http://www.the-land.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:11:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_226171635.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_226171635.html In late March, Monsanto Co. sent a “Dear Valued Customer” letter to most U.S. corn and soybean farmers. The reason was “to discuss … some current marketplace dynamics that will directly affect you in terms of increased prices for Monsanto’s line of Roundup herbicides for 2008.” Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:10:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_226171249.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_226171249.html The news from Geneva July 29 that the World Trade Organization’s Doha Round of global trade talks had “collapsed” hardly came as news to anyone other than WTO leader Pascal Lamy and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214144138.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214144138.html For more than a decade, farmers’ experience with Roundup Ready soybeans has been extremely positive, including excellent weed control and increased profits. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:27:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214142717.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214142717.html The American economy is downright Dickensian. If you’re in investment banking, airlines, real estate or automobile anything, it’s the worst of times. If you’re in commodities — oil, copper, potash, gold, corn, soybeans — it’s the best of times. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:21:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214122308.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214122308.html America desperately needs to find ways to move beyond its addiction to fossil fuels. So it puzzles me at a time of record oil prices to hear renewable fuels opponents so casually writing off America’s first steps toward alternative fuels. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:17:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214122009.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214122009.html Due largely to opposition from environmental activists, no biotech wheats are currently being grown in the world. Monsanto shelved its herbicide-tolerant wheat, which could have allowed higher yields due to better weed control. Syngenta has slowed its work on disease-resistant biotech wheat. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:08:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214110407.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_214110407.html The Farmfest forum schedule for 2008 has an emphasis on national and state agriculture policy issues and toward strengthening the rural economy in Minnesota. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:18:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_206114653.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_206114653.html With Washington summer heat just beginning and flooded fields continuing to harass many Midwest farming areas, a June visit with two American Farm Bureau Federation economists in their Washington office generated interesting observations. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:05:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_205163901.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_205163901.html In last issue’s Farm Programs column, we covered some common questions regarding the “Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.” This week we answer additional questions about what is more commonly referred to as the new farm bill. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:22:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_184131953.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_184131953.html Despite the price of corn, the nay-sayers rumblings about using corn for fuel, the headlines about world food price concerns, even rumors of shut downs of ethanol plants, despite all the chatter the renewable fuels industry continues to grow across America. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:07:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_183172434.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_183172434.html The “Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008,” which is more commonly known as the new farm bill, is now law. Here are some some common questions about it. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:04:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_170173920.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_170173920.html The Conservation Reserve Program was originally established in the 1985 farm bill, and today has over 400,000 landowners participating, most of who are farmers and ranchers, and involves nearly 35 million acres under some type of CRP contract. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:26:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_168133854.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_168133854.html Funding is available to individuals and organizations recently hit by natural disasters in several states in the Midwest, including areas of southeastern Minnesota impacted by recent flooding. Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:22:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_151170639.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_151170639.html “We’re hopeful that it should remain a good year for the Minnesota dairy farmer, and it will if milk prices stay where they are right now and feed costs don’t suddenly start surging due to some unpredictable weather happenings." Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:21:00 +0000 http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_151164637.html http://www.the-land.com/l_economy_tech/local_story_151164637.html Farm business management instructors get to look at the agricultural industry from a strict look at the numbers, removing the emotion that tints an individual producer’s view. Riverland Community College's Tom Anderson offered his views on Minnesota's dairy industry.