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Agriculture

Which rose first: the price of chicken or corn?

by Justin Ho
May 11, 2021
Food commodity prices have been rising steadily over the past several months, leading to an ever-more-expensive supply chain.
Animals that eat pricier corn are now costing more per head, like chickens. Plus, people have been eating more chicken during the pandemic.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
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Tiremakers are test-driving new plant-based sources for rubber

by Daniel Ackerman
May 6, 2021
The industry's push to diversify its supply of natural rubber is spurring research into desert shrubs and dandelions.
The new generation of plant-based tires could hit the road in about five years, one expert estimates.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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Texas tree growers will feel February freeze effects for years

by Andy Uhler
Apr 26, 2021
And right now everyone including homeowners, city parks, schools and businesses in Texas needs plants and trees.
Palm trees with fronds turning brown stand on Simmons Oak Farms just outside of Harlingen, Texas.
Andy Uhler/Marketplace
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Eau de livestock, anyone?

by John Laurenson
Apr 26, 2021
France has passed a law to protect the sounds and smells of the countryside as a way to preserve French heritage.
A new law protects France's "sensorial heritage" — its smells and sounds, including those that have provoked lawsuits by annoyed rural residents.
Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Washington apple farmer is "optimistic" as workers get vaccinated

by Kai Ryssdal , Andie Corban and Minju Park
Mar 19, 2021
“They are on the front lines of the food production industry in this country," said Patrick Smith, who runs Loftus Ranches.
"I’m really hopeful that when we get to our harvest season, globally, things are really looking up," says Patrick Smith, whose family runs Loftus Ranches, an apple and hops farm in Yakima, Washington.
Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Why much of Nebraska's economy remains strong despite the pandemic

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Jan 19, 2021
Some businesses in Newman Grove, Nebraska, have been booming as fewer people leave town to shop. Also, the region's agriculture economy remains healthy.
Rural Nebraska is benefiting from a resilient farm economy and has avoided the shutdowns suffered by many metropolitan areas.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Growing urban greenhouse sector looks to deliver local produce

by Emma Jacobs
Dec 14, 2020
Lufa Farms, a Canadian company, sees rooftop gardening as a way to cut energy costs.
Tomato plants grow in a rooftop greenhouse in New York.
Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images
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How some farmers are feeling about Biden's election

by Kai Ryssdal and Andie Corban
Nov 10, 2020
Iowa corn and soybean farmer April Hemmes says farmers are wondering how quickly Biden will undo some of Trump's policies.
"Agriculture around here really, really focuses on livestock and the biofuels," says April Hemmes, above on her farm in Hampton, Iowa, in 2019.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace
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COVID-19

Farmers' outlook improves amid pandemic woes

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Sep 3, 2020
Farmers have had a hard year with the pandemic, trade war and natural disasters.
Farmers repair a grain drill while planting soybeans in April in Illinois. China is reportedly buying more soybeans, and that's one reason farmers are feeling better about the future.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Farmers are struggling in the pandemic economy

by Peggy Lowe
Jul 20, 2020
A study finds emergency government money will make up more than a third of farm income.
Dairy cows in a field at Grazing Plains Farm near Newton in central Kansas.
Courtesy of Jason Schmidt
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