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This year, wildfires have already burned thousands of acres in the Great Plains. Dry conditions and unseasonably warm temperatures have optimal settings for wildfires, and some experts say they are seeing more intense fires.
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Aging farmers and fewer farms in the new agriculture census should be a 'wake up call,' says VilsackThe average farmer in the U.S. is now 58 years old, according to the Census of Agriculture, released Tuesday. There are also fewer farms in the country than there were in the last census.
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Monarch butterflies travel hundreds and even thousands of miles in their migration to Mexico. Volunteer efforts to tag the butterflies have helped scientists learn more about their journey.
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About a quarter of the United States’s irrigated cropland sits on top of the Ogallala Aquifer in the Great Plains. But water levels are dropping, and states are taking different approaches to monitoring how much groundwater irrigators are pumping out.
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Hot and dry weather across the Midwest is creating a ripe situation for wildfires, especially as farmers head into the fields for harvest.
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Proposed projects would add more than 3,000 miles of new carbon pipelines through rural parts of the Midwest. Some emergency officials are concerned about safety, especially after a rupture on a similar pipeline three years ago.
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Farmers say Title One — a farm bill program that sends money when crop prices or harvests get low enough — isn’t working as a buffer against tough years. Yet others argue the nearly 100-year-old safety net is costing billions of dollars with few strings attached.
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The leaders of both Congressional agriculture committees say federal lawmakers will move back farm bill negotiations to December. The current law expires Sept. 30, but experts say there should be little peril despite the blown deadline.
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Much of the research on regenerative farming practices, such as no-till or cover crops, has looked at the benefits to the environment and the soil. Now a new study finds these farming practices also have economic benefits for farmers.
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Food waste takes up space in landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Composting that waste can reduce climate impacts and save municipalities money on landfill fees, but concerns about bad smells and pests sometimes get in the way.
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Crop insurance costs are rising, fueled by climate change. Yet little has changed in federal programFederally subsidized crop insurance made record-high payouts last year. While climate change is making farming more risky, the federal program often shields producers at taxpayer expense. Some argue it’s time that the fast-growing program encourages farmers to mitigate their risks.
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Four towns and one county have received funding to upgrade their water and wastewater infrastructure, an urgent need across much of the rural U.S.