Harvest Public Media

5 Things You Should Know About The Genetically Modified Food You’re Probably Eating

Jeremy Bernfeld — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:31:47 +0000

Would you feed your family genetically modified food? Chances are, you already have.

On Thursday's Central Standard, the science behind genetically modified (GMO) and genetically engineered (GE) food. The guests:

Growing Local Beer From Farm To Glass

Luke Runyon — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:59:39 +0000

How does a new craft brewer stand apart from the pack? A few have hitched their brewery onto the local food bandwagon, sourcing the ingredients that form beer’s DNA straight from the fields around them.

Missouri River Home To Endangered Pallid Sturgeon

Grant Gerlock — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:00:10 +0000

The volunteer crew members pulled on their life jackets and climbed into a flat-bottomed aluminum boat at a ramp near Nebraska City, Neb. They came out early on a cold, gray April morning hoping to catch an endangered pallid sturgeon.

Will Kansas' Quest To Repopulate Rural Areas Work?

Justine Greve — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:58:27 +0000

When the Homestead Act of 1862 made land in the Great Plains virtually free, people rushed in to settle rural Kansas. But 150 years later, the dust has truly settled. Between 2000 and 2010, more than half of Kansas counties declined in population — many by 10 percent or more.

Should You Be Talking To Your Plants?

Hilary Stohs-Krause — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:55:23 +0000

Ever know someone who talks to plants?

Maybe it was your offbeat neighbor cooing at his gardenias; maybe your grandmother analyzed baseball with her cucumbers. It seems a bit silly, but researchers say farmers should maybe take notice.

How A Niche Market Saved This Farmer's Pork Business

Amy Mayer — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:59:06 +0000

There’s more than one way to sell a pig.

And when the hog market plunged to 8 cents a pound in 1998, Iowa producer Randy Hilleman decided it was time to make a change. Hilleman raises Berkshire pigs, a breed that’s fattier than traditional pigs and costs a little more to raise. Back then, that was hurting him.

“If we took them into Marshalltown, [Iowa] to the big packing plant, we would get docked because they’re too fat,” Hilleman said. “What they pay on is lean, and we like to have some fat on ours.”

Seed Companies Fight To Maintain Independence

Bill Wheelhouse — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:01:00 +0000

The window in Tom Burrus’ office gives him a good look at the wide expanse of Illinois River bottomland where his company produces seed corn for farmers across Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. Hanging on his wall are sketches of his grandfather and others who’ve had a part in the Burrus Seed Co. since it was founded 1935. The 63-year-old company president knows he is a rare independent in a land of giants.

Cagey Issues For Egg Industry

Amy Mayer — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:01:00 +0000

Mark Tjelmeland’s 700 free-range chickens lay 45 dozen eggs per day in indoor nesting boxes on his farm in McCallsburg, Iowa. The rest of the time, unless it’s too cold, they roam and peck in a fenced pasture.

Gluten-Free: Fad Or Fix?

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:47:44 +0000

Six months ago, Kara Welter drastically changed her diet by eliminating food that contains wheat, rye or barley.

“I don’t eat gluten,” said Welter, a 41-year-old marketing executive in Kansas City.

“I happened to just try it because I was having stomach issues for years. And it turns out within three days, I stopped having stomach issues.”

Seeking Profits In Private Labels

Grant Gerlock — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:01:00 +0000

You may not think much about store brands as you shop for groceries, but it’s a business worth nearly $60 billion per year. ConAgra, a company based in Omaha, Neb., made a splash recently in what the industry calls private label food when it paid $6.8 billion to buy Ralcorp, based in St. Louis, Mo. The merger created the biggest private label food company in the country.

From Flush To Fertilizer: City Farms Recycle Waste

Frank Morris — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:15:26 +0000

While most Americans don’t farm, they do contribute to agriculture by buying food at stores and restaurants. And about half of us make an additional donation in the form of fertilizer. With spring at hand, farmers are getting ready for planting. That means enriching the soil and that may just involve you.

Taxing Complications For Farmers

Amy Mayer — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

This tax season is an unusual one for farmers.

“Farmers didn’t necessarily have a great crop to harvest, but they harvested a huge amount of income last year. It was one of the biggest years, inflation-adjusted, since going back to the 1970s,” said Roger McEowen, who runs the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University.

A New Frontier In Genetically Engineered Food

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:24:46 +0000

Kevin Wells has been genetically engineering animals for 24 years.

“It’s sort of like a jigsaw puzzle,” said Wells recently as he walked through his lab at the University of Missouri - Columbia. “You take DNA apart and put it back together in different orders, different orientations.”

When Grain Elevators Explode

Jeremy Bernfeld — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:08:05 +0000

When the Bartlett Grain Co. elevator exploded in Atchison, Kan., in October 2011, the town’s 11,000 residents knew it immediately.

GMO Labeling Laws On Deck In The Midwest

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:12:59 +0000

Just south of Hermann, Mo., Swiss Meat and Sausage Co. processes 2 million pounds of meat a year -- everything from cattle to hogs to buffalo to elk.