The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization expects harvests in the Sahel area of Africa to be smaller in 2013 than they were in 2012. The UN agency says a short rainy season reduced grain and cereal production in several countries in the Sahel. The agency described the conditions in its Crop Prospects and Food Situations report. The report […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report. Farmers in the United States are concerned about a possible decrease in the use of ethanol. Ethanol is a liquid fuel made from plants, such as corn. Last November, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed lowering the required amount of ethanol in the nation’s gasoline supply. The requirement began in […]
Federal officials in the US are asking drup companies to discontinue the use of someantibiotics meant for farm animals. Antibiotics are medicines used to fight infections caused by bacteria. Farmers around the world often use the drugs to make healthy animals grow faster and eat less feed. Farmers put antibiotics in the food and water they give cows, pigs and birds […]
Some weeds are strong enough to resist weed-killing products called herbicides. But researchers are finding natural ways to deal with unwanted plants. Steven Mirsky is a scientist with the US Department of Agriculture. In January, he went looking for weeds at the USDA’s research stations, just north of Washington, DC. He found evidence of pigweed in […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report. The western United States is not getting enough rain or snowfall. The dry area includes the state of California. Many of the fruits and vegetables eaten in the US are grown there. Andy Domenigoni is a farmer in the California community of Riverside. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather all farmed […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report. President Barack Obama signed a new Farm Bill into law on February 7th. The law ends guaranteed government payments to farmers. Critics say the legislation replaces the old system with farm aid that may violate international trade rules. The law also changes how the United States provides food aid around the world. […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report. Things may be changing soon for some crops in Africa. A group called the African Orphan Crops Consortium says these plants are not getting enough attention. And it thinks they could help ease hunger and improve diet on the continent. The group opened the African Plant Breeding Academy last year […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report. The United Nations has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming. The UN says farm families are important producers of food for growing populations. But many family farms cannot provide retirement plans, health care or child care. So the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has been working to get family farming […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report. Some farmers in the central Philippines are preparing for their first rice harvest since a powerful typhoon hit the country. Typhoon Haiyan caused major damage over a wide area killing more than 6,000 people. Florencio de la Cruz remembers Typhoon Haiyan. He says he harvested six tons […]
From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report. A period of severe dry weather — called a drought — is damaging crops in the Americanstate of California. This could cause a rise in food prices for Americans and people around the world. In the Central Valley of California, farmers are reducing crop size because they do not […]