Farming & Climate

  • Vehicles crowd one side of the highway in Florida
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Hurricane Milton takes aim at Florida’s Citrus Belt

    The life-threatening storm could also wreak havoc on the state's phosphate industry, keeping fertilizer prices elevated.

    By • Oct. 9, 2024
  • A cotton plant emerges from dry, cracked earth
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Drought shrivels cotton, delays wheat planting in US Plains

    Dry conditions are challenging production in states like Texas and Oklahoma, a stark contrast to the destructive flooding from Hurricane Helene that has waterlogged fields across the Southeast.

    By • Oct. 8, 2024
  • Heavy rains caused record massive flooding and damage on Sept. 28, in Asheville, North Carolina.
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    Melissa Sue Gerrits via Getty Images
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    ‘Decades of progress gone in a single instant’: Assessing the farm damage from Hurricane Helene

    With billions of dollars in damages expected, the USDA is deploying "surge teams" to assist with recovery efforts as farmers and food giants work to rebuild local communities.

    By • Oct. 7, 2024
  • A farmer holds a coffee plant bearing fruit
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks buys more innovation farms to create climate-proof coffee

    Farmers in Costa Rica and Guatemala will test drones and hybrid crop varieties as the company aims to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the region.

    By • Oct. 7, 2024
  • Hundreds of turkeys stand in a barn in California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    One of California’s major agricultural regions could ban ‘factory farming’

    Residents in Sonoma County are divided on Measure J, which farmers say could yield unintended economic consequences if passed.

    By • Oct. 4, 2024
  • A scientist is seen reaching for a banana plant inside a greenhouse
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    Courtesy of Chiquita Brands International
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    Column

    Agtech seedlings: Chiquita unveils ‘breakthrough in sustainable banana production’

    Also in this week's farm technology news: Biopesticide startup AgroSpheres raises $37 million for sustainable crop production, and Syngenta adds generative AI to its Cropwise platform.

    By • Oct. 4, 2024
  • A photo illustration of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shoulder to shoulder facing away from each other. The background is a purple wave with a grid gradient.
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    Photo illustration: Industry Dive; Joe Readle/Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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    Deep Dive

    Election 2024: Where Trump and Harris stand on agriculture

    Higher food prices, trade relations with China and other farm issues are becoming more central to party platforms.

    By • Oct. 3, 2024
  • Farm Bill
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    David McNew via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    We need a Farm Bill for all farmers – not the few. Here’s how we get there.

    The House’s proposed bill would only benefit wealthy farms while adding to the deficit and cutting food assistance, experts with the Environmental Working Group argue.

    By Anne Schechinger and Jared Hayes • Oct. 2, 2024
  • Attendees roam the grounds of the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky.
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    Courtesy of National Farm Machinery Show
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    Top agriculture conferences in 2025

    As attendance increases at farm-related shows, some events are relocating to larger venues to accommodate more exhibitors and programming. Here’s an early look at some of the biggest upcoming shows.

    By Agriculture Dive staff • Oct. 1, 2024
  • A man is seen putting up a cardboard sign warning of road closures next to a logo for Hickory Nut Gap Farm
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    Sean Rayford via Getty Images
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    Hurricane Helene devastates farms across the Southeast

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said "every commodity in the state has been damaged," with cotton farmers anticipating hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

    By • Sept. 30, 2024
  • Plant seedlings are seen in plastic soil containers
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    How a new type of ‘smart soil’ can capture water out of thin air

    A hydrogel developed by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin could give plants the power to feed and water themselves, allowing farmers to rely less on irrigation.

    By David Silverberg • Sept. 30, 2024
  • Hogs are seen in a concentrated animal feeding operation
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    Retrieved from Kent Becker/U.S. Geological Survey.
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    Democrats propose paying livestock producers to transition away from ‘factory farming’

    The plan is a gambit to ensure Inflation Reduction Act funding goes to climate-smart agriculture practices that would have the biggest environmental impact.

    By • Sept. 27, 2024
  • A wave violently crashes onto shore
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Hurricane Helene threatens crops in the Southeast

    Cotton, peanut and citrus growers are preparing for a potentially catastrophic storm that could bring widespread damage to farms in Georgia and Florida.

    By • Sept. 26, 2024