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Chris Bennett

Writing from the level land of the Delta just outside of Clarksdale, Miss., Bennett has blogged for several years on agriculture, surrounded by cotton and plenty of cottonmouths.

Latest Stories
Worms
$100 Ideas
Ag’s Darkest Fraud Hidden in Dirt
In 2000, southwest Mississippi producer Rodney Burkley heard about a business venture gaining steam in multiple states: earthworms.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
“They thought I would roll over and give up my land rights, case closed. No way,” Edward Poitevent says.
Policy
Private Property Rights Collide With Invisible Frog
Edward Poitevent is at the mercy of an invisible frog. He has lost private property rights on 1,500 acres to a frog species that will never live on his land and doesn’t live in his state. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is shackled to a litany of odd cases, but Poitevent’s battle with a $34-million frog may rank as the most bizarre of the lot.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
Cotton is back in Carroll County, Mo., for the first time in more than 150 years—a testament to the determination of 15-year-old Garrett Heil.
$100 Ideas
Cotton’s King of the North Bucks Custom
Garrett Heil makes history his way
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
WARNING
Business
Farmer Beware: Agriculture Enters Age Of Civil Suits
Lawsuits against farmers once were a rarity, but as civil suits stack up in farm country, today’s producer is often popularly perceived as a wealthy, land-rich businessman. Welcome to agriculture’s litigious age.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
Solid end-of-season irrigation maintenance goes a long way in preventing problems the following crop year during crunch-time.
Corn
Irrigation Troubleshooting Begins After Harvest
Crops don’t wait for irrigation, and now means now when it’s time to water. Solid end-of-season irrigation maintenance goes a long way in preventing problems the following crop year during crunch-time. Before the grip of winter sets in, checks and repairs are vital.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
TJ1
Technology
Agriculture Robots Seek, Find and Destroy
Send in the bots. Artificial intelligence is finding unbounded opportunity in agriculture. Aerial and ground drone combinations are hauling a host of possibility into all areas of farming.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
RORY MCDONNELL
Corn
Slugs Crawling to a Field Near You
Slugs are an accepted part of the bill for many agriculture operations, but as numbers rise, particularly in the Midwest, producers are reckoning with a new level of damage. A mild slug presence, sheltered by increasing no till acreage, can usher in a wave of replants, major yield loss and expensive bait control.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
Farmers in at least 10 states are involved in lawsuits claiming various levels of loss and damage due to dicamba-tolerant technology.
Cotton
Dicamba Lawsuits Mounting
Bill Bader is the bell cow of dicamba drift litigation, with farmers in at least 10 states right behind him. How the cases will play out remains a matter of conjecture, but one fact is clear: Dicamba-related litigation has only just begun.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
JOHN DUARTE
Policy
Farmer’s Fight With Feds Means All Water Runs Downhill
John Duarte’s five-year legal nightmare ended Aug. 15, with over $1 million in total penalties. Duarte couldn’t evade the iron hand of the Clean Water Act.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
Cottonmouth
Soybeans
Poisoned Pain: Snakebites Always a Farm Danger
Hair-raising accounts of snakebites are a painful reminder that farmland is often a haven for venomous snakes.
January 27, 2021 02:10 PM
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Chris Bennett
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