Diverse Crop Rotations Reduce Risk of Crop Loss Under Poor Growing Conditions

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are responding to the increasingly uncertain climate. The warmer and more unpredictable weather has been a source of instability on U.S. farms. ARS agroecologists turned to history for a solution to this challenge, which inspired them to better understand the benefits of crop rotations.

Growing a sequence of different crops in rotation has been practiced for millennia. Crop rotations can rebuild soil health, fight pests and diseases, and spread-out risk of various pests and crop disease... 

Explosion Affects Operations of House of Raeford’s Biggest Feed Mill

A feed facility in Rose Hill, North Carolina belonging to poultry integrator House of Raeford Farms suffered an explosion earlier this week. Local broadcaster WCTI reported the incident resulted in no injuries.

The plant is now unable to grind corn as a result of the damage to its hammer mills. A spokesperson for the company said that it is too early to say when the hammer mills will be back online, as it is awaiting assessment of the damage by a structural engineer.

In normal times, the facility produces... 

Cargill Surpasses 50 Percent Completion Milestone for Regina Canola Processing Facility

Cargill, a global leader in oilseed processing, today announced it has surpassed the 50 percent completion milestone in the construction of its new canola facility located at the Global Transportation Hub in West Regina, Sask. Cargill broke ground on the facility in July 2022 and anticipates opening in 2025. The new facility will have the capacity to process 1 million metric tons of canola per year, producing crude canola oil for food and biofuel markets and canola meal for animal feed...