‘Price-fixing’ settlements need big fix
Archer Daniels Midland last month agreed to pay farmers $45 million to settle. Alan Guebert weighs on this case and the bigger issue with these settlements.
AltEn: The mess gets even messier
Alan Guebert weighs in on the allegations against AltEn, an ethanol maker near Mead, Nebraska, and the alleged environmental mess of its biofuels plant.
The odds on Prospective Plantings
One of the biggest make-or-break days of the year for the ag markets looms: On March 31, the USDA will issue its Prospective Plantings report.
Midwestern farming must adapt to reduce topsoil loss
Alan Guebert weighs in on a University of Massachusetts study that revealed 24-46% of topsoil has been lost on intensely-farmed Midwestern land.
Growers, rural grocers should be allies
Alan Guebert details why Rural America needs more locally-owned grocery stores selling more locally-grown food to more local friends and neighbors.
Ask ‘big biz’ what stinks in rural America
Alan Guebert details a lesson for rural America, diving into the chemical and ethical cloud now shrouding AltEn, a 25 million-gallon per year ethanol plant.
New chairman of the House Ag Committee aggravates his predecessor
Alan Guebert dissects how the new chairman of the House Ag Committee, David Scott, has managed to irritate his predecessor, Collin Peterson.
Focus on the future to improve the meatpacking industry
Alan Guebert shares his thoughts on how the government can improve the meatpacking industry, stating hearings should focus on the future, not the past.
No easy answers for ag secretary
Alan Guebert poses the question, what do you do if you're the new secretary of agriculture, and provides some insight.
USDA needs to find answers to carbon sequestration questions
Farm-directed carbon storage has been a tough sell because of two big unknowns — does it cost or does it pay and is carbon sequestration even possible.
