among the first crops planted by colonizers. In fact, the availability of sweet potatoes as a crop may have been among the factors that made settling the islands possible in the first place.

    The vegetable is known for its hardiness, as well as for the speed at which it grows. Polynesia is a vast network of over 1,000 islands, and settlers needed hardy crops to sustain themselves as they spread to new territories with cooler climates than those of islands nearer the equator. In a press release, Barber suggested that Polynesians may have been galvanized by the knowledge they had such a robust food source at their disposal.

    “American sweet potato resilience, as bequeathed by continental evolution, may have helped motivate early migrants to cross cooler waters for southern Polynesian islands where kūmara would outperform,” he said.

    There could be some greater impacts of Barber’s research. According to the International Potato Center, more than 105 million metric tons of the crop are produced globally each year, making it the world’s fifth largest crop. Climate change, however, threatens to affect production, as regions that produce a large amount of the supply could warm dramatically by 2070. Barber expressed hope that studying the spread of sweet potatoes could uncover new ways to improve the crop’s resilience. If that happens, you’ll know who to thank for saving your favorite Thanksgiving side dish.

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    Adam Kovac

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

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    Rye and oats were originally weeds in wheat fields. Over time, their seeds evolved to mimic wheat…

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  • These are the most profitable crops in Sacramento County, report finds

    These are the most profitable crops in Sacramento County, report finds

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    (FOX40.COM) — Dating back to 1941, Sacramento County releases its Crop and Livestock Report every year during the early part of November.

    The report reveals the area’s top 10 most profitable agricultural commodities from the previous year and highlights Sacramento County’s agricultural terrain.
    Video Above: Invasive pests pose threat to almond crops in the Central Valley (from Feb. 22)

    Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner Chris Flores said, “Agriculture continues to be a significant contributor to the local economy and plays a crucial role in preserving the region’s rural character.”

    She continued, “The County’s diverse agricultural landscape includes farms, ranches, orchards, and vineyards and produces crops such as rice, tomatoes, pears, grapes, as well as dairy and livestock commodities.”

    On Nov. 7, 2023, the county released its report for 2022, which showed wine grapes, market milk, and pears as Sacramento County’s top-earning goods for the second year in a row.

    Pears were the third most profitable crop for Sacramento County, according to the Crop and Livestock Report that was released on Nov. 7, 2023. (Credit: Getty Images)

    Wine grapes brought in nearly $200 million ($188 million) to Sacramento County, the Crop and Livestock report states. According to the county, that number accounts for more than 30% of the total gross value of all crops, and more than 38,000 wine grapes were harvested during the year.

    “Even with an 8% decrease from 2021, wine grapes were once again the leading cash crop in Sacramento County,” the county said.

    Market milk, which encompasses milk, cream, or skim milk produced in compliance with market regulations, was in the number two spot with a total value of $91 million.

    In the third spot were pears, which are predominantly produced by six states in the United States: California, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. For Sacramento County, pears brought in $56 million.

    Here are the rest of Sacramento County’s top commodities and how much money they brought to the area.

    • Poultry ($32.5 million)
    • Aquaculture bass, carp, catfish, crayfish, sturgeon, caviar ($32.4 million)
    • Corn silage forage crop used on dairy, beef cattle farms ($24.2 million)
    • Nursery Stock ornamental trees, plants, Christmas trees, sod ($22.8 million)
    • Hay/Alfalfa ($22.4 million)
    • Cattle, calves ($16.7 million)
    • Rice ($14.7 million)

    Sacramento County’s agricultural commission says its office is currently gathering data for the 2023 Crop and Livestock Report, which is expected to be released in early November 2024.

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    Aydian Ahmad

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  • New Research Shows Economic, Psychosocial and Data-Management Barriers Inhibit Farmer Participation in Carbon Markets

    New Research Shows Economic, Psychosocial and Data-Management Barriers Inhibit Farmer Participation in Carbon Markets

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    Producer-focused changes in carbon ecosystem services could unlock vast potential to sequester carbon in the heartland

    Press Release
    –

    Oct 27, 2022 08:00 EDT


    LENEXA, Kan., October 27, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Farm Journal’s Trust In Food™ released its inaugural “Ready or Not? Ag Carbon Markets and U.S. Farmers” report, highlighting perspectives from 500 U.S. row crop producers on pathways and barriers to participating in carbon ecosystems. 

    The majority of farmers surveyed report serious concern about overcoming technical and financial roadblocks to success in carbon markets. Producers fear that costs will outweigh benefits; that ongoing compliance will require too high a burden; that existing conservation ag practices will not be compensated fairly; that data will not be handled appropriately or will be difficult to collect; or that upfront investments will be a barrier to entry. 

