Articles by Noah Wicks

State governments across the nation are looking to improve broadband service for their residents, using different approaches and with unique end goals in mind. However, a recent fact sheet published by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that there are three important components that the most successful states have implemented: a broadband office, planning and technical assistance for local and regional entities, and a competitive grant program.

The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack are taking exception to the white farmers who are challenging a debt relief program for minority producers.

Using a pollen-sized microparticle that contained a certain enzyme, a group of scientists were able to create an “antidote” to organophosphate-based insecticides, according to a Cornell University release.

Six seed companies have formed a coalition and applied to clean up environmental contamination at a currently inoperative AltEn ethanol plant near Mead, Nebraska.

Nebraska-based pork processor Wholestone Farms announced Monday that the company will be expanding into South Dakota with plans to build a $500 million pork harvest and processing facility.

USDA announced plans Tuesday to provide additional coronavirus relief to farmers, biofuel producers and food companies and to expand the Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers conservation initiative, known as CLEAR30, to the entire country.

An Agri-Pulse analysis shows that the Trump administration's Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments were distributed more widely than traditional forms of government assistance although larger farms continue to receive the big share of the money.

Major farm states are likely to lose influence in the U.S. House because of population shifts that are expected to result in lost seats across the Midwest as well as in Pennsylvania and New York.

Scarcity of farm labor and concerns about the environmental impacts of chemical inputs have spurred interest in agricultural robotics, but the widespread adoption of fully autonomous vehicles remains far off due to a lack of on-farm infrastructure and resources for producers.

To better understand issues and solutions involving water availability in the Western United States, USDA’s Natural Resources Convention Service (NRCS) will be hosting virtual “listening sessions” next Thursday and Friday for producers and other members of the public.