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Indoor farming is a popular subject in the media, and a booming industry with new farmers joining the game every day. In fact, there are growing conferences held solely for indoor farmers, their suppliers, influencers, and resources. But many are still left with questions about the indoor farm. •Just what makes an indoor farm an indoor farm? •What makes indoor farming so popular? •What potential does indoor farming really have in the future? •How will I interact with indoor farms? Dr. Nate has an overview for you. What is indoor farming all about?(VIDEO-AT-LINK) What is indoor farming? Indoor farms take...

Both U.S. Senators from North Dakota were on hand as Mr. Trump signed his order to eliminate the Obama Administration's Waters of the U.S. rule WASHINGTON D.C. — President Trump has signed another executive order that will impact farmers and ranchers. Both U.S. Senators from North Dakota were on hand as Mr. Trump signed his order to eliminate the Obama Administration’s Waters of the U.S. rule. Senator Heitkamp says it’s time for Congress to act by giving the EPA direction on what water is jurisdictional under the Clean Water Act. Senator Hoeven says the rule was a regulatory overreach that...

According to ganjapreneur Rick Byrd, the future of farming is tall, dirtless and local. Byrd’s vision of skyscraper farms to feed city dwellers begins with a much different kind of crop: marijuana. The 45-year-old is chief executive officer and founder of Pure Agrobusiness Inc., a company that sells equipment to grow legal cannabis, a market worth $6 billion in 2016 and expected to reach $50 billion by 2026, according to Cowen & Co. Because cannabis has higher profit margins than food, and pot is mostly grown inside, Byrd said he hopes the innovations perfected by PureAgro, with the help of...

A total of 133 organizations and companies from the food and agriculture sector, which supports more than 15 million jobs nationally, sent President Donald J. Trump a letter this week expressing their eagerness to work with his Administration to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), while preserving and expanding the gains achieved to date. “U.S. food and agricultural exports have produced a trade surplus for nearly 50 years,” the letter notes. “Consistent growth over this period resulted in over $130 billion worth of exports, which created $423 billion in U.S. economic activity in 2015.” The letter also noted...

William ThontonJanuary 23, 2017 The Oggun tractor, which will be manufactured in Fyffe, was developed for farmers domestically and in the developing world as a low-cost alternative to heavy farm equipment. (William Thornton / wthornton@al.com) In a new factory off Main Street in Fyffe, a business this week began marketing a product it says could revolutionize agricultural for the small farmer all over the world. CleBer LLC hosted the opening of its plant which will manufacture the Oggun Iron Horse, a tractor designed for small-scale domestic and international farmers. The tractor, which can sport a 19 horsepower Honda gas or...

FRESNO — Days after Donald Trump won the White House vowing to deport millions of people in the country illegally and fortify the Mexican border, California farmer Kevin Herman ordered nearly $600,000 in new equipment, cutting the number of workers he’ll need starting with the next harvest. Herman, who grows figs, persimmons and almonds in the nation’s most productive farming state, said Trump’s comments pushed him to make the purchase, larger than he would have otherwise. “No doubt about it,” Herman said. “I probably wouldn’t have spent as much or bought as much machinery as I did.”(continued)

For Randy King, the argument for indoor farming in Canada is just common sense. For one, Canada is a northern country with long winters. Two, during those long winters almost all fruit and vegetables in Canadian grocery stores are imported from Central America, Mexico or California. Three, wouldn’t it be better if Canadians grew their own fruits and veggies? “I think this is the way of the future for growing produce in northern regions,” said King, co-owner of West Grow Farms, a company with plans to build an indoor farm near Edmonton. “In order to gain food sovereignty, we need...

Indoor Farms of America is pleased to announce today the delivery of the first vertical aeroponic farms to two different Native American Communities in the U.S. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161206/446104LOGO Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161206/446105LOGO "Our staff is very excited about these two farms, sold to Native American tribal interests and members, one in the western New York region of Salamanca, south of Buffalo, and one in Mayetta, Kansas, serving the people of the Prairie Band of the Potawatomi Nation," said Ron Evans, President of Indoor Farms of America. Evans noted, "We had the folks from the PB Nation visit our Las Vegas...

With mounting concerns about the farm - and the U.S. - economy, a new nationwide poll indicates how farmers and ranchers will vote in the 2016 presidential election. Agri-Pulse reports that 55 percent of those surveyed in its latest Farm and Ranch Poll say they'll support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump while 18 percent are throwing their support behind Democratic Hillary Clinton. Only 2 percent plan to vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and just 1 percent for the Green Party's Jill Stein. However, in another sign of how fluid the race remains in farm country with less than two...

