agriculture costs News | Agriculture XPRT

Pink Valtra tractor raises awareness of producer prices

This summer young farmers toured Belgium with a pink Valtra tractor and trailer in order to attract attention to the low producer prices in agriculture. From August 9 to September 7 the tractor toured sixteen local markets throughout Flanders with a unique concept: customers could decide themselves how much to pay for the agricultural products on sale. The campaign was organized by the Belgian ...

Sep. 29, 2015

By Valtra Inc. - part of AGCO Corporation

Drought and oil prices drove 2008 food crisis - not biofuels

A new report commissioned by the UK Government has unequivocally concluded that biofuels was not to blame for the so-called food crisis of 2007/2008. The full report can be found here. '[All] available evidence suggests that biofuels had a relatively small contribution to the 2008 spike in agricultural commodity prices,' the report noted. 'Whilst commodity prices have fallen steeply from their ...

Mar. 2, 2010

By GLOBE SERIES

Bridging the information gap in agriculture

AGORA, a programme that brings key scientific literature on food, agriculture and related fields to students, researchers and scientists, has become a crucial tool for some of the world's poorest countries. Ten years after its launch in 2003, AGORA (Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture) now provides free or low-cost access to over 3 500 key journals and 3 300 books in food, nutrition, ...

Sep. 16, 2013

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Manufacturing dry water easily

UPV/EHU researcher Ana Margarida Fernandes is working on the development of "liquid marbles", also known as dry water. The aim of the research is to better understand the behaviour of this compound, in order to make advances inthe use of cheaper materials, such as polystyrene; to date, much more expensive silicon nanoparticles have been employed. The prestigious Polymer scientific journal has ...

Jan. 22, 2015

By Elhuyar Fundazioa - Basque Research

African Green Revolution Forum: The Decade to 2030 Must Be Africa’s Decade

Africa must harness the enormous opportunities presented by digitalisation to transform agriculture in the next 10 years, the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) heard. Leaders in government, business, technology and science gathered in Accra, Ghana, for the four-day event under the theme of ““Grow Digital: Leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in ...

Sep. 6, 2019

By Farming First

Trade-offs in ecosystem services in Central and Eastern Europe

Researchers have developed a new approach for identifying regions that are most suitable for expanding ecosystem services. This could be used to help inform spatial planning decisions. By modelling ecosystem services’ opportunity costs in relation to agricultural revenue, the study provides a map of suitable areas of ecosystem service expansion in Eastern Europe. Understanding where ...

Jul. 25, 2013

By European Commission, Environment DG

Historic Farm Bill Funding Available to Organic Producers and Handlers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that approximately $13 million in Farm Bill funding is now available for organic certification cost-share assistance, making certification more accessible than ever for small certified producers and handlers. "Consumer demand for organic products is surging across the country," said Secretary Tom Vilsack. "To meet this demand, we need to ...

Jul. 17, 2014

By U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Crop yields stall in China, India

China and India, the world's two most populous countries, are beset by stagnation in the production of staples like rice, wheat, soybean and maize (corn), says a new study on crop yield growth. Based on statistics from around the world during the 1951– 2008 period, the study 'Recent patterns of crop yield growth and stagnation', says that for some crops in China and India the spatial ...

Dec. 26, 2012

By SciDev.Net

Cornell Edge up for New Product Contest at the IA Show

Cornell presented our case for why the Edge should be considered the New Product of the Year for the irrigation industry today, at the IA Show in Austin, TX. With up to 79 percent efficiency, two model sizes, improved mechanical design, and cross functionality with existing installations, the Edge End Gun Booster is in the running for the award. Edge Brochure "The Edge fits a real need," said ...

Nov. 5, 2013

By Cornell Pump Company

Protecting forests alone will not halt land-use change emissions

Global forest conservation measures meant to mitigate climate change are likely to drive massive cropland expansion into shrublands or savannahs to satisfy the ever-growing hunger for arable land. The consequent changes in land use could cause substantial greenhouse gas emissions, a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change shows. In contrast to previous assumptions, conservation schemes ...

