Tag

Agriculture

All articles tagged with #agriculture

world1 day ago•24 min saved

Regional Fuel Crunch Tests Russia's Supply Chain

Russia’s Bashkortostan, home to the country’s largest diesel and gasoline output, is weathering a nationwide fuel crisis as Ukrainian strikes disrupt energy infrastructure; refineries continue operating but supplies are diverted to Moscow, causing rationing in Bashkortostan and higher prices for basic goods and transport, which strains farmers ahead of harvest, though authorities vow to boost fuel quotas for agriculture to keep rural production going.

via The Moscow Times|

#agriculture #bashkortostan #energy-security

science9 days ago•13 min saved

Ancient hybrid between tomato and a tuberless relative created the potato’s distinctive tuber

Genomic analysis published in Cell (2025) shows the potato lineage arose from an ancient hybrid between a tomato-lineage ancestor and an Etuberosum ancestor about 8–9 million years ago in southern South America, with two key genes (SP6A and IT1) from each parent driving tuber formation; domesticated ~7,000 years ago near Lake Titicaca, the potato is an evolutionary novelty that could inform modern breeding using wild relatives.

via Space Daily|

#agriculture #evolution #genetics

politics9 days ago•107 min saved

Oval Office Clash Over Pesticides Ends With Trump Signing Regenerative Agriculture Order

During a tense Oval Office meeting about Trump's June 25 executive order on regenerative agriculture and pesticides, farm lobbyist Zippy Duvall pressed the president not to sign, while Kennedy Jr.’s allies urged limits on conventional pesticides; witnesses described the exchange as shocking. Trump ultimately signed the order, Duvall pledged support, and the group later dined together on the Rose Garden patio.

via The Daily Beast|

#agriculture #oval-office #politics

politics10 days ago•12 min saved

Thompson bill opens temporary status path for undocumented farm workers with U.S. farm experience

House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson proposed the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026, expanding the H-2A guest-worker program and allowing some undocumented workers who have already worked in U.S. agriculture to apply for temporary legal status, with waivers for certain immigration violations if they meet visa requirements. The plan aims to address farmworker shortages and aligns with dairy and other labor-intensive sectors, but is expected to draw opposition from immigration hawks and labor unions.

via Politico|

#agriculture #h-2a #immigration

politics11 days ago•9 min saved

Trump's tariff stance stalls USMCA and spark uncertainty in North American trade

President Trump’s repeated hints that he might terminate or withdraw from the USMCA leave the $1+ trillion North American trade pact in limbo, forcing protracted negotiations with Canada and Mexico and creating ongoing uncertainty for automakers, farmers, and other exporters. The six-year review is due July 1; without a renewal, the pact would sunset in 2036 and invite a renewed, but unsettled, bargaining process that could disrupt supply chains and raise prices. While U.S. policymakers on both sides of the aisle still broadly back the deal, Trump’s stance is viewed as leverage that complicates investment decisions amid inflation and tariff volatility. Canada and Mexico prefer stability and predictable tariff levels, but the current rhetoric risks keeping trade policy in limbo for years.

via Politico|

#agriculture #north-america #politics

politics12 days ago•4 min saved

Pennsylvania to Showcase Its Legacy at National Mall 250th Birthday Fair Through Private, Bipartisan Effort

U.S. Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) announce a privately funded coalition of Pennsylvania groups to ensure the Commonwealth has a strong presence at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall for America’s 250th birthday. Partners include the PA Chamber of Business and Industry, PennAg, PA Farm Bureau, NFIB, PA Manufacturers’ Association, and MBA, with coordination from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. The effort emphasizes Pennsylvania’s agriculture, manufacturing, and entrepreneurial sectors and is explicitly taxpayer-free and bipartisan.

via U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (.gov)|

#agriculture #bipartisan #great-american-state-fair

world17 days ago•77 min saved

Farmers see potential windfall in Iran deal, while Tehran pushes back

Trump and allies trumpet a potential U.S.–Iran deal as a windfall for American farmers, suggesting assets could fund U.S. food imports, but Iran denies the claims and says assets will be spent as it chooses; experts say the actual impact is unclear amid existing sanctions and opaque asset releases, while Treasury actions around Iranian sales underscore ongoing political maneuvering over sanctions relief and agricultural trade.

