Egg farms scramble to meet cage-free demand
It’s one of the largest-scale examples of agribusiness adapting to consumers’ growing sensitivities and anxieties over how their food is treated.
Agriculture/Farming
Articles
Crop prices fall as U.S. boosts soybean, corn outlook
Crop prices dropped after the latest forecasts from the U.S. government showed soybean production will rise to a record and corn output will be more than analysts expected.
Cheap hams could steal the show from turkeys this Thanksgiving
This year’s bird-flu outbreak in the U.S. means turkeys will be more expensive for families sitting down this month for their Thanksgiving meal. But domestic pork supplies are at records, driving down prices.
Federal jury to settle bitter battle between sweeteners
Big Sugar and Big Corn face off in court this week in a bitter, multibillion-dollar battle of sweeteners that boils down to a mix of science, semantics and marketing.
Merger chatter casts cloud over Dow AgroSciences
Talk of synergies and consolidation may warm the hearts of investors, who are eager for Midland, Michigan-based Dow Chemical to boost returns, but they cast uncertainty over some of central Indiana’s best scientific jobs.
Elanco president makes case for juiced-up cows in organic age
Jeff Simmons is on a counteroffensive as, increasingly, the drugs that Elanco makes—including antibiotics and productivity enhancers—have come under attack by food activists.
Dow AgroSciences up for sale or spin-off, again
Dow Chemical is exploring all options for its subsidiary, Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences. The company employs 1,500 workers in the Indianapolis area and, as a stand-alone firm, would be the fifth-largest by revenue in Indiana.
Dry fall weather helps Indiana farmers after summer deluges
Indiana farmers had harvested about two-thirds of the state's soybean crop and about half of its corn crop by last week.
Purdue: Indiana grain yields to be better than expected
A Purdue University expert says flooding losses to Indiana's corn and soybean crops will be much lower than expected and concentrated in certain areas.
Researchers, ranchers beefing up steak with algae, flaxseed
Health-conscious consumers might be persuaded to eat more beef if it was fortified with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids naturally found in salmon and walnuts, according to researchers and some ranchers.
Lawsuit takes on Indiana’s right-to-farm laws
The Hoosier Environmental Council has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a pair of Hendricks County families who say they face “intolerable living conditions” created by odors coming from a nearby 8,000-hog farm that opened two years ago.
Farm family near Grand Park adapted to encroaching development
Craig Wood has spent most of his 60 years on 191st Street in Westfield, living and working on his family farm. For most of that time, the adjacent land has been other houses and farm fields, but that all changed on Nov. 18, 2011, when construction on Grand Park Sports Campus began.
Growth allows Oliver Winery to invest in big equipment
This year’s grape harvest—a process which typically runs from the end of August to the second week of October—promises to be a bit less anxiety-inducing thanks to a decision that has been slowly processing over the past five years.
Dow AgroSciences opens research facility at Illinois
Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences is opening the facility in the research park at the University of Illinois' Champaign-Urbana campus.
Turkey breast prices jump after bird flu creates shortage
U.S. restaurants and retailers are facing a shortage of turkey-breast meat, with prices at a record high. The nation’s worst outbreak of avian influenza is to blame.
Agricultural lab planning $12M facility near airport
Sure-Tech Laboratories wants to relocate its Indianapolis operations from leased space at 2435 Kentucky Ave., south of Raymond Street, to a 5,832-acre site west of South Girls School Road and north of West Washington Street.
Green BEAN Delivery’s vertical integration fueling growth
The company, which recently opened a $3.8 million warehouse/headquarters near the Interstate 70/Emerson Avenue exchange, has about 200 employees now but might have 500 within a few years.
Bird flu pushes egg prices to record highs, USDA says
Average prices for Grade A large eggs delivered to the store in the Midwest hit a range of $2.73 to $2.81 per dozen, the USDA said in the report released Wednesday.
Indiana’s crops suffer while much of U.S. expects big harvest
Record summer rains have damaged roughly a quarter of Indiana's soybean and corn crops, an estimated $400 million loss.
Farmers in 88 Indiana counties eligible for disaster aid
The agency declared 53 counties as primary disaster areas Wednesday because of damages and losses that farmers have incurred. Farmers in 35 other Indiana counties contiguous to the 53 also are eligible for the loans.