Harvest Public Media

30/05/2023

“At the end of the day it doesn't matter what life you build for yourself,” said Oklahoma rancher Landon Heaton, who appeared on FOX's "Farmer Wants a Wife."

“If you don't have someone to share that with or pass that down to then what’d you build it for?” (KOSU Radio)

FOX’s “Farmer Wants a Wife” recently wrapped up its first season, and it got Harvest Public Media wondering what dating is like for farmers and ranchers. Turns out, dating in a small town isn’t always easy.

26/05/2023

“There's just not enough people anymore to fill that gap,” said Jeff Heepke, an Illinois farmer. “It's definitely a necessary workforce that we need, and it was a decision of if we're going to grow horseradish or not because we can't find workers.”

Last year more than 378,000 workers were authorized for H-2A visas, or temporary agriculture positions, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2012, it was less than a third of that.

23/05/2023

Our friends Kansas News Service did this eye-opening story on how TC Energy knew of a welding imperfection in the Keystone Pipeline but chose not to fix it. It ruptured.

The Keystone was built with extra safety measures, yet it split open under run-of-the-mill pressure levels that less rigorously designed pipelines regularly withstand.

22/05/2023

Really interesting look at the future of rice globally:

From the Mississippi to the Mekong, farmers and researchers are finding creative fixes for the dire threats of global warming, extreme rains and sea-level rise.

19/05/2023

A dust storm caused a 70-car pile-up in Illinois earlier this month, leaving eight people dead and many more injured.

A combination of dry weather, plowed fields and a windy day created the freak accident.

Experts say we should take it as a warning.

A rare dust storm in Illinois this month caused a 72-car pileup on an interstate. Climate experts say it points to a bigger problem — soil erosion.

18/05/2023

We kicked around the headline "Millet? We hardly know it!"... but ended up with the more staid "Millet, the ancient grain..." version. Either way, this grain could be good for the Midwest! (KCUR 89.3)

The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets — a type of small grain mostly grown in parts of Asia and Africa. The highly resilient and cost-friendly grains could make them the next crop for U.S. farmers in the midst of climate change.

12/05/2023

Auctions — a marketplace for knick knacks, farm land and everything in between — are often also gathering events for rural communities. That’s changing as more auctions go online.

11/05/2023

Harvest Public Media is doing a story on dating in a rural area. Get in touch with [email protected] if you've got a story!

04/05/2023

“Anybody who eats or wears clothes that are generated from natural fibers, is actually touched by the farm bill,” said Amy Hagerman, an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University and a state extension specialist for agriculture and food policy.

Every five years, Congress has to renew the farm bill — a gigantic piece of legislation that supports and protects food production, natural resources and provides food benefits to low-income families.

03/05/2023

So cool that NPR's Shots blog picked up this Harvest story that St. Louis Public Radio's Kate Grumke did for us! (St. Louis Public Radio)

Across the country, schools are reporting rising cafeteria debt, and fewer kids are enrolling in their free and reduced price programs. Many states are moving to make meals free for all kids again.

20/04/2023

Last winter’s precipitation relieved some areas of drought, yet in other places it's deepened, making spring stressful for farmers and ranchers.

19/04/2023

Across the Midwest, some city codes threaten people with fines for having milkweed on their property. But experts say many places have dropped those rules to support monarchs with urban and suburban butterfly gardens. (And thanks to Kansas News Service for this story!)

Across the Midwest, some city codes threaten people with fines for having milkweed on their property. But experts say many places have dropped those rules to support monarchs with urban and suburban butterfly gardens.