http://www.toledoblade.com The Latest News from Toledoblade.com (v5) Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:07:39 GMT en-us hourly 1 https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/27/scientists-deeper-rooted-soybeans-climate-extremes-store-carbon/stories/20260927038 https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/27/scientists-deeper-rooted-soybeans-climate-extremes-store-carbon/stories/20260927038#comments Sun, 27 Sep 2026 10:30:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/27/scientists-deeper-rooted-soybeans-climate-extremes-store-carbon/stories/20260927038 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. He knocks away pieces of earth from the plant’s roots, which slope straight down instead of out to the side like typical soybean plants. Wolfgang Busch, director of the Harnessing Plants Initiative at the Salk Institute, takes a photograph of genetically engineered soybeans Sept. 1 at a research farm in Urbana, Ill. Ashish Rajurkar, a research scientist at the Salk Institute, examines a greenhouse of genetically-engineered soybeans Sept. 1 at a research farm in Champaign, Ill. Todd Michael, a research professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, works at his lab Dec. 3, 2025 in La Jolla, Calif. Wolfgang Busch, director of the Harnessing Plants Initiative at the Salk Institute, holds up a soybean root that was genetically engineered to grow downward Sept. 1 at a research farm in Urbana, Ill. Plants with contrasting root systems, genetically engineered, left, and not, are displayed at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. A device measures carbon levels in soil Sept. 1 at a research farm in Champagne, Ill. Genetically engineered soybeans grow Sept. 1 at a research farm in Champagne, Ill. A caterpillar crawls on the leaf of a genetically engineered soybean plant Sept. 1 at a research farm in Champagne, Ill. Preyanka Mehta, a research associate at Cquesta, removes soil from a genetically engineered soybean root Sept. 1 at a research farm in Urbana, Ill. Root samples of genetically engineered soybeans dry after collection Sept. 1 at a research farm in Urbana, Ill. A genetically engineered soybean root, left, which has roots that grow downward and with more root mass, is shown next to a conventional soybean root Sept. 1 at a research farm in Urbana, Ill. https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/26/california-farmers-struggling-grape-sales-wine-demand-down/stories/20260926005 https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/26/california-farmers-struggling-grape-sales-wine-demand-down/stories/20260926005#comments Sat, 26 Sep 2026 10:30:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/26/california-farmers-struggling-grape-sales-wine-demand-down/stories/20260926005 LODI, Calif. — It’s harvest time in California wine country, but many growers are struggling to sell their grapes as changing drinking habits have caused demand to plunge. The decline is forcing some growers to tear out vineyards that their families have grown for generations. Kyle Collins, a manager at Allied Grape Growers, looks at wine grapes in an abandoned vineyard Sept. 10 in Lodi, Calif. Freshly harvested grapes are piled in a storage container at Berryhill Family Vineyards on Sept. 10 in Clements, Calif. Unsold wine grapes line a vineyard at Berryhill Family Vineyards on Sept. 10 in Clements, Calif. Merlot grapes hang on a vine at Berryhill Family Vineyards on Sept. 10 in Clements, Calif. Workers operate farm machines at night to harvest wine grapes Sept. 10 at Berryhill Family Vineyards in Clements, Calif. https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/11/diesel-prices-hitting-record-highs-bad-time-farmers/stories/20260911100 https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/11/diesel-prices-hitting-record-highs-bad-time-farmers/stories/20260911100#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:08:26 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/09/11/diesel-prices-hitting-record-highs-bad-time-farmers/stories/20260911100 Forest City, Mo. — The price of diesel is hitting record highs just when many U.S. farmers need it to power combines, tractors and other equipment to harvest two of the nation's largest commodities, soybeans and corn. Farmer Jason Kurtz harvests corn on Sept. 8 near Forest City, Mo. The cost of diesel is displayed on the bottom of a gasoline price board at a gas station on Sept. 10 in Mill Valley, Calif. Diesel prices are displayed at a gas station on Sept. 10 in Carlsbad, Calif. The cost of diesel is displayed on a gasoline price board at a gas station on Sept. 10 in Mill Valley, Calif. FILE - Diesel prices are displayed at a gas station as prices hit a record high in the U.S. on Sept. 4 in