BUSINESS
“I’m just a farmer in their way,” says Georgia producer Jeff Melin. “Force me to sell, take my land, and fly in the billionaires and big companies.”
Using crop diversity, conservation tillage and a contract-first mindset, the Ruddenklau family works to keep their operation moving forward.
Robbing crop seed or smuggling pathogens, the most devastating raid of ag tech in U.S. history continues at a blistering pace.
Against all odds, John Gregory stood up to a utility colossus intent on splitting his farm—and won.
A family faces bankruptcy and almost $1 million in H-2A fines, with no proof of wrongdoing beyond the walls of a single agency.
“This is one of the saddest things I’ve seen in American agriculture in my lifetime,” says Bill Peter. “It ends with glass and metal covering millions of acres.”
When the daily demands of an operation become overwhelming, long-term strategy is often the first thing to go. But what if hard times are actually the best time to grow?
Self-sufficiency in rural America? “No,” says Chad Cane. “More like targeting and potential jail time.”
“It’s sickening what the government can get away with,” say David and Debbie Ross. “We’ve done nothing wrong and we want a jury of our peers to hear the evidence. All of it.”
“If you think they don’t abuse small businesses, then my story says otherwise,” says J.P. Brooks. “They make sure we own nothing.”
Scales of Injustice? Jake Molieri faces ruin after officials clamped down on his snake aversion business.
When Sam Krautscheid busted two outlaws, he peeled back the page on a plague of crime.
Nik Patel steered a series of astonishing agriculture-related scams and racked up a whopping 52-year prison sentence.
It’s meeting season, and that means it’s time for awkward conversations and uncomfortable networking. But does it have to be that way? Jennifer Tirey shares tips on making connections and building relationships.
Amid the highest copper prices in history, thieves now must tangle with a watchman that never sleeps.
Researchers at Purdue spent years working with NASA engineers to figure out how to grow crops on Mars and beyond. Now the data is yielding surprising results.
Microscopic particles improve efficacy and could save farmers money on input costs.
Learn several inexpensive, easy ways that you can keep yourself, your family members and employees, and your neighbors safe this fall harvest season.
In a bizarre swindle, three Indiana brothers and a Jersey brawler laundered 35 million gallons of biodiesel with death threats, diamonds, violence and a tower of lies.
A trio of sharks—Illinois cowboy, Midwest matron, and polished Georgia fixer—ran a stunning con based on bogus cows.
A quartet of grandmother grifters cooked a con that rivals the most audacious scams on agriculture record.
Legendary Stan DeBoer, rebel with a cause, set the table for today’s American farmer.
Roy Pfaltzgraff’s maverick row crop operation is moving further to blade’s edge.
Gary Kempker contends he’s lost $300,000 and suffered massive erosion due to big business, conservation, and bureaucracy interests.
Orin Romine preaches a bare-bones message: Find a money hole and fill it.
Farmers can benefit from evaluating fields now and making a game plan for complying with the agency’s requirements. One positive is that the herbicide strategy will be implemented over time, instead of on a specific date.
During the wildest spectacle in ag history, Dwight “Tractor Man” Watson held D.C. hostage for three days from his cab.