While the wildfires in California are still burning, we are starting to see some assessments of the toll that it is taking on California agriculture, in particular on the wineries. The California Climate & Agriculture Network posted a story earlier this weekend on some preliminary estimates of costs to crops,…
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Field and Stream posted a very interesting story recently on how building a dike around Lake Okeechobee has affected the Everglades and the fish and wildlife that live there. The result of stopping the free flow of water through the area, partly for flood protection after a devastating hurricane and…
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The wet winter in California, which spurred the growth of plants, and then the drought of recent months and the strong winds in the region have all contributed to the spate of wildfires across the region, resulting in the loss of 17 lives so far, the destruction of over 2000…
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This year’s harvest of peanuts, along with what was harvested in previous years, is so large that it is expected to surpass the amount of available storage, putting farmers in uncharted territory. Weather had a lot to do with both the high yields and some of the problems that peanut…
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The Denver Post wrote a long article this week about how farmers in eastern Colorado continue to use water from the Ogalalla Aquifer even though it is being rapidly depleted. How long will they be able to keep it up? And what will happen to grain production in the central…
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Fruit Growers Newsletter published a story this week on the economic impacts of Hurricane Irma just to Florida agriculture. The story breaks down the losses by agricultural sector, but the total overall is over $2.5 billion. And they point out that does not include the loss of future production or…
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The Southeast Farm Press published a story today describing the rush to harvest cotton, peanuts and sweet potatoes before the wind and rain from Tropical Storm Nate descend on Alabama later this weekend. Farmers who have defoliated their cotton are especially worried about getting the cotton in, although if they…
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