Nov. 18, 2014

By GLOBE SERIES

EPA Releases Report on Maryland Agriculture Programs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has completed an evaluation of Maryland’s animal agriculture regulations and programs. The assessment, which is one of six that the agency is conducting of state animal agriculture programs within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, found that Maryland has a robust and well-implemented state program. EPA conducts periodic reviews of ...

Aug. 31, 2015

By US EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

Protecting forests alone would not halt land-use change emissions

Global forest conservation measures meant to mitigate climate change are likely to drive massive cropland expansion into shrublands or savannahs to satisfy the ever-growing hunger for arable land. The consequent changes in land use could cause substantial greenhouse gas emissions, a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change shows. In contrast to previous assumptions, conservation schemes ...

Nov. 17, 2014

By The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

Monitoring farmland biodiversity across Europe: it could cost less than you think

How can we monitor Europe-wide farmland biodiversity so that it makes sense to farmers, is ecologically credible and still is affordable? Two new studies published in the Journal of Applied Ecology and the Journal of Environmental Management think it is possible. These studies were conducted by international groups of scientists including Alterra. Combining stakeholder priorities for biodiversity ...

Nov. 9, 2015

By Wageningen University and Research Centre

Sustaining forest ecosystem services: lessons for REDD

A recent report has demonstrated that paying people to avoid clearing forests in developing countries can be a low-cost and effective way to tackle climate change and preserve valuable ecosystem services, providing governments are able to manage their forests effectively. Forests provide a wide range of services: food, fuel, building materials, freshwater, climate regulation, flood control, ...

Sep. 18, 2009

By European Commission, Environment DG

Lignocellulose has huge potential for the production of bioplastics

Chemical building blocks from lignocellulosic feedstock form a huge potential for the production of bioplastics. More specifically, they have potential for biodegradable plastic poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The building block for PLA - lactic acid - is currently produced mainly from starch originating from corn, or sugar from sugarcane. A sustainable and cost-effective production process for lactic ...

Feb. 19, 2014

By Wageningen University and Research Centre

European trees planted in China to identify potentially invasive species in our forests

Most of the exotic species which attack plants in Europe now come from Asia. INRA scientists, together with teams from the Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the Forestry University in Zhejiang have devised a new method for detecting potential invaders in their region of origin before they are introduced on another continent. European sentinel trees were planted in China for four years, and ...

May 29, 2015

By INRA - French National Institute of Agronomical Research

EU Pesticide Legislation Could Cost UK Farming £905 Million

Proposed European pesticide legislation could cost UK industry in excess of £905 million, according to Farmers Guardian. The legislation aims to tighten up pesticide regulations and the definition of endocrine distributors and could end up costing the UK agricultural sector hegely. A report commissioned by AHDB assessed the financial impact of the loss of crop protection active substances ...

Dec. 11, 2014

By ENDURAMAXX Storage Tanks

Renewable Fuel Standard, corn and the farm economy

The recent proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lower the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) targets for biofuels will damage farmers and the rural economy. The RFS calls for increasing amounts of biofuels to be produced each year. This is the first time since the RFS went into effect that the EPA has lowered the requirement, and it reduces the total target by an astounding 16 ...

Dec. 18, 2013

By National Farmers Union (NFU)

OPINION: Don`t sweep away crop diversity

Anywhere you go in Malawi you find people sweeping the ground clean-floors, sidewalks, bare dirt around homes-even throughout small farms and gardens. Danielle Nierenberg visits Kristof Nordin's permaculture garden in Malawi Sweeping soil makes everything look tidy, but it causes major damage, making it vulnerable to erosion and nutrient loss. Not removing organic matter around crops has proven ...

Oct. 9, 2010

By Worldwatch Institute

Precision Agriculture Webinar offered Jan. 20

The more data farmers and producers can access regarding their fields, the better they can make decisions regarding how to manage their farm operations, experts say. But boiling down information from field monitored data, satellite data and remote sensing data captured using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles can sometimes be challenging, said Greg LaBarge, an Ohio State University Extension field ...

Jan. 14, 2015

By Ohio State University

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