Articles by Fran Howard

The American poultry sector is awaiting a spring spike in detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza, leading industry and government officials to wonder if the disease has pivoted from an occasional concern to a permanent part of raising birds in the United States.

Look at any dairy case in the country, and it’s obvious that the space allotted to milk has been shrinking and the real estate for plant-based alternatives has expanded. But the shelf space going to lactose-free and low-lactose options also has expanded as the dairy industry tries to respond to concerns from minority consumers and others who are lactose-intolerant.

A dry fall helped speed harvest and reduce the need for propane for drying this year’s crops, and that will help farmers deal with the price increases for the fuel expected this winter.

Inflation across every sector of the food industry has left companies with the choice: to raise prices or hold steady and shrink the volume of food offered, a process called shrinkflation.

New technology with a Department of Agriculture stamp of approval could offer speedy help to hog producers hit by emerging disease outbreaks. And beef producers may soon see the benefits as well.

A nationwide trucking shortage that began well before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has worsened and is not anticipated to improve anytime soon. According to the American Trucking Associations, the United States currently needs an additional 80,000 truckers to meet the demands of shippers.

Producers, lawmakers, and administration staffers all agree on the benefits of the technical assistance provided by Agriculture Department conservation officials. The only issue is getting the funding – and the people – to make it happen.

Agrivoltaics — derived from the words agriculture and photovoltaics — creates a symbiotic energy system. Not all solar farms are agrivoltaic, but these systems are getting more attention due to concerns that solar land leases take farmland out of production.