agriculture

For Corn, Fickle Weather Makes For Uncertain Yields

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:25:00 +0000

Last year's drought wreaked havoc on farmers' fields in much of the Midwest, cutting crop yields and forcing livestock producers to cull their herds. This spring, the rain that farmers needed so badly in 2012 has finally returned. But maybe too much, and at the wrong time.

It's almost the end of April, which is prime time to plant corn.

Local Food May Feel Good, But It Doesn't Pay

Adam Allington — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:48:53 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

These days, farmers markets are springing up all over the place, from small towns to big cities. Locally grown food is booming, as shoppers invest more time, money and thought into what they eat. But not all is well in the local food movement.

As St. Louis Public Radio's Adam Allington reports, many of the farmers who supply local markets are barely getting by.

ADAM ALLINGTON, BYLINE: It's a chilly March morning in Elsah, Illinois, near the banks of the Mississippi.

Drought-Stricken Plains Farmers 'Giddy' Over Heavy Snow

Frank Morris — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 21:46:00 +0000

Two rapid-fire snowstorms belted Kansas with more than 2 feet of snow this week.

Supreme Court Seems Ready To Side With Monsanto In Soybean Patent Case

Véronique LaCapra — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:51:48 +0000

Updated on Tuesday, February 19, at 6:10 p.m. to add quote from Bowman.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a legal battle between St. Louis-based Monsanto and a 75-year-old Indiana farmer.

The case revolves around whether Vernon Hugh Bowman violated Monsanto's patent rights when he bought seeds from a grain elevator and planted them.

Small Farmers Aren't Cashing In With Wal-Mart

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:35:09 +0000

When Wal-Mart calls, Herman Farris always finds whatever the retailer wants, even if it's yucca root in the dead of winter. Farris is a produce broker in Columbia, Mo., who has been buying for Wal-Mart from auctions and farms since the company began carrying fruits and vegetables in the early 1990s.

During the summer and fall, nearly everything Farris delivers is grown in Missouri. That's Wal-Mart's definition of "local" — produce grown and sold in the same state.