Around the Country

Heads Up! Tuesday Field Day to Feature Wide Range of Topics Delta Farm Press

On Tuesday morning, a field day with a wide range of topics will be held at the Pine Tree Research Experiment Station west of Colt, Ark. Registration will be from 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. with the tours' first stop beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Innovation is Blooming at Water-Wise Urban Farms Los Angeles Times

For small farms nestled between city streets, saving water means recycling it - and finding new ways to keep plants alive without wasting the precious liquid.

Science and Technology

Addition of a Single Gene Makes Rice More Environmentally Friendly GizMag

A team led by the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has come up with a genetically engineered strain of rice that not only produces almost no methane, but also more grains.

To Feed Billions, Farms are about Data as Much as Dirt Wall Street Journal

Data gathered from aircraft, self-driving tractors and other forms of automated and remote sensors-for yield, moisture and soil quality-are also essential to modern farming. 

Tariffs and Trade

Cuba Ripe for Rice Sales, Governor Says Arkansas Online

Arkansas needs to do what it can to position itself to export goods such as rice and poultry to Cuba as Congress debates whether to end a 50-year-old trade embargo with the island nation, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday.

Dairy Farmers Milk Politics of Pacific Trade Pact Reuters

New Zealand dairy farmers have a message for their Canadian counterparts, who worry that a Pacific trade deal will throw them on the mercy of world markets and devastate their industry: It's not so bad.

State Ag Chief Goes Far Afield for Trade Arkansas Online

Many state residents don't understand how big agriculture is in Arkansas, said Lonoke farmer Dow Brantley, the chairman of USA Rice, an industry trade group. Brantley said it's important for state officials such as Ward and Hutchinson to take a proactive role.