Latest Crops Stories
NEW YORK, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Harris Poll finds that support for the Tea Party movement has declined somewhat. From May through October last year the Harris Poll found that 45% or 44% of all adults supported the Tea Party movement. That slipped to 39% in January and to 37% in February. In May last year fully 21% of adults said that they supported the movement strongly. These strong Tea Party supporters declined to 17% late last year and dropped to 14% in February. (Logo:...
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. announced today the winner of the Sip of Success contest, created to award a young entrepreneur a once-in-a-lifetime global adventure and a world-class business and cultural experience. Twenty-one-year-old MBA student Taylor Caldron submitted the winning video and essay, creatively demonstrating the health benefits of tea and his passion for the world's second most consumed beverage. Taylor will live and work on tea...
Co-funded grants aim to reduce poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia as world food prices mount LONDON and SEATTLE, Feb. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a coordinated effort to reduce hunger and poverty in developing countries by supporting agricultural research projects to help small farmers increase their yields and incomes. DFID and the foundation will work together...
Third birthday of arctic repository brings surge in seed deposits, but also reminders from Egypt, Australia and Russia of natural and man-made risks to global agricultureThe Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV) celebrated its third anniversary today with the arrival of seeds for rare lima beans, blight-resistant cantaloupe, and progenitors of antioxidant-rich red tomatoes from Peru and the Galapagos Islands. The arrival of these collections, including many drought- and flood-resistant varieties,...
By Dennis O'Brien, ARSWheat growers in the Southwest have a better idea about how to adjust to climate change in the decades ahead, thanks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in Arizona.Researchers with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) installed infrared heaters in experimental wheat fields at the agency's Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center in Maricopa, Ariz., to simulate growing conditions expected by 2050. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific...
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With 12 Oscar nominations, "The King's Speech" is counted among the most nominated films of all time. This engaging biopic of England's George VI and his struggle to conquer a debilitating stammer has become the film to beat on Oscar night, and Colin Firth is now the favorite to win best actor for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the heir to the throne. Don't get caught in your party dress without the hottest drink in town! Gather...
Study simulates long-term effects of biofuel production on soilThe growing development and implementation of renewable biofuel energy has considerable advantages over using declining supplies of fossil fuels. However, meeting the demands of a fuel-driven society may require utilizing all biofuel sources including agricultural crop residues.While a useful biofuel source, crop residues also play a crucial role in maintaining soil organic carbon stock. This stock of organic carbon preserves soil...
The furry-looking insects start their development smaller than the head of a pin, but the caterpillars soon develop an appetite for cotton as big as the crop.To demonstrate the insects' destructive power, Clemson University entomologist Jeremy Greene planted two cotton varieties "” one genetically modified to provide protection from caterpillars, one not "” in a demonstration field at the Edisto Research and Education Center.The non-protected cotton was planted in a pattern that spelled...
ASHLAND, Ore., Jan. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DreamSacks® - purveyor of premium, sustainable designs, announces today its rebrand to Yala, in support of the company's global growth and modernized identity. Operating under its new name immediately, all goods designed and sold by the company, will now be known as Yala brand products. With a new name, lookbook, website, updated manifesto, and expansion into organic cotton apparel, Yala more accurately reflects the company's current position...
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Though 100% cotton sheets and towels are mainstays in many homes, cotton also plays a surprising role in other products we use every day. See video from Cotton Inc. at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/Cotton/CottonWeavesItsWayHome As the winter white sales get under way, cotton remains a key purchase driver; 96% of women say they have purchased cotton home textile products before, according to the Cotton Incorporated Home Textiles Survey. "Cotton is a...
Latest Crops Reference Libraries
Seed drilling is a method used by farmers in order to have a more unified, crop-yielding season. The first known use of seed drilling was in 1500 BC by the Sumerian. At this time, they were using a single tube. Later, in the 2nd Century BC, the Chinese developed a multi-tube iron drill. This facilitated in a larger crop planting allowing them to feed their large population. The first recorded patent of a sowing machine was in 1566 by the Venetian Senate, attributing Camillo Torello. In the...
Dryland farming is farming without the aid of irrigation and only with the amount of rain fall given by Mother Nature. Dryland farming is typical in arid regions such as Southwestern United States, Mexico, the Middle East, and other regions that are known for growing grains. Dryland farming is practiced in all parts of Australia with the exception of the Northern Territory. Process Dryland farming involves the constant assessing of the amount of moisture present or lacking for any given...
Image Caption: Painter of the burial chamber of Sennedjem. A Plowing Farmer. Credit: Yorck Project/Wikipedia Cover crops are crops that are planted to improve the quality of the soil, also known as green manure. Cover crops add fertility to the soil, control weeds and pests as well as control diseases that can be otherwise found in untreated soil. Cover crops increases the organic matter levels in the soil which only enhances the structure of the soil as well as increase the capacity for...
Image Caption: Effects of crop rotation and monoculture at the Swojec Experimental Farm, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences. In the front field, the "Norfolk" crop rotation sequence (potatoes, oats, peas, rye) is being applied; in the back field, rye has been grown for 45 years in a row. Credit: Leslaw Zimny/Wikipedia Crop rotation is the practice of planting different types of crops (also known as polyculture) in the same location in subsequent seasons. Utilizing...
Image Caption: A field in Randers, Denmark. A pile of manure is in the foreground. Credit: Malene Thyssen/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.5) Manure is organic matter that comes from farmyard animal waste as well as from crop cover. Manure from cows, pigs, horses, chickens, rabbits, etc. is broken down into organic matter and used as organic fertilizer. “Green” manure is derived from planting a cover crop, such as clover, to be plowed directly back into the soil. Bacteria traps nitrogen and other...
