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Climate change means more extremes for Washington hops farmer

Sep 25, 2023
After a cold spring and unseasonably hot and dry summer, Patrick Smith of Yakima is seeing some abnormalities in when his crops mature.
"Overall, I'd say that the apple crop statewide is looking quite good," Washington farmer Patrick Smith says.
Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images

Olive oil prices climb amid drought, heat in Mediterranean

Sep 19, 2023
Weather extremes have threatened global olive oil supplies for the second year as the appetite for EVOO grows in the U.S.
Unfavorable conditions in growing regions have driven up olive oil prices in the U.S. and may open opportunities for American agriculture.
Carlos Gil/Getty Images

I've always wondered: how mint flavoring became associated with clean teeth

Sep 8, 2023
Listener Grant Cohoe says he's "not a fan of mint" and asks: "Why it is that mint is so ubiquitous in toothpaste, mouthwash and the like?"
Mint flavored toothpaste at the store. 
Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace

After a year of bad weather, peaches are in short supply — and a lot more expensive

Aug 28, 2023
Unfavorable weather in the Southeast and Midwest has made for a national peach shortage. The lack of supply means prices have climbed between 25-50% this summer in some markets.
Customers shop for peaches on July 13, at Flamm Orchards in Cobden, Illinois.
Brian Munoz

Labor costs are a key ingredient in food inflation

Aug 11, 2023
And consumers of all income levels are adopting creative strategies to make their dollars stretch farther.
Generally, only 15% of the price of something like peanut butter goes to the farmer who produced the raw ingredients, says Chris Barrett, aprofessor of agricultural and development economics at Cornell. More goes to the production and transporting of the final product.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Regaining Black farmers’ trust is “challenging," says advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture

After the loan repayment assistance program was scrapped, the USDA is having trouble regaining the trust of Black farmers.
"I've heard it said that when other farmers get a cold, Black farmers get pneumonia," said Dewayne Goldmon, senior advisor for racial equity to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

How an Iowa farmer pushes through less-than-average crop yields

Jul 27, 2023
It takes a "that's farming, buddy!" attitude — and crop insurance helps, too.
"That's farming, buddy!" says April Hemmes, a corn and soybean farmer, in the face of drought in her home state of Iowa.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace

For public good, not for profit.

Going once, going twice, gone! Farm auctions are moving online, and that's changing a rural tradition

Jun 5, 2023
Farm auctions — a marketplace for knickknacks, farm land and everything in between — are often also social gathering spaces for rural communities. That’s changing as more auctions go online.
Auctioneer Ryan Creamer calls a bid from inside the trailer cab, while Austin Creamer monitors online bidding from a laptop. At this farm auction, Creamer said live auctions with internet bidders are the best selling opportunities.
Elizabeth Rembert/Harvest Public Media

How does the price of soybeans, corn and other commodities affect the cost of food?

May 31, 2023
Prices received by U.S. farmers are down 2.2% since last year. But you may not feel it at the grocery store.
After record highs about a year ago, soybean prices have dropped to some of the lowest levels farmers have seen in recent years. Above, the crop being harvested in Iowa.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Growing pistachios is a tough business. Here's one couple's story.

May 18, 2023
The Burchams own an orchard in Firebaugh, California. Like other pistachio farmers, they're grappling with a changing climate.
Klytia and Stephen Burcham own Gage Farms in Firebaugh, California. They have more than 18,000 pistachio trees on their orchard, which stretches over 114 acres.
Lily Jamali/Marketplace