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Reviving China's rural economy, one peach tree at a time

Jul 25, 2023
Chinese officials have pushed for young entrepreneurs to return and revitalize the countryside, but the task is complex.
Liu Pingfu dreamed of working in the big city when he was young, but is keen to return to the countryside.
Christian Petersen-Clausen for Marketplace

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

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

A wetter winter raised hopes for better yield in the Corn Belt

May 9, 2023
"Prices have stayed strong," reports Keith Alverson, a South Dakota farmer whose financial management includes trading grain electronically.
While some farmers pay brokers to track prices and trade grain, others skip the middleman.
Mark Hirsch/Getty Images

With "regenerative" farming, small growers can reap big profits for air and soil

Feb 13, 2023
Some farmers use methods that reduce carbon and raise crops more sustainably. They hope for support in the next federal farm bill.
Mollie Engelhart started her farm four years ago to support her vegan restaurant chain, Sage.
Courtesy Engelhart

What to expect from the 2023 Farm Bill

Dec 28, 2022
Advocates for everything from nutrition programs to tribal food sovereignty to climate and sustainability initiatives will be keeping an eye on the bill next year.
Above, a sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits — which are funded through the Farm Bill — is displayed at a Brooklyn grocery store.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

Farm income projected to rise again

Dec 5, 2022
The USDA anticipates high commodity prices and other factors will push U.S. farm income up nearly 14% for 2022 over last year.
The war in Ukraine caused a global grain shortage that drove up prices for wheat, soybeans and corn.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Inflation drives up hay prices, forcing some horse owners to sell

Nov 9, 2022
Inflation is driving up the cost of things like fertilizer, which drives up the cost of growing hay and feeding horses.
Tom Johnston takes the tarp of his hay stack to prep it for customers. He sells his hay to customers across the country.
Caitlin Tan

Farmers feeling the effects as drought slows shipping on the Mississippi

Nov 9, 2022
Since the river isn't as deep as it normally is, some barges have had to lighten their loads.
Barges stranded by low water sit at the Port of Rosedale along the Mississippi River on Oct. 20, 2022.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Despite drought, this Iowa farmer had a record harvest

Nov 8, 2022
April Hemmes was in the "Goldilocks spot" when it came to weather.
April Hemmes on her farm in 2019. This year, she had a record soybean harvest despite a drought earlier in the year.
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace