The importance of cybersecurity on the farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Recent incidents with grain elevators getting hacked and companies having data held hostage calls for heightened cybersecurity as meticulous hackers request ransoms against agricultural companies. Dan Hanson with SVP Management Liability explains how cyber-attacks are a targeted avenue of opportunity. “They’re going to go to …
Details on Lower Restaurant Spending During Pandemic
Numbers are in for the costs the pandemic had on restaurants. That’s today’s This Land of Ours. Detailed numbers are coming in for consumers’ food-buying habits during the pandemic. USDA Economic Research Service’s Food Expenditure Series shows significantly lower spending at restaurants during 2020, which was expected because of the many closures because of the pandemic. The question has been: …
The Future of Food Production
What does the future of food production look like? That’s today’s This Land of Ours. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ recent whitepaper, The Future of Food Production, identifies 13 trends expected to shape food production over the next ten years. AEM President Megan Tanel says top-level trends include water issues and the needed increase in food production. “Farmers have increasingly …
Drones to Measure Methane at Dairies
More ways dairy farms are going high-tech. That’s the topic of today’s This Land of Ours. For years, the dairy industry has worked on ground-breaking ways to manage methane, which is inevitable anywhere cows are found. Methane is a result when cow manure breaks down, and it’s also a gas released from the cows’ digestive tract. Basically, cow burps, and …
Quinoa Bacteria Research
Expanding the possibilities of quinoa. That’s today’s This Land of Ours. Quinoa is increasingly popular as a high-protein, slightly nutty flavored grain-like seed that can be made into flour for bread and pasta, used in soups and cereal, eaten as a snack food, and fermented into alcoholic beverages like beer. Colorado and Nevada currently lead U.S production of quinoa, but …
Farmer Veteran Coalition Fellowship Awards
From the military to the fields. How farmer veterans, and a coalition that serves them, are working the land. That’s the topic of today’s This Land of Ours. The Farmer Veteran Coalition is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization that helps veterans and active duty members of the U.S. military create agricultural businesses. One way they do that is through the Farmer Veteran …
Combating African Swine Fever
We’ve been hearing about African Swine Fever lately. So what is it, and what’s being done about it? That’s the topic of today’s This Land of Ours. African swine fever is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease that affects every kind of swine. But, ASF is not a threat to human health or food safety. ASF spread from Africa …
Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities
The focus on improving the climate through agriculture continues. The first round of funding through the new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities received more than 450 proposals. The Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity provides up to $1 billion for pilot projects that create market opportunities for commodities produced using climate-smart practices. The proposals from the first round of funding ranged from $5 million …
Farmer Mental Health Month
Protecting Farmers’ Mental Health Farming is one of the most challenging ways to make a living and can take a toll on farmers and everyone close to them. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Jessica Cabrera, American Farm Bureau managing director of member engagement, says mental health can be a difficult topic to discuss in farm country. “Farm life …
U.S. Helping to Feed the World
The U.S. is once again helping to feed the world. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The United States has long prided itself in our ability to feed the world. Administration leaders have taken another step to do just that. U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development are drawing down the full balance of …