Editor's Notebook

If Trade's the Question, Asia's the Answer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:29:00 GMT

Unlike Groucho Marx, who quipped that he didn't want to join any club that would have him as a member, the U.S. should want to be a member of the Asian Economic Community that Japan, China and other Asian countries are discussing.

Companies Join Hunger Battle

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:16:00 GMT

At the World Food Prize meeting in Des Moines, the battle lines were drawn between agribusinesses, which want to solve world hunger by increasing agricultural productivity, and environmental activists who have a very different vision.

When Environmental Journalists Meet

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:24:00 GMT

Agriculture was a hot topic at the annual meeting of the Society for Environmental Journalists, giving an ag journalist who attended much to observe and reflect on.

A Food Scientist Talks Technology

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Philip Nelson, the Purdue food scientist who won the World Food Prize in 2007, says technology is critical to cutting food waste, solving world hunger and making food safer.

Famous Farmer Fights African Hunger

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:25:00 GMT

Howard Buffett, an Illinois farmer who is the son of an "oracle" and grandson of a Congressman, logs hundreds of thousands of miles and spends tens of millions of dollars in pursuit of his passion for helping poor farmers in developing countries.

In Today's America, Extremism Reigns

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:11:00 GMT

It isn't that the latest conventional wisdom about food (and a variety of other things) is entirely wrong. It's that some Americans are losing their sense of proportion in applying it.

Tire Tariff Bad, But Not Awful

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:17:00 GMT

President Barack Obama's decision to impose large tariffs on low-end Chinese tire imports won't help American tire workers and could hurt American farmers. But as protectionist moves go, this one is fairly minor.

Unusual Conservation Easement Thrives

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:10:00 GMT

Conservation groups and farmers often clash, but in central Nebraska a farmer and the Nature Conservancy have forged a relationship that serves the interests of both.

A Food Scientist Talks Technology

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:16:00 GMT

Philip Nelson, the Purdue food scientist who won the World Food Prize in 2007, says technology is critical to cutting food waste, solving world hunger and making food safer.

What Political Change in Japan Means

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:16:00 GMT

Ever since the Democratic Party of Japan won the parliamentary election, displacing the long-reigning Liberal Democratic Party, there's been talk of trouble for U.S. beef exports to Japan. There may not be as much to the talk as the party's policy manifestos suggest.

If Gray Isn't Good, We're in Trouble

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:48:00 GMT

Buried in the latest USDA census of agriculture are statistics that indicate just how old American farmers are getting. Blame the baby boomers, who are reshaping the landscape as seniors, just as they did as teenagers, as young adults and in their middle years.

Ag's Stake in Continuity at the Fed

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:11:00 GMT

Not everyone admires Ben Bernanke's performance as Federal Reserve Board chairman, and Senate hearings will rough him up. But he's likely to be confirmed for a second term, and that will be good for agriculture.

Let's Hear It for Slow Growth

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:19:00 GMT

Unlike America's farmers, who produce more than the country can consume, the country as a whole has been consuming more than it produces. With luck, the country will become more like farmers in the months and years ahead.

Straddling Ag and the Environment

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:30:00 GMT

So often are the agriculture and environmentalist worlds in conflict that it's worth noting when they come together. Jim Luchsinger, the Nature Conservancy's man in the Nebraska Sandhills, is helping break down the barriers and encourage cooperation.

Who's (More) Afraid of the EPA?

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:35:00 GMT

One of the most important differences between thos in ag who support the cap-and-trade legislation and those who oppose it is their view of what will happen if the bill doesn't pass. Supporters say the bill's defeat would mean more Environmental Protection Agency sway over agriculture.