By Karen Macdonald
The twin issues of organic farming and GMOs returned to the news in November. One position stated that organic farming is widespread in developing countries and is better positioned to continue providing sufficient food for our growing population, with GMOs having a negative impact on the sustainability of our food system. An alternate view is that GMO crops can actually have a positive impact on the environment, and have been proven to be safe to eat. Voters had their own point of view, voting down GMO labeling initiatives in Colorado and Oregon.
In other news:
Ag Economy
- Small cities, farms are focus of new financing – FreeNewsPos.com
- Most crop farms ready for downturn – Agriculture.com
- Cost of Borrowing Expected to Rise– DairyBusiness
- Seasonal crops up loan demand – Investing & Stock Research - Businessweek
- US economy bolstered by strong agriculture sector– Western Farm Press
Land Values
- Farmland value varies in 2014 – AgriNews
- Rural Economic Woes Drag On; Will Farmland Keep Falling?– Agriculture.com
- Farmland values hold steady in US plains– Agweek
- Plains farmland values mostly steady, loan demand up: KC Fed– Reuters US News
- Ag Bankers Say Rents Must Come Down– Agri Marketing
Farm Bill and Crop Insurance
- Farm Bill Creates Changes in Programs and Filing Deadlines– Investing & Stock Research - Businessweek
- Producer says farm bill offers options for all growers– AgriNews
- USDA Extends Dairy Margin Protection Program Deadlines – Investing & Stock Research - Businessweek
- U.S. farmers set to get huge government payouts despite bumper harvest – Reuters News
- Crop insurance remains vital, even with new farm bill– AgriNews
- Farm bill programs linked to land, not farmer– AgriNews
- Farmers weigh crop insurance options– Agweek
Technology and Innovation
- High-tech farming poised to change the way the world eats – Investing & Stock Research - Businessweek
- New Technologies, Policies Spur Agricultural Innovations – Politics News Headlines - Yahoo! News
- If Milk Can Be Made in a Petri Dish, Do We Need Cows? – Yahoo! News
Farm Credit in the News
- FCS of America CEO on Farmland Trends– American Ag Network
- Farm Credit CFOs See Interest Rates Rising, Borrowers Locking in Fixed Rates – Farm Equipment
- Frontier Communications, DISH Network Welcome CoBank as New Sponsor of America's Best Communities Contest– Reuters US News
- Farm Credit Organizations Provide More than $230,000 in Grants for Western North Dakota Communities– Press Release Point
- MidAtlantic Farm Credit Introduces Homegrown by Heroes Program– PRWeb
- AgStar donates $100,000 to children's museum– Mankato Free Press
- Farm Credit Mid-America Launches "299 Ways to Say Thanks " Campaign – Agri Marketing
