Crops
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The Packer had a story last week on the impacts of the East Coast snowstorm on mushroom growers in Pennsylvania. The heavy snow collapsed roofs of growing facilities, closed roads to trucks and prevented workers from getting to the farms. This is likely to result in a temporary shortage of fresh mushrooms in the East.…
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Medium.com had a long but interesting article on the Cerrado in Brazil and how it is being converted to cropland to export soy to China. When I think of Brazil I think of tropical rainforests, but it actually has another celebrated biome, the Cerrado, a grassland located in central Brazil. With the current demand for…
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The Packer noted in an article yesterday the the price of green and other colored peppers has been rising in recent weeks due to the effects of cold, wet weather in Florida and Mexico. The Florida markets supply the East Coast while the Mexican market supplies much of the West Coast this time of year.…
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Cover crops are often used to help reduce erosion and keep moisture and nutrients in the soil. But a recent article in AgWeb points out that they also work well as forage for cattle. A variety of choices of cover crop can be used, and the article describes some of the advantages and disadvantages of each…
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“If you think about it, farmers should be on the cutting edge of climate change discussions: They are directly affected as weather patterns shift, and they have the opportunity be part of the solution by sequestering carbon. But American farm groups have mostly opposed climate policies.” This is the start of an interesting interview in Grist…
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The US Golf Association recently published an article describing the impacts of the wet conditions associated with El Niño on golf courses across the Southeast. The impacts include saturated soils, increased rutting from golf carts, higher than normal water hazards, and stress on greens. If you manage turfgrass, on or off the golf course, or…
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There have been a number of stories about the impacts of the recent extreme weather on crops and production. Here are a few examples. The Packer reported here that January wind and rain have caused problems for corn growers in southern Florida. The rain and wind knocked down corn plants, ruining any potential harvest. This…