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A robotic milker takes the place of a hired hand as dairy
farmers face labor shortages. (Farm Progress photo) |
Marlane Williams always dreamed of owning her own farm and milking her
own dairy cows. Now she has both, along with a robot that helps out
while she's at a day job that provides income stability. "Williams has
held several jobs while trying to be a dairy farmer,"
reports Chris
Six of
Farm Progress. "She's owned a dairy farm in southwest Missouri
since 2002 and says balancing both is tricky, but she feels blessed to
have achieved her dream." Instead of trying to hire part-time labor,
Williams purchased a Lely Astronaut milking robot to make sure her
growing herd is milked twice a day.
The debate over whether the Community Supported Agriculture model is dead or alive continues, with a fresh perspective from Ruth Katcher, who runs a thriving CSA for city folk in Brooklyn, New York. "I’ve been mulling over Lauren David’s thought-provoking article on whether we’ve outgrown the CSA model," Katcher writes for Offrange. "I have to admit she made some excellent points, especially about the appeal of models that offer more choice to consumers than traditional CSAs. . . . But the traditional CSA model has features I would hate to give up . . ." Read Lauren's essay here, and Katcher's full counter here.
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Pecan trees don't have to be planted every year.
(Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt, Reasons To Be Cheerful) |
In a drastic turn from traditional row-crop agriculture, some Midwestern farmers are planting nut trees that are reviving soil depleted by corn and soybean plantings. "In 2017, Josh Payne planted 20 acres of chestnut saplings, growing commodity crops in wide rows between the trees,"
reports Elizabeth Hewitt for
Reasons To Be Cheerful. "Payne is among a growing number of farmers looking to supplement or even replace common crops planted annually — like corn and soy — with various types of nut trees. . . which can provide a type of multi-generational resilience because they can generate income for decades."
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| U.S. Mint photos |
The U.S. Treasury Department laid the U.S. penny to rest on Nov. 12 in Philadelphia after producing it for 232 years. Victor Mather of The New York Times
reports, "Top Treasury officials were on hand for its final journey. No last words were recorded. The cost to mint the penny had risen to more than 3 cents, a financial absurdity that doomed the coin. The American penny was preceded in death by its smaller sibling, the half cent (1793-1857), and its cousin, the Canadian penny (1858-2012)."
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Internal medicine residents at Billings Clinic
in Montana. (Photo by Colton Adams via the Yonder) |
A community hospital in Billings, Montana, is bucking trends with its
successful medical residency programs, which train new doctors who often
decide to stay in the state and practice. "As rural areas across the
country face worsening provider shortages and reductions in health care
services, Billings Clinic is celebrating the success of two new
residency programs training,"
reports Madeline de Figueiredo for
The
Daily Yonder. "Since launching its internal medicine residency program
in 2014, Billings Clinic has graduated 75 physicians, with half now
practicing in rural communities. The program’s outcomes stand out amid
national trends, where only 11% of physicians work in rural areas."
After more than two centuries of publication, the
Farmers' Almanac from Maine announced that 2026 is its last print run. "The 208-year-old, Maine-based publication that farmers, gardeners and others have relied on for planting guidance and weather predictions will publish for the final time,"
report Patrick Whittle and Kathy McCormack of
The Associated Press. "The
Farmers’ Almanac, not to be confused with its older, longtime competitor,
The Old Farmer’s Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire. . . . The almanac cited the growing financial challenges of producing and distributing the book in today’s 'chaotic media environment.'" The first Farmers' Almanac was published in 1818.
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