24/7 Farm  News Coverage
January 31, 2018
SHAKE AND BLOW
Fearless Philippine farmers defy volcano anger



Guinobatan, Philippines (AFP) Jan 29, 2018
As blistering lava spews from the seething volcano nearby, Philippine farmer Jay Balindang leads his buffalo through the ash-strewn paddy fields of the no-go zone, creeping closer to danger in a desperate bid to support his family. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from around the erupting Mayon volcano, as a white-hot cocktail of gas and volcanic debris streaks down its flanks, threatening local communities who rely on the fertile land at its base. Fearing a significant eruption t ... read more

WATER WORLD
Satellite and global model estimates vary for land water storage
Austin TX (SPX) Jan 29, 2018
Research led by The University of Texas at Austin has found that calculations of water storage in many river basins from commonly used global computer models differ markedly from independent storage ... more
WOOD PILE
Getting to zero deforestation
Stanford CA (SPX) Jan 30, 2018
When the world's largest fast food company announced in 2015 that it planned to use only cage-free eggs, poultry farmers scrambled to meet the new standards. So, can we expect zero-deforestation ple ... more
FARM NEWS
Dairy sector trembles at EU powdered milk mountain
Herstal, Belgium (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
Hundreds of thousands of sacks of powdered milk lie stacked on pallets in a warehouse on a nondescript industrial estate in eastern Belgium: part of a vast EU stockpile that is causing dairy producers sleepless nights. ... more
WATER WORLD
Panic and blame as Cape Town braces for water shut-off
Cape Town (AFP) Jan 24, 2018
For some residents of drought-stricken Cape Town, the prospect of the taps running dry is almost too much to bear. ... more
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WHITE OUT
NOAA research helps predict snowpack before the snow even falls
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 24, 2018
As farmers in the American West decide what, when and where to plant, and urban water managers plan for water needs in the next year, they want to know how much water their community will get from m ... more
FARM NEWS
Ancient rice heralds a new future for rice production
Brisbane, Australia (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
Wild rice growing in northern Australia's crocodile-infested waters could help boost global food security, say University of Queensland researchers who have mapped its genetic family tree. Val ... more
FARM NEWS
Researchers reveal how microbes cope in phosphorus-deficient tropical soil
Oak Ridge TN (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
A team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has uncovered how certain soil microbes cope in a phosphorus-poor environment to survive in a tropical ecosystem. Their novel a ... more
FARM NEWS
Root discovery may lead to crops that need less fertilizer
University Park PA (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
Bean plants that suppress secondary root growth in favor of boosting primary root growth forage greater soil volume to acquire phosphorus, according to Penn State researchers, who say their recent f ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Cape Town now faces dry taps by April 12
Cape Town (AFP) Jan 23, 2018
As Cape Town suffers its worst drought in a century, residents were warned Tuesday that they face losing piped water to their homes on April 12 - a whole nine days earlier than predicted. ... more
FARM NEWS
New 'Buck' naked barley: Food, feed, brew
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 19, 2018
Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) are giving an ancient grain a new life: this barley is naked, but not in an indecent way. Most barley grains are covered rather than naked. Covered ... more
WATER WORLD
Egypt, Ethiopia united against 'conflict' over Nile waters
Cairo (AFP) Jan 18, 2018
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said Thursday at talks in Cairo they were opposed to any "conflict" over the sharing of Nile waters. ... more


Clean and green: A moss that removes lead from water

BIO FUEL
Malaysia protest against EU push to ban palm oil in biofuels
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jan 16, 2018
Hundreds of Malaysian palm oil farmers protested Tuesday against a push by the European Parliament to ban the use of the commodity in biofuels, saying it would devastate rural people's livelihoods. ... more
WATER WORLD
Drought-stricken Cape Town faces dry taps by April 21
Cape Town (AFP) Jan 16, 2018
As Cape Town suffers its worst drought in a century, residents were warned by the mayor on Tuesday that they face losing piped water to their homes by April 21. ... more
WATER WORLD
Cape Town water ration to be slashed as drought bites
Cape Town (AFP) Jan 18, 2018
Cape Town will next month slash its individual daily water consumption limit by 40 percent to 50 litres, the mayor said Thursday, as the city battles its worst drought in a century. ... more
SEED DAILY





