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Markets woo wary farmers

Faith in the commodities markets took another big hit this week after regulators alleged that Iowa futures firm Peregrine Financial Group had falsified its bank records – to the tune of, oh, 200...

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My Farm Roots: Grateful to be home

Rose Alderson is a bright-eyed, energetic grandmother who loves her home a few miles outside of Nickerson, Kan. It’s the home her father was raised in and where she raised her kids, but the house is...

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My Farm Roots: From pastime to passion

Aaron Troester’s life both did, and didn’t, turn out exactly the way he planned.The 29-year-old farmer in the north-central Nebraska town of O’Neill was pouring honey into jars from bees he keeps when...

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My Farm Roots: Entrusted with a legacy

Down a stretch of rural highway and country roads lined with fields, about an hour south of Lincoln, Neb., lies the Dorn family farm. That’s where Nathan Dorn grew up, where his grandfather farmed...

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Drought raises stakes on Republican River

There’s a border war going in the Midwest and it’s over water. Kansas and Nebraska have been battling for years over the water in the Republican River, which runs from Colorado to Kansas, through...

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The seeds of genetic modification

The vast majority of the corn and soybeans in United States grow from seeds that have been genetically modified. The technology is barely 30 years old and the controversy surrounding it somewhat...

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Generic seeds could have a short lifespan

The patent rights on the first genetically modified seeds expire next year, but it’s not clear how the introduction of “generic” seeds fits into the science and business of GM crops.

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Taxing complications for farmers and an April 15 deadline

This tax season is an unusual one for farmers.

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Who's on the hook for nearly $17 billion paid to farmers?

Nearly $17 billion has been paid out to farmers in crop insurance indemnities to cover the losses from the catastrophic drought of 2012, the government reported this week.

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At the farmers market... with food stamps

April Segura is a regular at the Old Cheney Road Farmers Market in Lincoln, Neb. On a warm, May afternoon, the single, stay-at-home mother of three greeted friends and acquaintances while strolling...

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States ponder the "right to farm"

Some farmers are feeling a bit defensive – or put-upon -- these days. Take the recent experiences of Bob Young, for instance.  The 69 year old raises 36-hundred hogs on the land where he grew up near...

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Lifeblood for rural communities: federal funds

As Congress fiddles with major farm legislation, there’s a portion of it that gets very little attention. Some say it is a difference-maker for job creation in small rural communities and provides a...

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Budget cuts and wider competition for USDA's 'rural' dollars

    As lawmakers debate the Farm Bill in Washington, millions of dollars are at stake for small businesses across the country. Rural development grants go out to everything from home loans to water...

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How are decisions made about projects that benefit rural America?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture first began designating funds for rural development in 1933 as part of the New Deal. More federal funds were allocated in the Agricultural Act of 1970. During this...

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Tying crop insurance to conservation faces tough road in House

Now that the Senate has a farm bill (technically the Agriculture, Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013)ready and waiting for reconciliation with a House version, it’s a good time to look at how some of...

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Redefining the co-op in ways big and small

  The cooperative business model, long a staple of Midwestern agricultural communities, is being adapted to serve a broader range of rural needs.For example, in the south-central Nebraska town of...

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What you should know about the food stamps debate

  The U.S. House defeated the farm bill last week, after the Senate passed its version of the bill in early June. Both bills include about $500 billion in spending over five years.

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Last call for wheat trading in Kansas City

For 157 years, the price of most wheat grown on the plains has been set by the Kansas City Board of Trade. That will soon come to an end.In October 2012, Chicago-based CME Group acquired the Kansas...

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Fork in the road for the farm bill?

Déjà vu may be a lighthearted way of looking at it, but it feels like 2012 all over again for the farm bill.

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Who wants biotech wheat?

Many farmers say they would like to grow genetically engineered wheat to help them feed a hungry world, but it’s not what everyone’s hungry for. And now, with the mysterious appearance of Roundup Ready...

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