Category: Agriculture

  • Overstated

    <a href="http://www.health24.com/dietnfood/Food_journey/15-2052-2946,13706.asp">Organic claims often overstated</a><br />n<br />nAnybody who has read here long know that I am a fan of good wholesome food. That does not mean I support organic food though. I don't see anything special about it. The article I linked states that organic food does decrease the chemical load we take in. Two…

  • Degree

    I guess real world, practical education doesn't cut it any more.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MASTER_RANCHERS?SITE=MTBIL&SECTION=BUSINESS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT">College offers degree in master ranching</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>Once upon a time, in the Wild West, all it took to raise cattle was land, grass and cowboys who knew how to rope the critters. Now, it may take an MBA.<br />n<br />nTexas A&M-Kingsville's…

  • Thoughts

    Baxter Black has some <a href="http://www.belgrade-news.com/opinions/view.php?article=7621">interesting thoughts</a> about the Farm Bill that are worth a read. <br />n<br />n<strong>Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat. Fran Lebowitz</strong>

  • Pressure

    I see China is trying to pressure the US into <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/18/business/AS-FIN-China-US-Food-Scrutiny.php">accepting more tainted food</a> by blocking American imports into their country.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>China has sharply increased inspections of imported U.S. food, escalating its spat with Washington over product safety and leaving American beef piling up in warehouses and delaying shipments of black pepper and…

  • Troublesome

    I found <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/15/AR2007091501647.html">this article</a> about pig disease in China very troublesome. I read it yesterday morning and had to let it run around my pea sized brain for a while but it struck me as a problem.<br />n<br />nWhat's so troublesome about it? China is so worried about making money off the vaccine for…

  • Wheat

    I have been following the price of wheat with interest noticing that it has been shooting up and now I see <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/09/13/news/local/20-wheat.txt">a story</a> in the Gazette about it. Nine dollars a bushel for wheat. That's a lot of money. Is it enough? That I'm not to sure about.<br />n<br />nMy dad raised wheat for…

  • Cold Winter?

    I see they are starting to talk about a La Niña which means a <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/09/12/news/state/25-nina.txt">cooler, wetter winter</a> in our area. I have mixed feelings about this. I understand for snow pack and irrigation purposes the talk of a cooler and wetter winter weather is a good thing.<br />n<br />nI don't rely on snow pack…

  • Early Harvest

    I found <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/01/AR2007090101360.html?wpisrc=newsletter">this story about France's grape harvest</a> extremely interesting. I knew grapes were very sensitive to temperatures but this really talks about how they are being affected by climate change.<br />n<br />nI didn't post this to argue about global warming/climate change and whether humans are responsible for it of not. Anybody over about…

  • A Wee Bit Wet

    Somebody put up their <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/08/28/news/state/47-helena.txt">hay too wet</a>. You do that and spontaneous combustion can ruin your day, and your haystack.<br />n<br />n<strong>The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. Theodore Isaac Rubin</strong>

  • Free?

    <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/08/19/news/business/45-numbers.txt" >New tool allows for ranching by numbers</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>A truly valuable computer program must be user-friendly. Jeff Printz calls the new Drought Management Calculator, set to be released at no cost later this summer, "rancher-friendly."<br />n<br />n"It's really designed for the rancher to sit at home and run a bunch of different options,"…