Two thirds of large crop farms use precision agriculture technology – December 11, 2024

Two thirds of large crop farms use precision agriculture technology

Some 68 percent of large crop farms use precision agriculture technology that generates information that aids decision-making by operators, such as yield monitors, yield maps, and soil maps, said the USDA on Tuesday. The annual “Farms and Ranches at a Glance” report showed higher-volume farms are heavy users of the technology, notwithstanding earlier reports showing a low usage rate by farmers nationwide.
U.S. proposal would protect monarch butterfly as threatened species

The orange-and-black monarch butterfly, known for migrating thousands of miles, would be protected as a threatened species under a proposal announced by the Interior Department on Tuesday. The monarch population has dropped by 80 percent since the 1980s due to loss of habitat, exposure to pesticides, and climate change.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS

More legumes, less meat: Americans would be advised to eat more legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils, while consuming less red and processed meat if the government adopts suggestions from the experts helping to write the new Dietary Guidelines. (HHS and USDA)

Judges block Kroger deal: A federal judge in Oregon and a state judge in Washington State blocked the proposed $24.6 billion merger of supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons, the largest grocery merger in U.S. history. (Associated Press)

Screwworm impacts beef supply: U.S beef production would be 2.3 percent lower in 2025 “due to the current restrictions on cattle imports from Mexico” that were imposed after discovery of the New World screwworm, a devastating parasite, in Mexico, estimated USDA analysts. (USDA)

It wasn’t H5N1 in Arizona: Confirmatory tests for the bird flu virus were negative for two Arizona poultry farm workers who were treated for illness after exposure to infected poultry, keeping the U.S. total at 58 human cases since March, said the CDC. (Centers for Disease Control)

Farm equipment sales slump: Sales of farm tractors and combines during November were down sharply compared to year-ago figures, continuing this year’s downturn; tractor sales were 13 percent lower and combine sales were 24 percent lower than they were 11 months into 2023. (AEM)

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