Minneapolis. https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/19/the-nation-is-craving-protein-but-vermont-dairy-isn-t-cashing-in/stories/20260718005 https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/19/the-nation-is-craving-protein-but-vermont-dairy-isn-t-cashing-in/stories/20260718005#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2026 12:35:37 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/19/the-nation-is-craving-protein-but-vermont-dairy-isn-t-cashing-in/stories/20260718005 Dozens of dairy farmers from across the state drove to Grand Isle on July 2 with the intention of talking about a recent dairy plant closure. Instead, a larger issue emerged: Some dairy processors are giving up on Vermont, and the state is failing to cash in on a national investment in dairy amid a craze for protein. The WhistlePig whiskey distillery occupies the site of a former dairy farm April 6 in Shoreham, Vt. Dairy cows feed at Blue Spruce Farm on March 28 in Bridport, Vt. https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/11/specialty-farmers-adapt-harvests-protect-crops-extreme-heat/stories/20260711014 https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/11/specialty-farmers-adapt-harvests-protect-crops-extreme-heat/stories/20260711014#comments Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/11/specialty-farmers-adapt-harvests-protect-crops-extreme-heat/stories/20260711014 BROOKSVILLE, Ky. — Even as the sun started to set, the day’s heat was still hanging in the air as Annie Woods walked back out to harvest squash and zucchini on her 50-acre farm. Annie Woods harvests eightball, a type of zucchini, as the sun sets July 1 at her farm in Brooksville, Ky. The sun sets July 1 over a farm in Brooksville, Ky. Annie Woods takes a drink of water while harvesting July 1 at her farm in Brooksville, Ky. Annie Woods harvests squash July 1 at her farm in Brooksville, Ky. A poblano pepper grows inside a greenhouse July 1 at a farm in Brooksville, Ky. Crops grow inside a greenhouse as fans run to keep the temperature down July 1 at a farm in Brooksville, Ky. Heat-damaged celery rests in a tray inside a greenhouse July 1 at a farm in Brooksville, Ky. Trays of seedlings sit inside a cabinet to keep cool July 1 at a farm in Brooksville, Ky. Celery grows inside a greenhouse July 1 at a farm in Brooksville, Ky. A cat pauses between rows of crops waiting for planting July 1 at a farm in Brooksville, Ky. Annie Woods inspects herbs while harvesting July 1 at her farm in Brooksville, Ky. Annie Woods lifts a crate of squash and zucchini while harvesting July 1 at her farm in Brooksville, Ky. Japanese beetles damage okra plant leaves July 1 at a farm in Brooksville, Ky. Annie Woods holds zucchini while harvesting produce July 1 at her farm in Brooksville, Ky. Annie Woods loads a crate of harvested produce into her farm vehicle July 1 in Brooksville, Ky. https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/08/neighbors-speak-out-against-proposed-210-000-hen-poultry-operation/stories/20260708083 https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/08/neighbors-speak-out-against-proposed-210-000-hen-poultry-operation/stories/20260708083#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:15:52 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/business/agriculture/2026/07/08/neighbors-speak-out-against-proposed-210-000-hen-poultry-operation/stories/20260708083 DEFIANCE — Nearly every time a new plan emerges to build a major livestock facility in northwest Ohio, residents band together to raise concerns about anything from stench to potential impacts on water quality, air quality, roads, and property values. Some of the nearly 100 people who attended. Shirley Gebers, 89, lives in a house across the street from the proposed CAFO site. She has concerns about the ODA letting Mark and Diana Wachtman house 210,000 egg-laying chickens there. Deb Peter, Shirley Gebers' daughter, grew up in a house on Flory Road, across the street from the proposed CAFO site. She and her brother, Craig Gebers, of Toledo, said they want to maintain the area around the house they grew up in for their mother, who still lives in it. Jason Rickenberg, who lives along Flory Road less than a mile from the proposed CAFO site, provides his comments. Some of the nearly 100 people who attended. Sam Mullins, Ohio Department of Agriculture chief of livestock environmental permitting, talks with an attendee after the event. Sam Mullins, Ohio Department of Agriculture chief of livestock environmental permitting, talks with an attendee after the event. Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper founder, delivers her testimony in the case as Sam Mullins, Ohio Department of Agriculture livestock environmental permitting chief, listens. Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper founder, delivering her testimony in the case.