Northwest hay producers are operating at or below breakeven margins, but the 12-month profitability outlook is improved for those able to start with a clean inventory slate and keep a lid on costs, according to the latest Northwest Farm Credit Services’ Hay Market Snapshot report.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has given approval for the proposed acquisition of Syngenta by ChemChina, according to a Syngenta press release.

FMC Corp. and DuPont announced on March 31 the signing of a definitive agreement for FMC to acquire the portion of DuPont’s crop protection business it must divest to comply with the European Commission ruling related to its merger with The Dow Chemical Co.

Gui DeSouza, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at University of Missouri, and colleagues and students in his Vision-Guided and Intelligent Robotics (ViGIR) Laboratory partnered with researchers such as Felix Fritschi, an associate professor of plant sciences in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), and Todd Mockler, a principal investigator with the Danforth Plant Science Center, to study the effects of climate change on crops in Missouri. Using principles developed in the ViGIR lab, DeSouza is changing the way agriculturists collect data in the field.

It's not clear that alfalfa growers fully knew that one of the most widely-used insecticides in their crop was about to be completely eliminated from use nationwide.

Dr. Charles Brummer’s research at the University of California – Davis has focused on alfalfa breeding. One area of focus is looking into the genetic basis of fall dormancy using various genetic mapping methods. His group is also evaluating a large amount of germplasm to find adapted, high-yielding, non-dormant germplasm under saline conditions and under deficit irrigation.

Alfalfa can get sick too, but oftentimes the influence of a disease goes unrecognized or is mistaken for something else. Find out what ailments are prevalent in your area, what it can do to your alfalfa’s production and what can be done to stop it.

The Environmental Protection Agency has revised the 1992 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulation to increase protections for agricultural workers and their families.

While the 2017 growing season begins to awaken, hay prices remain in a slumber. The pickup in buyer interest in early February failed to spring life into hay prices, which remain the lowest in six years. While widespread winter precipitation improved moisture conditions in many areas, the south-central U.S. continues to report drought conditions.