growth

Productivity the Major Driver of U.S. Agricultural Growth

Dan Research, Technology, USDA-ERS

Technological developments in agriculture have enabled continued output growth without requiring much additional inputs, according to a new USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) report. Innovations in animal and crop genetics, chemicals, equipment, and farm organization have made it possible for total agricultural output to nearly triple between 1948 and 2021. During that period, the amount of inputs used in farming …

funding

Funding Announced for Renewable Tech in Ag

Dan Agri-Business, Funding, Technology, This Land of Ours

Funding the future of ag tech. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The Department of Agriculture and the Energy Department this week launched a new initiative to help farmers cut costs and increase income using underutilized renewable technologies. Through the Rural and Agricultural Income & Savings from Renewable Energy initiative, USDA is setting an initial goal of helping …

Shielding agriculture

Shielding Agriculture from Cyber Attacks

Dan Biotechnology, Technology, This Land of Ours

Shielding agriculture from cyber attacks. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Two senators introduced legislation intended to boost the agricultural industry’s resilience against cyber attacks. The bipartisan measure from Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is backed by a number of agricultural groups. If passed, the bill would shield America’s supply chain from technological attacks. “America’s adversaries …

growing

Investments to Growing Animal Feed Indoors

Dan Cattle, Dairy, Technology

Forever Feed Technologies announced a multimillion-dollar investment from a renowned group of dairy and agricultural leaders to develop sustainable automated indoor-growing feed mills. The climate-controlled technology will greatly reduce water, land usage, and methane emissions in helping the industry reach its goal of being “climate neutral by 2050. The new investment funds will go to building the largest and most …

farms

Tech Use on Farms

Dan Technology, This Land of Ours, USDA-NASS

The facts on internet use on farms may surprise you. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The USDA’s 2023 Technology Use on Farms report found the areas that have the highest internet use aren’t anywhere near the Silicon Valley. Tony Dorn of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) explains some of the findings. “As far as the states, …

funding

Funding Available for Rural Broadband

Dan Agri-Business, Funding, High-Speed Internet/Broadband, Technology, This Land of Ours

An unprecedented amount of federal funding is available to expand broadband connectivity across rural America. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Rick Cimerman is vice president of state affairs for NCTA – The Internet and Television Association. He says federal investments can be used most wisely to help close the digital divide that still exists. “I think there …

four wheel drive

AEM Highlight Benefits of Precision Agriculture, Supports Ag Bills

Dan Agri-Business, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), Legislative, Research, Technology

Many people in farming already know the benefits of precision agriculture but Curt Blades, Senior Vice President of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) says a new study by the association aims to help the public understand. “What we attempted to do at AEM was to quantify those numbers to put them in a way that really would show the …

faa

FAA Rule Change for Farm Drones

Dan Agri-Business, Technology

There’s an FAA rule change for some farming operations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making it easier to use drones for spraying crops. Arthur Erickson is the CEO and co-founder of Hylio, which designs, manufactures, and sells crop treatment drones. He says the rule change was needed. “Drones hit the scene very rapidly in the last five or six …

lab-grown chicken

USDA Approves Lab-Grown Chicken

Dan Poultry, Technology, This Land of Ours

Lab-grown chicken may soon be on the menu. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The USDA gave two startup companies the go-ahead to sell the country’s first lab-grown chicken products. GOOD Meat, a subsidiary of food tech company Eat Just, Inc., and UPSIDE Foods will be allowed to sell their products that have been cultivated from real animal …