Over the summer, millions of pounds of Michigan tart cherries were dumped on the ground and left to rot, thanks to a federal board. The dumping means fewer tart cherries in stores which means higher prices for consumers. And while American farmers are forced to keep their cherries off the market, some companies end up having to import cherries from other nations. Photos of some of the dumped cherries went viral. The images troubled many people, who wanted to know why all that fruit was wasted. The short answer is this: It’s complicated and involves government policies. The Cherry Industry...

There were two sightings of Western yellow-billed cuckoos this year, both in Delta County, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. The secretive birds are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering designating parts of western Colorado as critical habitat for the migratory bird, including lands along the Colorado River through Mesa County. Sightings — which frequently involve people hearing the cuckoo’s distinctive “klak-klak” sound — have been recorded in Mesa and Delta counties in previous years. ... “We have changed the initial map due to comments from the proposed...

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Back in May I was invited to Singapore to tour schools, IT hubs, hospitals and startups. The size of the country, as well as their government structure, allows them move towards their objectives more quickly than other countries. What I witnessed during my visit was a nation determined to be seen as a leader in the technology sector and to be recognized as a nucleus for some of the top innovators in the world. One aspect of the trip that really resonated with me was the country's use of vertical farming and other cutting edge agricultural techniques. Population Pressures The...

The extended drought in California has farmers looking for ways to use less water. Among them: growing feed indoors using hydroponics. The new diet is making some Central Valley sheep very happy. On Golden Valley Farm an hour north of Fresno, Mario Daccarett's employees milk 500 sheep every day, in rounds of 12. This creamy milk eventually is turned into cheese and sold at places like Whole Foods. "They tell me that our Golden Ewe cheese is the best for grilled cheese sandwich ever," Daccarett says. (I bought some and it was really tasty.) He says he gets about 800...

FARMING will need to shift towards indoor vertical farms and precision techniques that could make use of drones. Just as important will be the planting of drought-resistant crops and even printing meat to secure food production globally. This is according to Ernst Janovsky, senior agricultural economist at Absa, who emphasised that technology will need to be incorporated into farming practices in order to keep up with costs and supply. Speaking at an Absa Agribusiness roundtable in Centurion on Tuesday, Janovsky said population growth would create more demand for food, water and land. By 2050, the global population is expected to...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the 2016 presidential campaign (all times EDT): 4:20 p.m. Donald Trump is telling Iowans that one of his campaign goals is to "make America grow again." Speaking at a rally Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa, Trump touted his plans to boost economic growth and help American farmers, including his proposal to lower the tax rate on family farms to 15 percent....

Gainesville -- Officials at Mar-Jac Poultry said they were shocked to find out Thursday that federal officials suspect the company might have ties to terrorist funding. Company Vice President Doug Carnes said at least a half-dozen U.S. Customs agents spent all day Wednesday gathering financial records and charitable contribution files. They were "real nice, professional and complimentary," he said, but they didn't disclose the nature of their visit. It was only on Thursday that Carnes was alerted by company officials in Virginia as to what the agents were looking for. "I'm shocked. I'm in disbelief. I've worked for them for...

Humans are eating more fish than ever. And since 2014, most of what we eat has come not from the wild, but from fish farms operated by the fast-growing aquaculture industry. But what do these farmed fish eat? The answer is just as unappetizing as it sounds — and just as worrisome to advocates of sustainable seafood. The typical fish-farm diet (“aquafeed,” in industry parlance) contains fish — specifically fish meal and fish oil, made largely from wild-caught “forage” fish. And because stocks of wild fish are declining, that poses a serious long-term problem for the world food supply. Wild...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is spending nearly $1 million to teach refugees how to farm. New grants announced last week include two projects in Idaho and Kansas to “cultivate the next generation of farmers” by helping refugees get land leases to start their own farms.

Driving to the Ranch through the Mohawk valley, east of Yuma, I noticed the gentleman pictured above.  I stopped to take his picture and determine his business. You can see that the soil in this area is a fluffy loam.  It is highly productive, irrigated by Colorado River water.  This area near Yuma is some of the most productive agricultural land in the United States and in the world. Leo did not mind having his picture taken.  I asked him if he were guarding the field from birds that would eat the seeds.  No, he said, ground squirrels. He...