SUPERPOWERS
Grazing dangerously: The Romanian sheep nibbling away at US security
Stoenesti, Romania (AFP) Jan 16, 2018
One of the most important strategic sites in Europe for the US military has come under threat from a rather unexpected enemy: a flock of sheep. ... more
FARM NEWS
Setback for Romanian farmer's bid to graze sheep near NATO base
Bucharest (AFP) Jan 17, 2018
A Romanian farmer who has waged a years-long legal battle against the state to graze his sheep near a NATO military base suffered as setback Wednesday when he was denied a permit for a structure housing the animals. ... more
FARM NEWS
In sweet corn, workhorses win
Urbana, IL (SPX) Jan 17, 2018
When deciding which sweet corn hybrids to plant, vegetable processors need to consider whether they want their contract growers using a workhorse or a racehorse. Is it better to choose a hybrid with ... more
FARM NEWS
New process could slash energy needs of fertilizer, nitrogen-based chemicals
Princeton NJ (SPX) Jan 17, 2018
Nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizer forms the backbone of the world food supply, but its manufacture requires a tremendous amount of energy. Now, computer modeling at Princeton University points to ... more
FARM NEWS
'World's ugliest pig' spotted in Indonesia
Jakarta (AFP) Jan 5, 2018
Rare images of the "world's ugliest pig" have been captured in Indonesia, researchers said Friday, offering a window into a little-known species believed to be on the brink of extinction. ... more
FARM NEWS
Genetic mechanism that could enhance yield in cereal crops
St. Louis MO (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Solving the world's food, feed and bioenergy challenges requires integration of multiple approaches and diverse skills. Andrea Eveland, Ph.D., assistant member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science C ... more


Wearable sensors for plants enable measurements of water use in crops

FARM NEWS
Lightening Up Soybean Leaves May Boost Food Supply
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 05, 2018
A new university-led study has shown that lightening the color of soybean leaves may increase the growth and yield of this major world food crop. The finding offers a strategy to help address Earth' ... more
FARM NEWS
Annual forage crops offset losses from alfalfa winterkill
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Meet alfalfa, a perennial legume used mainly as high-quality feed for dairy cattle. Alfalfa is also used as feed for beef cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. It's high in protein (16-20% crude protein ... more
FARM NEWS
Predicting the effect of climate change on crop yields
Urbana IL (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
Scientists now have a new tool to predict the future effects of climate change on crop yields. Researchers from University of Illinois are attempting to bridge two types of computational crop ... more
FARM NEWS
New research reveals how gardeners can dig for health, not injury
Coventry UK (SPX) Jan 09, 2018
New research from Coventry University and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) reveals that a bad digging technique can as much as double the load on the joints in the body, leaving people suscepti ... more





Tiny particles have outsized impact on storm clouds and precipitation
College Park MD (SPX) Jan 29, 2018
Tiny airborne particles can have a stronger influence on powerful storms than scientists previously predicted, according to a new study co-authored by University of Maryland researchers. The findings, published in the January 26, 2018 issue of the journal Science, describe the effects of aerosols, which can come from urban and industrial air pollution, wildfires and other sources. While sc ... more
+ NASA GOLD Mission to image Earth's interface to space
+ NASA's small spacecraft produces first 883-gigahertz global ice-cloud map
+ China launches remote sensing satellites
+ NASA's GOLD powers on for the first time
+ Nutrients and warming massively increase methane emissions from lakes
+ First ICEYE-X1 Radar Image from Space Published
+ Satellites paint a detailed picture of maritime activity
Pentagon probes fitness-app use after map shows sensitive sites
Washington (AFP) Jan 29, 2018
The US military is reviewing how troops use fitness trackers and other devices, the Pentagon said Monday after an exercise-logging company published a map revealing potentially sensitive information about US and allied forces in places including the Middle East. The map, made by Strava Labs, shows the movements of its app users around the world, indicating the intensity of travel along a giv ... more
+ China sends twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space
+ 18 satellites in exactEarth's real-time constellation now in service
+ 'Quantum radio' may aid communications and mapping indoors, underground and underwater
+ Raytheon to provide GPS-guided artillery shells
+ DARPA Subterranean Challenge Aims to Revolutionize Underground Capabilities
+ New satellite tracking of in-flight aircraft to improve safety
+ US military imagines war without GPS


Three gunned down on Cambodian forest patrol: officials
Phnom Penh (AFP) Jan 31, 2018
Three Cambodians patrolling a protected forest in the remote east were gunned down after seizing a chainsaw from illegal loggers, authorities said Wednesday, in violence highlighting the murky world of the country's timber trade. A military officer, a park ranger and an employee of the prominent NGO Wildlife Conservation Society were shot dead on Tuesday as they were leaving Keo Seima Wildli ... more
+ Study shows wetlands provide landscape-scale reduction in nitrogen pollution
+ Getting to zero deforestation
+ UNH researchers find human impact on forest still evident after 500 years
+ Senegal to revamp logging laws after massacre linked to timber trade
+ Study shows European forest coverage has halved over 6,000 years
+ Senegal forest massacre: what we know
+ Senegal in crackdown on timber trafficking after massacre
Bio-renewable process could help 'green' plastic
Madison WI (SPX) Jan 29, 2018
When John Wesley Hyatt patented the first industrial plastic in 1869, his intention was to create an alternative to the elephant tusk ivory used to make piano keys. But this early plastic also sparked a revolution in the way people thought about manufacturing: What if we weren't limited to the materials nature had to offer? Over a century later, plastics are an abundant part of daily life. ... more
+ To maximize sugarcane harvesting, use the right blade
+ The making of biorelevant nanomaterials
+ Malaysia protest against EU push to ban palm oil in biofuels
+ New catalyst for hydrogen production is a step toward clean fuel
+ New study shows producers where and how to grow cellulosic biofuel crops
+ Solid-state physics offers insights into dielectric properties of biomaterials
+ Rice U.'s one-step catalyst turns nitrates into water and air


