The Tax Break For Kansas Farmers That Few Know About
Everyone knows agriculture is huge in Kansas. It’s a $62 billion a year industry that accounts for 43 percent of the Kansas economy and touches every part of the state. Following the 2012 Brownback tax...
View ArticleFarm Income Down, Loan Requests Up
Farm income is down in the Midwest, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve, and that’s left more farmers relying on banks. Low prices for crops like soybeans and corn, coupled with high...
View ArticleSons Are Still More Likely Than Daughters To Take Over The Family Farm
Growing up on a family farm in West Bend, Iowa, Haley Banwart and her brother were like other farm kids. They did chores, participated in 4-H , and even raised cattle together. “My brother and I have...
View ArticleFarm Income Forecast To Drop, Again
This year will be a tight one financially for most farmers. As Harvest Public Media’s Jeremy Bernfeld reports, the Agriculture Department is forecasting a drop in farm income for the third straight...
View ArticleCan Oats Improve Bottom Lines In The Corn Belt?
On a hot July day in Boone County, Iowa, farmer Brett Heineman shuttled a semi from one of his family’s fields to the local co-op. He and his uncle were harvesting the first crop of oats on this farm...
View ArticleUSDA Official Reassures Farmers Amidst Tough Economic Times
Harvest is underway on farms across the Midwest and Great Plains. But with prices in the tank for the region’s most important crops, many farmers are just hoping to break even this year. The last time...
View ArticleFarmers Pessimistic About Ag Economy
Low prices mean many farmers are facing tough times. As Harvest Public Media’s Jeremy Bernfeld explains, farmers think that’s not likely to let up. Bumper harvest after bumper harvest has plunged...
View ArticleLarge Farms Are More Important Than Ever
The number of small farms in the U.S. is growing, but “large farms” are increasingly important to our food system. Today, what researchers call “large farms” make up just 4 percent of the total number...
View ArticleFarm Country Speculates On New Ag Secretary
Now that Donald Trump is elected, he must go on a hiring spree for his cabinet. Harvest Public Media’s Peggy Lowe reports that farm country is wondering just who the Secretary of Agriculture will be....
View ArticleRural Economy Still Struggles To Shake Off Great Recession
A new report from the Department of Agriculture shows rural parts of the country are still struggling more than eight years after the Great Recession. While the economy has improved marginally in rural...
View ArticleMajority Of America's Farms Still Family-Owned
While the average U.S. farm continues to grow larger, the vast majority are still family-owned. Harvest Public Media’s Luke Runyon reports on a new look at our farmers.
View ArticleFarmland Values Continue To Slide
Cropland in the Midwest is losing its value as the downturn in the agriculture economy continues. Record-high crop prices contributed to record-high land values in 2012 and 2013. But now, that party is...
View ArticleFantasy Farming Gives Students A Chance To Get In The Game
Let’s say you’re a high school student in an agronomy or agriculture class and you’re looking for some real-world experience. You can’t just buy a few hundred acres on which to experiment. Enter:...
View ArticleMidwest Farmers Hope New Ag Secretary Advocates For Trade
President-elect Donald Trump named former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as his pick for Secretary of Agriculture on Thursday. Harvest Public Media’s Kristofor Husted reports on what it means for farmers in...
View ArticleMidwest Farmers Prepare For Another Year In The Red
Farmers across the Midwest are trying to figure out how to get by at a time when expected prices for commodities from corn, to wheat, to cattle, to hogs mean they’ll be struggling just to break even....
View ArticleValue Of Kansas Farm Land Up While Commodity Prices Down
Most farmers across Kansas will likely be seeing an increase in their land valuations this year.
View ArticleA Forgotten Piece Of African-American History On The Great Plains
Blink while driving on Highway 34 east of Greeley, Colorado, and you might miss the former Great Plains town of Dearfield. Abandoned towns from the early 20th century are far from unique on this...
View ArticleTask Force Reviewing Regulations That Affect Agriculture, Rural Prosperity
Regulations that affect Kansas’ agriculture producers and the quality of life in rural communities are under review at the federal level. President Trump created a task force to identify policy changes...
View ArticleNAFTA Renegotiation Puts Agriculture Groups On Edge
As the Trump administration takes the initial steps toward renegotiating one of the country’s most influential and controversial trade deals, groups that represent farmers and ranchers are already...
View ArticleLife In Small Towns Affected By Farmers On The 'Technology Treadmill'
The most common occupation in America used to be farming. But farms are so high-tech these days, fewer farmers are needed to work the fields. That ends up having important side effects for farm towns...
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