Views and commentary on agriculture, farming, ranching, agribusiness and agriculture media in the Western states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California from the staff of the Capital Press and capitalpress.com.
In this podcast, editors and reporters take a look at businesses riding the wave of demand for backyard chickens, the federal government's shifting stance on child labor on family farms, and a tractor raffle to raise money to help send Idaho FFA members to college.To order raffle tickets for the 1952 John Deere B and three
Idaho Democrats have proposed an ag jobs bill that would provide producers a 50 percent income tax credit when they add some type of value to an existing crop. The proposed tax credit would allow Idaho farmers or ranchers to receive the credit for investing in an agricultural processing facility.Subscribe to this podcast in
Under pressure from farm groups, the Labor Department has agreed to modify a plan that's intended to keep children away from some of the most dangerous farm jobs. The proposal now will have broader exemptions for children whose parents own or operate farms, or have a substantial interest in a farm partnership or corporation
A new study has found that reducing Idaho’s foreign-born labor supply would have a significant negative economic impact.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.To listen, click here.
Since Mexican officials asked Idaho bean growers last month to help them get through a dire situation, Gem State companies have sent several train carloads of dry beans to that country. Because of severe weather conditions and a drought, Mexico's growers are facing an emergency situation and need an almost immediate supply
Idaho farmers and ag-related businesses are rallying around a tractor raffle program that funds scholarships for FFA members. Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. To listen, click here.
In this podcast, editors and reporters look at the limited supply of veterinarians trained in organic practices and the industry response, a legal battle over the use of herbicides to control weeds on public lands, and Deere and Co.'s court victory over dealers trying to import the manufacturer's own machines.Subscribe to t
Bill Gates has a terse response to criticism that the high-tech solutions he advocates for world hunger are too expensive or bad for the environment: Countries can embrace modern seed technology and genetic modification or their citizens will starve.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. To listen,
New state rules adopted by an Idaho legislative committee will simplify the certification process for Idaho’s 250 organic farmers and collectively save them thousands of dollars. Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. To listen, click here.
University of Idaho Extension economist Paul Patterson predicts Idaho’s agricultural production costs will grow modestly in 2012 following the dramatic cost spikes of 2011.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. To listen, click here.
A worrisome tuber necrotic strain of Potato virus Y, called NTN, is now present in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana, according to results of the 2011 Washington Commercial Seed Lot Trial. To educate growers on PVY and other new hybrid strands, a website has been launched by the USDA, the University of Idaho, Cornell Un
The total amount of federal government payments to Idaho farmers and ranchers continued its 11-year slide in 2011, showing the state's agricultural economy would be less susceptible than many other states to possible cuts in the new farm bill. Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. To listen, click
In this podcast, editors and reporters discuss upcoming changes in the leadership of Washington farmers, diverging demand for tractors and combines, the big potential for nanotechnology in agriculture and new research in potato disease and production.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.To listen,
President Barack Obama’s proposal to reorganize six agencies that promote business and trade and possibly reorganize food safety agencies has not been well received in agriculture or consumer advocacy circles.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. To listen, click here.
The biggest buzz online today among agriculture folks is about the Yahoo Education story saying 3 of 5 of the most useless college degrees are in agriculture fields. [<a href="http://storify.com/capitalpress/the-value-of-an-agriculture-degree" target="_blank">View the story "
Several major farm and livestock groups in Idaho still haven’t decided whether to support proposed legislation that would add a felony provision for animal cruelty to state law. But the Idaho Cattle Association, which is behind the proposal, is confident those groups will support the effort when the time is right.Subscrib
Randy and Karlene Hardy, who farm 2,800 acres in Oakley, have been named growers of the year by the Potato Growers of Idaho. They were to receive their award Jan. 18 at the Pocatello Red Lion Hotel following a fundraising auction to benefit the Idaho Potato Industry Political Action Committee. Dirk Parkinson, of St. Anthony
Idaho farmers set records for sugar beet and spring wheat yields and made their state the national leader in barley production during 2011, a new USDA report confirms.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.To listen, click here.
An abundance of used combines has reduced demand for new models, with sales of such machines falling in 2011 and manufacturers expecting a further drop in 2012. Unit sales of new self-propelled combines sank more than 7 percent in 2011, to about 9,900 machines, after several years of solid growth, according to the Associati
In this podcast, editors and reporters talk about Idaho agriculture breaking revenue records, Supreme Court arguments over the power of the Environmental Protection Agency, a legal victory for biotech alfalfa, and the Capital Press attitude toward farm internships.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS rea
Several major farm and livestock groups in Idaho still haven't decided whether to support proposed legislation that would add a felony provision for animal cruelty to state law. But the Idaho Cattle Association, which is behind the proposal, is confident those groups will come to support the effort. The proposal would make
The American Farm Bureau Federation voted Jan. 11 to support federal farm policy that includes strong safety net components, but no direct subsidy payments. In amending the organization’s long-time policy backing the $5 billion subsidy program, the Farm Bureau’s voting delegates adopted a resolution that reflects declin
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA is shuttering more than 250 offices across the nation, including 131 Farm Service Agency offices. Speaking at the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau, Vilsack said USDA is making the move to account for a 12 percent cut Congress has imposed on the agency’
The Idaho Wheat Commission announced Jan. 6 it has created a multimillion-dollar endowment designed to bolster the University of Idaho’s wheat research capabilities. The endowment, which is $500,000 this year and will grow to $2 million over 10 years, is part of a new public-private partnership between the commission, the
Idaho farmers and ranchers shattered the state's former records for total cash receipts and net farm income in 2011. The University of Idaho estimates the state's total farm-gate receipts in 2011 at $7.4 billion, a 29 percent increase over the $5.73 billion total in 2010 and far above the previous record of $6.22 billion se
In this podcast, writers and editors at the Capital Press talk about the potential benefits and difficulties of united produce promotion, a lawsuit over claims of the healthfulness of walnuts, a million-dollar business dispute over a sugar refinery, the impact of cold, dry weather on California, declining hog production in
American Farm Bureau Federation convention delegates will consider endorsing the elimination of direct government commodity payments in favor of an expanded risk management program at their convention in Hawaii this weekend.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader. To listen, click here.
A farmer-owned sugar beet processor in Idaho is seeking nearly $1 million in compensation from a Louisiana sugar cane processor over a failed joint venture. The Amalgamated Sugar Co. of Boise -- owned by the Snake River Sugar Co. agricultural cooperative -- has filed a legal complaint accusing M.A. Patout & Son of breac
The Idaho Cattle Association has added a new position that will focus on telling the media and consumers about the positive things the industry does. The ICA has hired Jessie Thompson of King Hill as communications director for the group, which represents the state’s 10,000 cattle producers. Subscribe to this podcast in i
The strong prices growers received for agricultural commodities in 2011 were tempered by sharp increases in their production costs, according to a recent economic study by University of Idaho extension economist Paul Patterson.Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or your favorite RSS reader.To listen, click here.