Drought’s Double-Edge Sword: Can It Put a Damper on Plant Disease?

Nov 29, 2021

By Pam Knox

Here is a reminder that drought is not all bad for farmers, from an article earlier this week in Growing Produce. While drought has many negative effects on crops, it also reduces a lot of diseases and also cuts down on the number of some pests that may be damaging the plants. Some farmers prefer dry conditions because of this (as long as they have enough irrigation to counter the dry spells). Some crops like grapes that are almost always irrigated prefer dry conditions because it concentrates the sugars in the berries and reduces the likelihood of fungal diseases. This year’s wet conditions also show that having more rain makes it much tougher to get fieldwork done both because of the timing of rain and the soggy soils in the fields.

A trio tractors rake

A trio tractors rake, bale and collect straw at Scoggins Farm, a family farm on West Armuchee Road in South Walker County, Ga., on June 1, 2017. Plentiful rain so far this spring has fostered a far better growing season so far, local agriculture officials say.

Source : uga.edu

Video: Cheapest States to Buy Farmland in America

The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.