Agriculture
As much as a third of the topsoil in the corn belt may be gone
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Conventional farming practices have eroded much of the topsoil from a region of the Midwest known as the corn belt, according to a recent study.
Land
Farmworkers need more off-site housing, Michigan task force says
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As farmworkers from other states and countries come to work in Michigan, the need for safe and affordable off-farm housing options is becoming increasingly important, a recent task force report said.
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.
Waste
New uses for cherry pits makes landfilling a “waste of a waste”
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Michigan’s cherry industry may have a way to make money from, of all things, the pits.
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.
Echo
Michigan farmers markets adjust to the pandemic
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Most of the state’s 240 farmers markets survived during the pandemic that upended the way fresh produce, baked goods and other items are sold at the popular venues.
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.
Echo
What drives farmers to join farmers markets?
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New farmers markets in low-income, urban areas of Michigan face challenges in recruiting and retaining vendors, a new study finds. Farmers motivated by their love of gardening or the desire to build community are least likely to drop out of those urban markets, the study concludes.