Farming News

Drought and Low Mississippi River Levels Pose Challenges for Midwest Farmers’ Crop Transportation

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A long stretch of hot, dry weather has left the Mississippi River so low that barge companies are reducing their loads just as Midwest farmers are preparing to harvest crops and send tons of corn …

U.S. Agency Covering Matching Costs Following New Mexico Fire

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will waive cost-sharing requirements for New Mexico farmers and ranchers affected by the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján announced that the agency will cover cost sharing for emergency …

California Drought Hurting World’s Top Almond Producer

As temperatures recently reached triple digits, farmer Joe Del Bosque inspected the almonds in his parched orchard in California’s agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley, where a deepening drought threatens one of the state’s most profitable crops. Del Bosque doesn’t have enough …

Drought Indicators in Western States Flash Warnings of the ‘Big One’

Sarah Brunner opened the irrigation spigots on her farm in March, three months early. The rain should have still been falling in California. Now that summer is taking hold, she and her husband are considering shifting their meager water supplies …

Arizona Farmers Should Expect Less Water in 2022

Arizona officials are putting farmers in south-central Arizona on notice that the continuing drought means a “substantial cut” in deliveries of Colorado River water is expected next year. A joint statement issued Friday by the state Department of Water Resources …

Arkansas Farmers Still Optimistic Despite Ravaging from Floods

While spring floods left many rice farmers with fewer acres of rice than they originally planned, they’re hopeful a rising market can offset at least some of the lost acreage. “We had 1,400 acres, and we were able to salvage …