via AP News|

#agriculture #donald-trump #iran

agriculture19 days ago•11 min saved

Screwworm comeback tests U.S. livestock defenses

An outbreak of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that infests warm-blooded animals, has returned to the United States with 15 confirmed cases in Texas and New Mexico, mainly affecting cattle. Officials are deploying sterile flies, expanding surveillance, and tightening border and movement controls to contain it, warning the outbreak could cost billions if it spreads, even as human risk remains low. The situation echoes the historic success of the sterile-insect technique used to eradicate the pest decades ago.

via CNN|

#agriculture #beef-industry #biosecurity

economy20 days ago•23 min saved

Iran War Ending Won’t Ease Cash-Strapped U.S. Farmers

Ending the Iran war won’t relieve drought-stricken crops or the drag of the U.S.–China trade war, and tariffs plus limited aid have offered little relief for cash-strapped farmers ahead of the midterm elections.

via The Washington Post|

#agriculture #economy #international-trade

agriculture24 days ago•2 min saved

Screwworm Outbreak Expands Across Texas and New Mexico, Raising Biosecurity Alarm

US screwworm cases rise to 12 across Texas and New Mexico as the parasite spreads beyond initial zones, affecting cattle, goats, sheep and a dog; USDA is releasing millions of sterile flies and deploying the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (Swass) to curb spread, while Pennsylvania imposes import quarantines; officials say the food supply remains safe but the beef industry could be impacted if containment fails.

via The Guardian|

#agriculture #biosecurity #livestock

local-news25 days ago•25 min saved

Pa. imposes quarantine amid confirmed U.S. screwworm cases

Pennsylvania agriculture officials have issued a quarantine order and urged farmers and pet owners to strengthen biosecurity measures after confirmed New World screwworm cases in the United States.

via WGAL|

#agriculture #biosecurity #livestock

world26 days ago•8 min saved

Screwworm Resurgence Tests US Cattle Defenses in Texas

After decades of containment, the New World screwworm surged in Panama around 2023, rising to thousands of cases and spilling north through Central America and Mexico before turning up in Texas cattle, a goat in the state and a dog in New Mexico. The outbreak tests the long-running sterile-fly program, prompts calls for more labor and funding, and has the CDC considering contingency plans for possible human cases as beef prices stay high and imports are restricted.

via Financial Times|

#agriculture #disease-control-and-prevention #panama

environment27 days ago•33 min saved

California's Cycle of Extraction: Gold, Groundwater, and the AI Boom

In a Guardian long-form essay, Mark Arax tracks California’s history of extraction—from the Gold Rush and hydraulic mining to modern groundwater pumping and a flood of AI-driven data centers—arguing that state policy and powerful interests turn water, land, and even human cognition into commodities, fueling environmental ruin and rural displacement even as leaders preach “abundance.”

via The Guardian|

#agriculture #artificial-intelligence #california

science28 days ago•3 min saved

Global map shows subterranean fungal networks stretching 110 quadrillion kilometers

Scientists mapped arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from over 16,000 soil cores to produce the first global network density map, estimating that the networks could reach about 110 quadrillion kilometers end-to-end—roughly 750 million times the distance from the Earth to the Sun. These networks supply nutrients and water to plants and help store carbon, but densities are higher in wild ecosystems and lower in croplands due to farming practices like tilling and fertilizer use. Preserving and restoring underground fungal networks could boost nutrient cycling, reduce fertilizer needs, and enhance carbon storage, with data intended to inform policymakers and farming practices.

via The Guardian|

#agriculture #carbon-storage #fungi

agriculture29 days ago•12 min saved

Idaho tightens animal imports after screwworm detection

Idaho's agriculture department issued an administrative order restricting the movement of warm-blooded animals from screwworm‑infested zones and requiring a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued within five days of travel, plus documentation that the animal was authorized to leave the infested area, after the first U.S. screwworm case was confirmed in Texas. Animals from states with detections but outside infestation zones must also have a health certificate issued within five days before entering Idaho; officials urged pet owners and travelers to take precautions and coordinate with USDA.

via KSL News|

#agriculture #animal-importation #certificate-of-veterinary-inspection