Agriculture
Going whole hog toward sustainability?
A global effort is underway that may change the way we look at waste from farm animals. China, Brazil, Costa Rica, and India, along with others, are all developing new technologies that use biodigester systems that essentially convert cow and pig manure into clean, renewable energy. Here in the United States, Smithfield Foods, the largest…
Cheaper, Easier Monitoring Could Hasten Water Clean-up
Throughout the cropland of the Midwest, farmers use chemicals on their fields to nourish the plants and the soil. But excess nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients can wash off the fields and into streams, rivers and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. New tools can help farmers monitor their soil and water so they can become…
Forget the robots, meat processing is still a human’s job
Slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants throughout the country employ a lot of people. About a quarter of a million workers in the U.S. stun, kill and eviscerate the animals we eat. Most of those jobs are physically demanding and require few skills. So why haven’t we started using more robots to cut up our beef? The…
My Farm Roots: Learning the ropes
Kendra Lawson doesn’t have the typical schedule of a nine–year-old. With just a week of summer left, she spent her days working with her dad and mom on the farm and preparing her pigs to show at the state fair. Here in central Missouri, the Lawson family raises cattle and pigs with a lot of…