While that might seem like a good thing, agriculture officials say it is the biggest threat to the future of farming in the state. That can make it attractive for a farmer to sell land to a developer and is seen as the major reason for the loss of about 400 farms in the state since 2000. Maryland is one of the hottest real estate development markets in the country, and farmers in some parts of the state are being offered as much as $500,000 for lots. During the first two weeks of June,...

The USDA revised its estimates upward on the back of improved sugarcane availability and reduced diversion of cane for production of other sweeteners - khandsari and gur. The ministry of agriculture in India had revised its sugar production data for the year several times, each time hiking the output almost by 10 lakh tonnes. According to the sugar industry, the output is likely to be around 265 lakh tonnes in the current season that ends in September 2007 against 192. Late monsoon rains...

There was an inaccurate statement in the recent article informing about the registry for pesticide-sensitive and organic crops. Reader says article overstates reality. The press release from the Kansas Department of Agriculture on which the story was based stated that, "organic growers could lose their USDA certified organic status if any type of pesticide, including insecticides and fungicides, are detected in their crops. The press release from the Kansas Department of Agriculture on...

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, May 3, 2007 (ENS) - Mad cow disease has been found in a dairy cow on a farm in Delta, British Columbia, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed on Wednesday, the tenth Canadian cow to be found with the fatal disease since 2003. OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, May 3, 2007 (ENS) - Mad cow disease has been found in a dairy cow on a farm in Delta, British Columbia, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed on Wednesday, the tenth Canadian cow to be found with the...

Some farmers with older facilities have to remodel their barns anyway, and so they may select feed stations to go with their loose sow housing, he suggested. The system includes a feed station where each sow receives feed and water. Selecting for gentle sows could be an important management tool when converting from gestational stalls to loose gestational sow housing. The southern Minnesota-based genetics company has built a nucleus herd with gentle dispositions, strong growth rates and...