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  • One Way to Combat Climate Change: A Smartphone App That Lets Farmers Control Where Their Cows Graze

    A San Diego startup called Vence has created a device that can help farmers control their livestock’s movements and behavior. The new technology – a collar with accompanying software – buzzes when an animal is somewhere it shouldn’t be and shocks them if they keep going. While the practice of shocking animals isn’t universally approved, doing so can prevent overgrazing and thus improve overall land health.

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  • Despite Many Challenges, the U.S. Has More Young Farmers Than it Did Five Years Ago

    With the average age of the American farmer at 57.5 and the number of farmers over 65 outnumbering farmers under 35 by a factor of 6 to 1, many are worried about a severe shortage of ecologically-minded young farmers to take over from the older generation. To address this gap, states and institutions are launching initiatives like debt-free agricultural college, tax incentives, and loan programs.

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  • Small ag feels growing pains: Lack of workers

    In southeastern Colorado, the Good Food Collective is piloting new initiatives to help small-scale farmers fill the labor shortages. With grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they’re looking at what others across the country have done to address this issue, like developing a workers cooperative where workers can have some security in an unstable field. For now, they’re figuring out what works for their region, which includes “gleaning” – using grant funding to pay for individuals to harvest food for food pantries.

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  • Oregon Wineries Come Together To Save Grapes Rejected For Smoke Taint

    Grape growers and winemakers in Oregon recently worked together after a fire burned thousands of acres of land. After contracts were turned down due to smoke taint of the grapes, the Oregon Solidarity project was formed. It sourced winemakers willing to accept these grapes (which were still considered safe), created three special wines, and is funneling all profits back to the growers.

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  • The Startup Taking On Bayer With Cheaper, Non-GMO Seeds

    The Farmers Business Network (FBN) started as a way to create transparency about seed prices, and it has evolved into a platform to sell non-GMO seeds for lower prices. By cutting out the middleman, FBN can save farmers money and use data to show their seeds work, too.

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  • Farmers in Uttarakhand Look to the Past to Benefit the Future

    Mountains are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and a mountain city in India is finding sustainable solutions in traditional agriculture. Women overwhelmingly make up the farming workforce in Uttarakhand and are using a number of ways to combat the effects of the temperature increase. These solutions include bringing back an ancient grain, finger millet, to appeal to new tastes and dishes, storing seed banks of traditional varieties, and opening a cafe serving local food using the ancient grains to attract outside visitors.

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  • Colorado farmers can't get their food to the table. One startup wants to lend hands.

    UpRoot, a new Colorado startup, is working to help farmers fill the labor gap and feed the hungry. Farmers across the state face a labor shortage, leaving huge amounts of produce to go to waste – and thus contribute to climate change. UpRoot tries to meet both these issues by operating on two levels: First, providing volunteer labor to harvest leftover crops and donate to food banks; and second, offering paid, on-demand workers – many of whom are veterans – for farmers that find themselves in a labor bind.

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  • As tobacco sales dry up, Kentucky farmers look to the state's ‘original crop' — hemp

    The legalization of hemp as a cash crop is showing significant benefits for farmers across the United States. Although the process of transporting the crop is still facing challenges, producers are seeing an increase in sales and revenue and a greater demand for the product.

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  • In Ethiopia, climate change leads herders to retrain as farmers

    Many herders are adapting to climate change by adopting farming. In the wake of severe droughts in recent years, herding communities in Ethiopia have expressed increasing interest in farming as a way to secure additional income. The non-profit organization, Farm Africa, helps herders to make the transition into farming by educating and assisting them with technical matters, such as irrigation, as well as aiding with financing and finding markets.

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  • The secret to a town's perfect potatoes? Its well-preserved forest.

    Concepción Chiquirichapa, Guatemala, is known for its potatoes. The produce is especially good because of a consistent supply of high quality water from its forests, as well as the use of leaf litter as organic fertilizer. Forest protections from decades ago are showing results in sustaining high quality produce, but as the population increases and potato farming expands, the city is working to preserve the natural resources that have contributed to its success.

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