PROSSER, Wash. — The legend of John Henry pits a “steal driving man” against a steam drill. John Henry wins the contest but in the long run, machines have prevailed in the American economy. Now, researchers at Washington State University are developing a modern day contraption that could put cherry pickers out of work....
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California produces 90% of America’s strawberries. To grow that much fruit, the California strawberry industry uses highly toxic fumigants and fruit varieties that travel well, but lack taste.
On today’s Market & Garden Report, Guy Hand learns that local strawberry growers are taking a tastier, less toxic path . . . a path...
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(GH: Northwest News Network correspondent Anna King reports for Northwest Public Radio.)
RICHLAND, WA – A massive feedlot north of Pasco, Washington can draw as much water as it needs from a deep well according to a decision by a Franklin County Superior judge today. Dryland wheat farmers who have been fighting the 35,000 cow...
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It appears that a bill sponsored by Idaho Senator Tim Corder to update Idaho’s animal cruelty laws, which passed the Idaho Senate with a 34 to 1 margin, has been stalled and perhaps killed thanks to House committee leader Representative Tom Loertscher.
Idaho’s animal cruelty laws have been ranked by several organizations as some of...
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The ethical treatment of farm animals is a growing concern for many Americans. And that puts states with relatively few animal cruelty laws, like Idaho, in the cross-hairs of animal welfare groups. It also makes those states attractive to livestock operations looking to relocate to less regulated areas.
In this installment of Edible Idaho, correspondent...
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On January 11th, I reported on the drawing-a-line-in-the-sand speech by American Farm Bureau Federation president, Bob Stallman. In his speech, Stallman said farmers and ranchers of all types should “aggressively” defend themselves against “self-appointed and self-promoting food experts” who he said “seek to damage the reputation of traditional agricultural values.” The speech was an...
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The dairy industry in Idaho has seen explosive growth over the last decade or so. According to United Dairymen of Idaho, the state is now the 2nd largest milk producer in the West and the 3rd largest cheese maker in America.
That output comes, in large part, from confined animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, that...
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Potatoes are notorious users of pesticides and fertilizers. Back in 2007, I produced an Edible Idaho radio story on how potato production had tainted wells on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Eastern Idaho. That lead the Shoshone Bannock tribes on a search for healthier ways to grow potatoes. An article in the Capital...
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(GH) As mentioned in a previous post, Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” spoke at Washinton State University on Wednesday, January 13th. Here, from the agricultural weekly Capital Press, is an article on what Pollan had to say.
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
PULLMAN, Wash. — Michael Pollan believes farmers may eventually solve three of the world’s biggest...
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SEATTLE — Steve Brown of Capital Press quotes president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Bob Stallman as issuing a call to arms to counter criticism of conventional agriculture:
“It is up to us to share the strength of our character and the tradition of our values with our fellow citizens,” Stallman said at the...
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