Agriculture
Higher prices, pandemic payments help Michigan farms stay afloat in 2020
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In 2020, Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy filings fell by 7 percent.
Agriculture
New state plan has Michigan hemp growers uncertain about the future
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Growers worry that higher license and testing fees will push an already high cost of operation even higher.
Land
Chicago activists and artists color environmental justice
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The idea is to showcase a vision of transforming communities in a way that prioritizes employees, children and the planet’s well-being, organizers say.
foraging
Foraging for medicinal plants gains popularity
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Foraging for medicinal and indigenous foods is a prehistoric practice that not only has boosts immune systems, but has gained increased attention due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Agriculture
Midwestern farms suffocating Gulf of Mexico ecosystems
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Fertilizer runoff from seasonal heavy rainfall on Midwestern farms is traveling down the Mississippi River and creating a “hypoxic zone,” or low oxygen zone in the Gulf of Mexico, a recent study by Iowa State University scientists warns.
Agriculture
New nutrient trapping program takes off
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A newly funded project in Ohio’s Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District aims to reduce water nutrients and sediments that flow into Lake Erie, causing excessive growth of algae.
Agriculture
Cherry growers want to get in on the snacking trend
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Struggling Michigan cherry farmers hope to cash in on a growing consumer trend during the pandemic: We’re eating more snacks.
Land
Wildfires threaten Great Lakes region too
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California has been in the news this wildfire season with millions of acres burned and orange skies that look like scenes from an apocalypse film. President Donald Trump says every year he gets a call that the Golden State is on fire. But wildfires are not just a problem in the West.
Land
Study suggests rural strategies help economies of shrinking cities
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You won’t find barns and silos in Detroit. Or herds of cattle. Or fields of soybeans, sugar beets or wheat. Even so, much of the city is now “ruralized,” a new study says, a phenomenon also visible in Flint, Pontiac and Saginaw.
Agriculture
MSU study finds no-till farming yields long-term economic benefits
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Results from a nearly 30-year ongoing study published by researchers at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station show that over the long-term, no-till agriculture produces improved crop yields.