Expect to pay more for Christmas trees, experts say
Experts said tree buyers should expect to pay between 10% and 30% more for both live trees and artificial trees this year and also have a smaller selection to choose from.
Agriculture/Farming
Articles
Memory Bank: Preparing for Thanksgiving
Turkeys on an Indiana farm in early November 1949 were being fattened up for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Wild bidding wars erupt at used-tractor auctions across the U.S.
The used tractor business is quickly becoming a crucial marketplace that’s allowing farmers to keep harvesting corn, wheat and soy day and night at a time of insatiable demand from buyers.
Deere warns striking workers not to expect better offer
The rejected contract offer would have covered more than 10,000 Deere workers at 12 facilities who make the company’s iconic John Deere green tractors and other equipment.
Ag-tech firm using aerial photos, big data to help farmers manage fields
Indianapolis-based IntelinAir Inc. sees a big opportunity in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to help farmers keep tabs on their crops.
Beck’s Hybrids adds Nebraska to its sales territory
Hamilton County-based seed company Beck’s Hybrids said the marketing expansion increases its total reach to 75 percent of the corn and soybean farmers in the United States.
Deere & Co. workers go on strike after rejecting contract offer
More than 10,000 Deere & Co. workers went on strike Thursday, the first major walkout at the agricultural machinery giant in more than three decades.
Here’s why coffee prices could be heading up
As if a cup of coffee wasn’t expensive enough, a confluence of factors is driving up farmers’ costs to grow the beans and it could begin filtering down to your local cafe before the end of the year.
AgriNovus leader appointed chairman of Indiana State Fair Commission
Mitch Frazier succeeds Brad Chambers, who took the role of Indiana secretary of commerce in August.
Surging fertilizer costs risk making food even pricier next year
A perfect storm of events—from extreme weather and plant shutdowns to new government sanctions—have hit the chemical fertilizer market this year, slamming farmers already buckling under the strain of rising costs to produce food.
Tyson, Perdue to pay $35M to settle with chicken farmers
Two of the industry’s biggest poultry companies have agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused them and several other firms of conspiring to dominate the industry and fix the prices paid to farmers who raise the chickens.
Beck’s opens world-class soybean tower in $62M expansion
The 10-story tower in northern Hamilton County is one of the largest soybean processing towers in the world, capable of processing three million bushels of soybeans annually, doubling Beck’s processing at the location.
Biden administration OKs largest boost to food assistance benefits in SNAP history
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is expected to announce Monday morning that benefit amounts for the program, formerly known as food stamps, will rise an average of 25% above pre-pandemic levels.
IBJ Podcast: Climate change could scorch and soak Indiana while reshaping key industries, Purdue center says
Indiana isn’t seeing the intense heat waves and flash-flooding that other parts of the world are experiencing this summer, but models show our winters will dwindle, our summers will have many more days above 95ºF and rainfall will continue to increase.
New U.S. rules for animal farmers expected this week
The new rule that will make it easier for farmers to sue companies they contract with over unfair, discriminatory or deceptive practices.
State Fair lands $50M to turn swine barn into multiuse facility
The pigs at the Indiana State Fair are officially getting a new place to stay after the state released $50 million to replace the almost century-old swine barn with a multiuse facility that will also be able to host large sporting events.
Indiana Grown ready to reconnect at Monumental Marketplace
After the pandemic prevented Indiana Grown from putting on its annual Monumental Marketplace in 2020, the one-day event is set return to Monument Circle on June 18. More than 75 vendors are expected to attend the event.
World’s top meat supplier says systems returning after cyberattack closes plants
Five of JBS’ largest beef plants in the United States ceased processing because of the attack, knocking out almost one-fifth of the country’s beef production capacity.
U.S. farmers finally see better outlook after two odd years
It’s hard to overstate how bizarre the past two seasons have been for farmers, who for the previous six years had repeatedly produced near-record harvests but saw little profit because prices were so low.
Indiana governor vetoes bill requiring ethanol warning label
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said he found the “additional layer of government unnecessary and confusing.”