Investing in Climate Change

With climate change causing not only higher temperatures but also increasingly severe and unpredictable weather events, it's not an easy time for farmers. Around 90% of crops losses are directly related to unexpected weather. Scientists say we can expect plenty more of that "unexpected" in the future — and a group of Silicon Valley investors are banking on it. The investment group, which......read more

Young Farmers Join the Food Shift

It's no secret that young people are psyched on farming these days. Nowhere is that more evident than in rural Oregon, where NYT writer Isolde Rafferty discovered a burgeoning movement of young farmers making a run at small-scale agriculture by doing things the old school way. Shunning the ways of industrial farming, the new generation of ranchers and growers are capitalizing on heightened demand......read more

Farmers Wage Organic War on Pests

Since the 2008 U.S. farm bill, annual funding for organic farming research has increased from $3 million to $20 million. With more research dollars, scientists and farmers are delving deeper into organic pest control techniques and gaining a better understanding of the larger natural systems at work. Wild sunflowers, for example, are being planted not as a cash crop but as a home for beneficial......read more