Topic: Crop Production

Queen Victoria: 6 stories from her diaries

A new website features the entire text of Queen Victoria's diaries. Here are six excerpts.

Hybrid catmints: Cool cats in your landscape

Prolific blossoms, fragrant leaves, and cold-hardiness make catmint a perfect plant for almost any garden.

Indonesia's Aceh struggles to integrate former rebels fairly

As Indonesia's Aceh Province works to rebuild from decades of bloody battle - and a devastating tsunami - many analysts say feelings of injustice could wedge a new community divide.

Corn pricing affected by global warming, federal mandates not helping, study finds

Researchers out of Purdue and Stanford University have found evidence that small temperature increases over the next two decades could have a surprisingly drastic impact on the volatility of corn prices. And federal biofuel mandates may make things worse.

The Masters: 12 women candidates for Augusta National membership

The Augusta National Golf Club has steadfastly refused to alter its all-male membership. But circumstances may soon cause the gender barrier to break, and if it does there are several women who might be good fits for the club.

Five ways to make aquaculture more sustainable

Combining rice paddles and fish ponds, and using locally caught fish as feed, are just two of the ways that fish farming, or aquaculture, can be made more environmentally friendly.

Chad: a closer look at the food crisis

The current food crisis in Chad could affect 3.6 million people, writes guest blogger Alex Thurston.

Top 10 cities where house prices are rising

House prices continue to fall nationwide, but here and there they’ve begun to turn up as Americans return to the housing market. Which 10 metropolitan areas have seen the biggest increase in the past year? The winners, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), include a state capital, a furniture-making center, and a resort that was once America’s foreclosure capital. Can you guess who they are?  

Why we're paying more for corn

Thanks to government subsidies supporting a specific type of corn farm, land value is increasing, and prices are going up. The same is true of other federally supported crops.

Valentine's Day: cost of romance rising for flower delivery, 4 other things

When you arrange for flower delivery or take a special someone out for dinner this Valentine's Day, it'll cost more than it did a year ago. That's the cold hard fact about a warmhearted and festive day, according official US inflation data.

But the rising cost may actually be a relatively small one: Those chocolate or flower prices haven't been rising at gas-pump-fast rates. Here's the official inflation tally of five common Valentine's Day activities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Iran evades US sanctions by paying with gold

Iran bought 200,000 tons of Australian, and possibly US, wheat last week with gold. Commodities traders say Iran is also pitching oil barter deals for grains.

In Africa, using ants and termites to increase crop yields

Researchers are confirming what African farmers already know: Termites and ants can be used to increase soil fertility and crop yields.

The scold in Mother Nature's cold: It's winter! Wear a coat! (VIDEO)

Temperatures plummeted up and down Eastern US, making it feel, at last, like winter. But this brush with Arctic cold won't last long at all. 

Election 101: Where the GOP candidates stand on energy and the environment

Energy and the environment are typically “back burner” issues in national elections, but both are huge this year for Republicans. Take a look at where each of them stands.

Is a 'farmland bubble' looming?

The price of farmland has doubled over the past four to five years in the nation’s heartland. Are we headed for another bubble?

5 invasive species now in retreat

Invasive species are ones that don't naturally occur in an area and may have detrimental effects.  Here are some eradication success stories.

Sources: Global Invasive Species Database, International Union for Conservation of Nature, National Cotton Council, US Dept. of Agriculture

In Africa, producing food from waste

Farmers in southern Africa use composted food scraps, human waste, and livestock manure for many purposes, from enriching soil to feeding fish.

Hurricane Rina closes in on Mexican beach resorts

Hurricane Rina is threatening Cancun and other beach resorts on the Yucatan Peninsula with heavy wind and rain.

10 terrific pieces of advice – from celebrities to their teenage selves

From "Dear Me," edited by Joseph Galliano, stars write letters to themselves at age 16

Hurricane Rina bound for Cancun, Mexico

Hurricane Rina is now a Category 2 hurricane, and is forecast to reach Cancun, Mexico, Thursday. Coffee futures are up due to expected losses due to hurricane Rina in the region.

Farms can't find pickers

In some areas, farm labor is so scarce that inmates in nearby penitentiaries are picking crops.

Heavy rains kill dozens in Central America

Floods, landslides, and collapsed infrastructure killed at least 66 as of Sunday, with heavy rain to continue through Wednesday. Blogger Tim Muth looks at how El Salvador, one of the worst hit Central American countries, prepared for the rain and the impact it could have on harvests.

Despite listeria outbreak, cantaloupes safe to eat if…

Worst listeria outbreak in more than a decade shines harsh light on safety of cantaloupes. They're safe to eat, scientists say, if consumers take steps to prevent spread of pathogens like listeria.

Philippines scrambles to recover from Typhoon Nesat as another storm bears down (video)

Typhoon Nesat is clearing the Philippines and moving west to the South China Sea, but Tropical Storm Nalgae is on its way – with seawalls still damaged and many villages still underwater.

How rising global food prices could affect Africa (VIDEO)

Higher global food prices are likely to spell trouble for aid organizations working to relieve famine in the Horn of Africa.