The need for young farmers

Farming hardly seems like the type of living that kids growing up dream about anymore. Firefi ghters, astronauts, Major League baseball players, president of the United States – all of these are typical goals of the average American child. Farming seems to have fallen by the wayside.
But according to Bob Sutton, agriculture is making a comeback, and it's a welcome – and long overdue – revival.

Do u believe that organic farming is more profitable than conventional farming?

Organic farming, in general, is more profitable than conventional farming. This is the conclusion of a paper published by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization in 2009.

New Food Safety Technology Developed For Eggs

Good news for fans of raw cookie dough: Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have filed a patent on technology that can protect pasteurized liquid eggs from food safety threats.

WORLD AIDS DAY.... Role of agriculture in combating HIV/AIDS

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

MDG 6 aims to combat HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases. HIV, malaria and other diseases have a direct and indirect impact on rural development, agricultural productivity and food and nutrition security. At the same time, food and nutrition insecurity and malnutrition can increase vulnerability to disease. FAO supports policy makers and programme planners to incorporate HIV, malaria and other disease considerations into food, nutrition and agriculture policies and programmes.

FAO promotes awareness among key actors in the food and agriculture sector on the impacts of HIV on food security and agriculture, while advocating for multisectoral responses to the epidemic. FAO’s programmes to enhance the access of people with HIV/AIDs to adequate and nutritious diets include home and community gardening projects, nutrition education and communication, and local training. Field projects use a mix of interventions including food provisions, labour- and time-saving technologies and microfinance to help support food production and diversification; and technical assistance to household gardening projects in HIV/AIDS affected communities. FAO also supports projects that encourage more HIV/AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children to attend school, The FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease (ECTAD) addresses livestock epidemics with major economic, social and public health impacts

Raw Milk Is a Dangerous Raw Deal for Farmers and Consumers, Experts Say

On Feb. 2, health officials in Pennsylvania said at least 35 people in four states were struck with a bacterial infection after drinking unpasteurized "raw" milk, the same day a New Jersey legislative committee approved a bill to allow raw milk sales in that state.

Dairy Researchers Identify Bacterial Spoilers in Milk

Our days of crying over spoiled milk could be over, thanks to Cornell food scientists

Milk undergoes heat treatment -- pasteurization -- to kill off microbes that can cause food spoilage and disease, but certain bacterial strains can survive this heat shock as spores and cause milk to curdle in storage.

Gentle Pasteurization of Milk – With Microwaves

In the EU-funded project MicroMilk, European SMEs together with the University of Hohenheim and the Fraunhofer IGB have developed a novel method for pasteurization of milk with microwaves. The system preserves the valuable components of milk, and is also suitable for heating viscous and concentrated dairy products due to minimized fouling formation. As a result, cleaning efforts can be reduced and detergents are saved. In the follow-up project MicroMilk Demo, the system will be transferred into industrial practice.

Carbon-Offsetting And Conservation Can Both Be Winners In Rainforest

Logged rainforests can support as much plant, animal and insect life as virgin forest within 15 years if properly managed, research at the University of Leeds has found.

Patience Is The Key In Recovering Drought-Stressed Pasture.

Back in 1936, when Bob Dolan wrote "Cool Water," the American West was struggling with one of the worst droughts in this country's history. The song, made popular in 1948 by the Sons of the Pioneers, is so enduring that artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell released versions as well.

Patience is key to reaping benefits of stockpiled forages.

Rain makes grain, and forages too, according to Ohio State University Extension beef expert Stan Smith. The old saying about precipitation and crop production applies especially to stockpiled forages in a year when frequent rains precluded forage producers from harvesting hay at its peak quality.

Carbon-Offsetting And Conservation Can Both Be Winners In Rainforest

Logged rainforests can support as much plant, animal and insect life as virgin forest within 15 years if properly managed, research at the University of Leeds has found.

Family farming and Small-scale farming are linked to world food security

The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) aims to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particular in rural areas.

The goal of the 2014 IYFF is to reposition family farming at the centre of agricultural, environmental and social policies in the national agendas by identifying gaps and opportunities to promote a shift towards a more equal and balanced development.  The 2014 IYFF will promote broad discussion and cooperation at the national, regional and global levels to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by smallholders and help identify efficient ways to support family farmers.

Reforestation Projects Capture More Carbon Than Industrial Plantations, New Research Reveals

Australian scientists researching environmental restoration projects have found that the reforestation of damaged rainforests is more efficient at capturing carbon than controversial softwood monoculture plantations. The research, published in Ecological Management & Restoration, challenges traditional views on the efficiency of industrial monoculture plantations.

Protecting Vital Crops in China

Evidence of disease in oilseed rape crops across China and how it may spread has been mapped by researchers led by the University of Hertfordshire -- providing new strategic information on crop protection to the Chinese government.

Desert Farming Forms Bacterial Communities That Promote Drought Resistance

When there is little water available for plants to grow, their roots form alliances with soil microbes that can promote plant growth even under water-limiting conditions, according to research published Oct. 31 by Daniele Daffonchio and colleagues from the University of Milan, Italy in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

Effects of Deforestation and Expansion of Agriculture in Peruvian Highland Jungle

In her dissertation "Environmental effects of agricultural expansion in the upper Amazon -- a study of river basin geochemistry, hydrochemistry, and farmers´ perceptions," Lina Lindell, a researcher in environmental science at Linnaeus University in Sweden, examines the geochemical status of the natural environment in the Amazonas Region, and to what extent it has been impacted by deforestation and altered land use.

Slash-And-Burn Farming Method In Western Borneo Under Analysis

A researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia has examined the slash-and-burn farming method traditionally used by the Iban, a widespread indigenous population that lives in northwestern Borneo in Southeast Asia. Researchers have long argued about the environmental effects of this type of agriculture.

Future of Organic Ornamental Plants

Whether plants are grown for food or ornamental use, conventional agricultural production methods have the same environmental impact. Pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers can find their way into the air and groundwater, ultimately affecting the environment, wildlife, and communities.

New Method Detects Fraud in Organically Grown Produce

As organic farming becomes more common, methods to identify fraud in the industry are increasingly important. In a recent study in Journal of Environmental Quality, scientists successfully use nitrogen isotopic discrimination to determine if non-organic, synthetic fertilizers were used on sweet pepper plants.

RED ALERT FOR FARMERS......Troublesome bermudagrass stem maggot finds Kentucky

• The bermudagrass stem maggot was confirmed in three Allen County, KY, bermudagrass hayfields this year.
• The tiny Asian fly is an invasive species and showed up in Georgia three years ago, the first time the species was documented in the Western Hemisphere.