Posted February 1, 2012 in The Houston Chronicle See Post Texas is the epicenter of the decade’s worst North American drought. (Texas A&M photo) The extreme drought gripping Texas and the rest of the Southwest is likely to intensify, according to a panel of climate experts from Columbia University. Richard Seager, an expert on droughts in North America, told a Washington audience that the Texas...

Interview published in the January 2012 issue of Growing Georgia. By Senior Editor Barbara Keiker Growing Georgia Interview Since its founding in 2005 by a group of career farmers and ranchers, Grasshopper Fertilizer has consistently experienced double-digit annual sales growth. The company grew 50 percent to 100 percent annually for the first five years and in 2011 during a widespread drought, Grasshopper Fertilizer...

Posted on Aug 29, 2011 in AG WEB Alfalfa Shortage Intensifies, Prices Reach Record Highs August 29, 2011 By: Fran Howard Alfalfa has taken a big hit this year due to coast-to-coast weather problems, competition from other crops and low stocks. Prices are already at record or near-record highs, particularly for dairy-quality alfalfa, and are probably not done climbing. Hay prices in the Midwest have been stable...

Posted on Aug 28,2011 in AG WEB August 28, 2011 By: Ventura County Star (California) Growth up by 20 percentage points since ’01 By Gosia Wozniacka, Associated Press FRESNO – Think of farms and images of tractors and combines come to mind. But what about laptops, smartphones and tablets? The number of farmers with Internet access on a variety of digital gadgets has dramatically increased, changing...

Posted on Aug 26, 2011 in AG WEB August 26, 2011 By: Dairy Today Editors Hay Hotline to offer hay pricing, listings for donated forage, transportation information and available grazing lands. Source: Texas Department of Agriculture AUSTIN — As the worst one-year drought in Texas history continues to scorch the state and deplete critical hay supplies, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced several...

Posted on Aug 18, 2011 in Southeast Farm Press Initiative to build “weather-ready” nation From the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Aug. 18, 2011 9:19am NOAA is launching a comprehensive initiative to build a “Weather-ready” nation to make America safer by saving more lives andprotecting livelihoods as communities across the country become increasingly vulnerable to severe weather...

Posted on Aug 23, 2011 in Farm Futures Ag Secretary & Ag Chair Highlight Importance of Ag Research Productivity increases won’t continue without research. Compiled by staff Published: Aug 23, 2011 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., met with community leaders, farmers and ranchers in Michigan Monday to explore ways federal, state and local officials...

Posted on Aug 19, 2011 in Hay and Forage Grower Drought Management Seminar To Be Sept. 1 Aug 19, 2011 3:08 PM A seminar on how to manage through a drought has been set for Sept. 1, from noon to 4 p.m., at the Bois d’ Arc Cowboy Church at Bonham, TX. Called the Agricultural Management During Drought Seminar, it will be hosted by five Oklahoma and Texas organizations: The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Fannin...

Posted on Aug 18, 2011 in Southwest Farm Press Oklahoma producers may be able to take advantage of drought-related income tax provisions Donald Stotts, OSU Aug. 18, 2011 10:32am Existing income tax provisions may provide relief for producers who have sold more livestock than normal because of the ongoing drought or other weather-related conditions.“Each provision may allow a producer to reduce the tax consequences...

Posted on Aug 17, 2011 in The Progressive Farmer Texas Drought Prompts Culling Ranchers Face Few Options With No Forage Chris Clayton DTN Ag Policy Editor Wed Aug 17, 2011 08:51 AM CDT AMARILLO, Texas (DTN) — Cowboys at the Amarillo Livestock Auction spent the morning sorting old mama cows trailered in one or two at a time, along with a steady flow of lightweight calves that normally wouldn’t show...