    “Our initial findings suggest that even the most carbon-curious farmers are signaling that their participation under current market conditions would require prohibitive investments of time, effort and resources without fair financial and market returns,” said Amy Skoczlas Cole, executive vice president of Trust In Food. “Unless the carbon market value chain takes producers’ perspectives seriously, we fear a critical tool for addressing climate change and increasing farm resilience will fall seriously short of its potential.” 

    Key findings from the report include:

    • Farmers are aware of carbon markets but not ready to engage. After several years, 97% of farmers surveyed are not ready to participate in carbon markets, though 93% are aware they exist.
    • Producers want credit for existing practices. Additionality has been a stumbling block for carbon ecosystems; 69% of producers say getting credit for preexisting practices is “very important” for evaluating their participation, second only to annual payment amount per acre (73%).
    • Data capture, management and validation is fragmented. Sixty-two percent of farmers surveyed are not fully digitally integrated for the purpose of managing farm information, and more than 70% do not use any software-based sustainability or conservation tools. Even with digital infrastructure, the methodology for validating results and the carbon-holding capacity of soils has not been standardized and might vary dramatically across geographies, climates and certifying bodies.

    Going forward the carbon market ecosystem must create more transparency and better incentives that align with operations on farms and ranches to foster adoption. Trusted advisors, retailers and extension services play a role in preparing producers to capitalize on carbon market opportunities. This preparation includes more consistent and broader data capture and management so producers can monitor and measure practice changes. 

    The report is part of Trust In Food’s carbon insights platform that analyzes psychosocial, economic and logistical challenges producers face in adopting climate-smart practices. Anchored by its Human Dimensions of Change Toolkit, the carbon insights platform provides:

    • Producer sentiment about carbon and other climate-smart programs
    • Practice adoption triggers
    • Differentiating factors farmers evaluate when choosing a program
    • Co-affinities that align with positive or negative carbon attitudes
    • Producers’ perceived barriers to market participation

    View the full report: TrustInFood.com/carboninsights 

    Source: Farm Journal

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  • Farm Journal’s Trust in Food Awarded USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Project

    Farm Journal’s Trust in Food Awarded USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Project

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    The Climate-Smart Connected Ag Project will test and evaluate a producer-centric model for accelerating the adoption of data management practices to help farmers and ranchers participate in climate-smart agriculture and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    Press Release
    –

    Sep 15, 2022


    LENEXA, Kan., September 15, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Trust In Food™, the sustainability division of Farm Journal, has been awarded a USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities project for its coalition-driven Connected Ag Project. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement today at Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., one of the country’s first land-grant institutions. 

    The up to $40-million partnership will support different approaches to testing and evaluating climate-smart data and information in all segments of agriculture in ways that add increased value and support to producers. Program participation will equip farmers and ranchers with the information they need to be competitive in a climate-smart marketplace, including access to personalized support services, coaching and direct payments for eligible participants.

    Trust In Food will lead planning and execution of the Connected Ag Project, a turnkey program to learn how to close the digitized farm data gap and share those learnings across row crop, livestock, specialty crop and integrated farms and ranches. Organizations collaborating to deliver the project will provide producers with products, services and other benefits, including on-farm data management tools, data coaches, technical support to implement climate-smart practices and a virtual help desk. 

    “Production and management data is key to unlocking the potential of climate-smart agriculture for producers,” says Amy Skoczlas Cole, executive vice president of Trust In Food. “Yet we know there are many real and perceived obstacles to the transition to digitally connected operations. We’re honored to put the nearly 150-year history of Farm Journal’s service to agriculture to work by helping producers through this next big revolution in agriculture.” 

    Project partners are AGI/Farmobile, AgriWebb, AMVAC/SIMPAS, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Certis Biologicals, Ducks Unlimited, Farm Journal Foundation, National Pork Board, The Sustainability Consortium, Trimble and Tuskegee University. 

    Secretary Vilsack’s announcement took place roughly three hours west of Bucks County, Pa., the birthplace of Farm Journal founder Wilmer Atkinson, a Quaker farmer. The Connected Ag project will build on Atkinson’s legacy, leveraging Farm Journal’s expertise, reach and first-hand knowledge and insights of farmers to help them in their climate-smart agriculture journey. 

    Contact:  David Frabotta, (216) 410-5597 or dfrabotta@farmjournal.com

    About Farm Journal

    Farm Journal is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving agriculture. Started 146 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; conferences, seminars, and tradeshows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a robust mobile-text-marketing business; and an array of data-driven, paid information products. Trust In Food is a purpose-driven division of Farm Journal dedicated to mainstreaming and accelerating the transition to more sustainable and regenerative ag practices, making every dollar invested in conservation agriculture more impactful. 

    Source: Farm Journal

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