Articles by Fran Howard

The nation's dairy cows are getting their "mooves" on in some states that might surprise you.

Laser beams and drones that look like hawks are among the hi-tech tools farmers have available to chase away birds that are taking big bites out of their crops.

As an aging American population struggles to maintain and lower cholesterol levels and U.S. farmers work to maintain or improve soil health, oats have the attention of scientists, farmers, and consumers.

Researchers say their successful decode of the wheat genome can help feed the growing world population.

A growing number of U.S. dairy producers are realizing innovative income streams from what they are calling “brown gold.” They are using digesters to turn manure into biogas, which is later converted into compressed or liquefied natural gas, electricity or other fuels.

Snow and ice in late April prevented Iowa farmer Wayne Fredericks from planting as early as he normally would, but he knew that his soils and nearby streams were protected from erosion and runoff with a cover crop of cereal rye that he planted the previous fall, following corn and soybean harvest.

A cold, snowy April could challenge farmers and their suppliers, but if the warmer forecast holds and new technologies can help, producers should be able to stick with their planting intentions.