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California's raging drought, states evading SNAP cuts, cooking food at home and honeybee colony health

Janell Thomas, E-Content Editor

March 21, 2014

2 Min Read

Need to catch up? Here are some food, agriculture and farm stories you might have missed this week.

1. Delayed planting, slower river commerce possible. NOAA Spring Outlook favors continued dry conditions in the West, delayed planting on deep frosts in Midwest. Farm Progress

2. A 'home ec' resurgence? Maybe. FLOTUS is poised to take on home cooking for the fifth year of "Let's Move!" Obama Foodorama

(Hmm. Makes me think of a little commentary our own Holly Spangler wrote a few weeks ago: Hey, Remember Home Ec? )

3. Facebook assists farm watch group. Farmers and ranchers are using Facebook and other tools to prevent equipment and copper thefts on farms. Wall Street Journal

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4. More states elude SNAP cuts. Seven states have now upped heating assistance to keep previously qualified citizens on food stamps, dodging cuts approved in the farm bill. The Hill

5. There's a lot of talk about Chipotle…but let's consider a different perspective on the issue, blogger suggests. BEEF

6. Harsh winter will impact honeybees. Entomologist says lower bee populations coming out of winter are likely to be large, potentially a side-effect of harsh weather and inadequate beekeeping (photos). Scientific American

7. California drought inescapable. California’s epic drought is being felt all over rural California, from small family farms to agribusiness giants. Sacramento Bee

And your bonus:

The week of Master farmers. Looking for new ideas on your farm? Check out short bios of Master Farmers honored this week by American Agriculturist and Wallace's Farmer. Also check out bios that ran last week in Prairie Farmer. Editor Frank Holdmeyer explains the history of the Master Farmer awards.

The first day of spring is bittersweet - warmer weather is great, but lawn maintenance is not. Here's an option to make things more interesting. Lawn & Garden Tractor

As always, keep up throughout the week with daily ag news and grain market updates by visiting us on Twitter or Facebook.

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