Trump approves steep tariffs on solar panels, washing machines
Washington (AFP) Jan 22, 2018
President Donald Trump has approved steep tariffs on imports of solar panels and washing machines to protect US producers, US trade officials announced Monday. The move was quickly decried by the solar industry, which said the tariffs would create a "crisis" and cost thousands of US jobs and billions in investment without helping domestic suppliers meet rising demand. US Trade Representa ... more
+ Trump missed target with solar tariffs, critics say
+ New discovery could improve organic solar cell performance
+ Perovskite solar cells: Mesoporous interface mitigates the impact of defects
+ Less than half of EU members meet 2020 renewable targets
+ Solar PV cost reductions will offset impact of new tariffs on panel prices
+ Progress on energy storage can expedite New York's shift to clean energy
+ U.S. solar power backers look at cost-cutting steps
China wind turbine-maker guilty of stealing US trade secrets
Washington (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
Sinovel, one of China's leading wind turbine-makers, was found guilty Wednesday of stealing proprietary technology from US firm AMSC, causing it $800 million in losses, the Justice Department said. A Wisconsin jury convicted Beijing-based Sinovel Wind Group Co Ltd, of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, theft of trade secrets, and wire fraud after an 11-day trial. It said that in 20 ... more
+ Scotland sets up $83 million low-carbon fund
+ German offshore wind farm closer to powering mainland
+ The wave power farm off Mutriku could improve its efficiency
+ Turkey gets European loan for renewable energy
+ Oil-rich Alberta sees momentum for wind energy
+ Construction to start on $160 million Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland
+ U.S. wind turbines getting taller and more efficient


New York unveils plans for fossil fuel divestment
New York (AFP) Jan 10, 2018
New York announced plans Wednesday to sell off $5 billion in fossil fuel investments from city pension funds after suing for billions of dollars in damages from oil companies to help fund protection against climate change. While other cities in Europe and the United States have already taken similar steps, New York hailed its move as significant as it is the biggest metropolis in the country ... more
+ French energy company EDF to replace coal in China
+ Poland opens Europe's largest coal-fired power unit
+ BHP to exit global coal body over climate change policy
+ Coal demand falling, IEA says
+ Adani drops contractor for contentious Australia mega mine
+ Scientists develop new mode of energy generation from bituminous coal
+ Battle lines drawn over coal at UN climate talks
EU envoy urges China to release Swedish book publisher
Beijing (AFP) Jan 24, 2018
The European Union's ambassador to China urged Beijing on Wednesday to immediately release a book publisher after the Swedish citizen was snatched for a second time, this time while accompanied by Swedish diplomats. The case of Hong Kong-based Gui Minhai, 53, has sparked a diplomatic row between Stockholm and Beijing, with Chinese authorities declining to give any details about his whereabou ... more
+ Hong Kong democracy candidate cleared to run in fraught vote
+ Leading Hong Kong democracy activist banned from vote
+ China's #MeToo movement emerges, testing censors' limits
+ China rights lawyer charged with 'inciting subversion'
+ Ex-governor urges British PM to speak out on Hong Kong in China visit
+ Chinese officials staging 'takeover' of Tibetan Buddhist academy: HRW
+ Anger over second 'snatching' of bookseller in China


