agriculture

Without action, farm programs to expire at month's end

Chad Bouchard — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:26:30 +0000

Farm groups have expressed concern that key programs such as crop insurance and disaster relief are under threat when current provisions expire at the end of the month.

House leadership has been reluctant to call the bill for a vote, due to a deep political divide over cuts to the food stamp program, which accounts for 20% of the bill.

State urges safety during harvest

Brandon Smith — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:48:04 +0000

The state of Indiana is urging farmers to take special precautions during harvest season this year, as the drought has created some additional risks.

State conservation leaders explore major changes

Brandon Smith — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:01:50 +0000

Indiana’s soil and water conservation leaders are exploring significant changes to the funding and organization of the state’s conservation efforts.

The Conservation Beyond 2016 Task Force was created several months ago in response to what it says were concerns over drops in conservation district funding.

Much of the money comes from counties. But over the last four years, funding has stagnated or decreased in more than 40% of Hoosier counties.

Lt. Governor candidates square off at State Fair

Brandon Smith — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:52:03 +0000

Indiana's drought and the ethanol industry took center stage as the running mates in this year’s gubernatorial race took shared their views Wednesday at the Indiana State Fair in their only scheduled debate.

As severe drought impacts most of Indiana, a debate over where the corn that does survive should go exists not just in the state but across the country. And the ethanol industry is a major part of that debate. Up to 40 percent of U-S corn crops could be needed to fulfill the federal government’s mandate for ethanol usage.