Early menopause is defined as the cessation of ovarian function before the age of 45. It impacts about 10% of women and heightens risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and other diseases. Research has uncovered few ways to prevent early-onset menopause. But scientists at the University of Massachusetts have found one way to reduce the odds […]
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The Xerces Society, an international non-profit that works to conserve invertebrates and their habitats, has launched a new website that hosts an extensive database of pesticide research. The Impacts of Pesticides on Invertebrates Database collects and disseminates summaries of research articles about pesticides that their impact on invertebrates, particularly pollinators, and the environment. Articles can be […]
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The Pulitzer Prizes for 2017 were announced this week and among the usual nods to The New York Times and The Washington Post was a surprise winner. The Pulitzer for Editorial Writing went to The Storm Lake Times, a small town rural Iowa paper with a circulation of about 3,000. Art Cullen (shown at center of the picture to […]
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For years many people worked to promote interest in “soil quality,” a term meant to encompass the physical, chemical and biological properties that make well-managed soils rich, productive, and alive. But to Ray Archuleta, a leading voice for soil conservation within the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, a new approach to soil management was needed, […]
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No, this is not a belated April Fools prank, but a real mystery coming out of dairy farms in the Midwest. Over a 35-year career in dairy cow nutrition and health management in Wisconsin, Dieter Harle has witnessed many changes in farm management, cow nutrition, and cow health and longevity. At a presentation March 28, […]
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Farm magazines and rural, Midwestern airwaves are full of stories and advertising for the latest herbicide-based solutions for corn and soybean fields infested with multiple, herbicide-tolerant weeds. Perhaps the most challenging is glyphosate-resistant waterhemp. In a March 29, 2017 Farm Industry News story by Willie Vogt entitled “Taking on weed resistance”, weed management experts describe […]
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A chilling overview of the global impacts of pesticide use on human health, the environment, and farming system choices has been issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. The special report (available in multiple languages here was delivered to the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council in February 2017. It contains unusually […]
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Global agriculture is big business, and that includes the seeds that farmers need to grow their crops. The R+D priorities of the seed-biotech industry have huge implications for farmers and consumers alike, as the seeds available to put in the ground each spring determine the types, taste, and nutrient profile of the fresh produce and […]
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Chris DiFonzo, a Michigan State entomologist, has compiled with colleagues a farmer-friendly table of all GE corn traits and trade names. A special feature of the 2017 version of the table is getting a lot of attention – a column designating which insects, including the Southwestern corn borer larvae shown here, may be resistant to […]
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China has become the world’s fourth largest consumer of organic food. Demand is driven by food safety concerns, in the wake of a series of food adulteration episodes and a lack of trust in the government’s ability to assure compliance with safety standards. Xinhua Insight reports that more and more young professionals are giving up careers […]
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