Let's make a deal: Could AI compromise better than humans?
Provo, UT (SPX) Jan 23, 2018
Computers can play a pretty mean round of chess and keep up with the best of their human counterparts in other zero-sum games. But teaching them to cooperate and compromise instead of compete? With help from a new algorithm created by BYU computer science professors Jacob Crandall and Michael Goodrich, along with colleagues at MIT and other international universities, machine compromise an ... more
+ Dutch robots help make cheese, 'smell' the roses
+ 'Job-killing' robots, AI under scrutiny in Davos
+ AI, virtual reality make inroads in tourism sector
+ Feedback enhances brainwave control of a novel hand-exoskeleton
+ A miniaturized origami-inspired robot combines micrometer precision with high speed
+ Army scientists improve human-agent teaming by making AI agents more transparent
+ Stingray soft robot could lead to bio-inspired robotics
EU summons France, Germany, UK to 'final chance' pollution talks
Brussels (AFP) Jan 30, 2018
The EU summoned ministers from France, Germany, Britain and six other polluting member states for a "final chance" on Tuesday to comply with air quality standards. Brussels could follow through on threats to take them to the European Court of Justice, the bloc's highest tribunal, if they fail to change course. EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella "will give ministers the opportunity ... more
+ 'Toxic bloc' warned of EU legal action over air pollution
+ China's waste import ban upends global recycling industry
+ Global models offer new insights into Great Lakes mercury pollution
+ Temporary 'bathtub drains' in the ocean concentrate flotsam
+ Hong Kong engulfed in smog as fears grow over air
+ Southwest Iran suffocates under dust cloud
+ New research to help reduce number of algae blooms that form annually


NASA Covers Wildfires from Many Sources
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
NASA's satellite instruments are often the first to detect wildfires burning in remote regions, and the locations of new fires are sent directly to land managers worldwide within hours of the satellite overpass. Together, NASA instruments, including a number built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, detect actively burning fires, track the transport of smoke ... more
+ Fort McMurray researchers find simple key to risk of severe peat fires
+ Charcoal remains could accelerate CO2 emissions after forest fires
+ Wet winters may not dampen small wildfires
+ Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California
+ Thomas fire mostly contained in charred
+ After the fire, charcoal goes against the grain, with the flow
+ NASA's Aqua satellite captures smoke billowing off California coast
Navy turns to ERAPSCO for sonobuoy support
Washington (UPI) Jan 30, 2018
ERAPSCO has been awarded a contract for engineering support for the Navy's underwater active sonobuoys. The deal, announced Wednesday by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $9.6 million under the terms of a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery and is a modification on a previously awarded contract. The contract taps ERAPSCO for the procurement of engineering support service ... more
+ Small hydroelectric dams increase globally with little research, regulations
+ Scientists pinpoint how ocean acidification weakens coral skeletons
+ Satellite and global model estimates vary for land water storage
+ Nauru, one of the smallest island nations, gets big climate support
+ Seabed mining could destroy ecosystems
+ Global fish passage forum to include first symposium on hydropower and fish
+ Panic and blame as Cape Town braces for water shut-off


Storm damage to cost Germany 500 mln euros as death toll rises
Berlin (AFP) Jan 19, 2018
German insurers estimated Friday that ferocious gales that battered Germany caused 500 million euros ($614 million) in damages, as the number of dead across the country rose to eight. Trains on Germany's intercity lines gradually resumed operation a day after they were suspended due to the hurricane-force winds which caused transport chaos across northern Europe. Two more people were re ... more
+ Nine dead as huge storms batter Europe
+ Death toll from California mudslides rises to 20
+ Dozens still unaccounted for in California mudslides
+ Rescuers search for victims as California mudslide toll hits 17
+ California mudslides demolish homes, killing at least 13
+ Bats' brains boil in Australia heatwave
+ 'Hottest' Ashes Test day on record as Australia swelters
Trump trade crackdown gathering steam, China a target
Washington (AFP) Jan 23, 2018
President Donald Trump begins 2018 making good on his aggressive "America First" trade agenda, with China as a primary target. As he prepares to mingle this week with global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a traditional cheerleader of free trade, Trump has again ruffled feathers from Beijing to Berlin after imposing steep tariffs on imported washing machines and so ... more
+ May arrives in China eyeing post-Brexit trade links
+ British PM to visit China as Brexit looms
+ China factory expansion slows again in January
+ American companies see a booming China that may not want them
+ Trump angers China, South Korea with new trade tariffs
+ Xinhua: 'America First' puts U.S. behind the curve
+ China economy beat expectations in 2017: AFP survey
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Rare 'super blood blue moon' visible on Jan 31
Miami (AFP) Jan 28, 2018
A cosmic event not seen in 36 years - a rare "super blood blue moon" - may be glimpsed January 31 in parts of western North America, Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Australia. The event is causing a buzz because it combines three unusual lunar events - an extra big super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse. "It's an astronomical trifecta," said Kelly Beatty, a senior editor ... more
+ What scientists can learn about the Moon during the Jan. 31 eclipse
+ Magnetic coil springs accelerate particles on the Sun
+ Sounding rockets study space x-ray emissions and create polar mesospheric cloud
+ Eclipse megamovie projects seeks public's help analyzing 50,000 photos
+ Special star is a Rosetta Stone for understanding the sun's variability and climate effect
+ August eclipse left a wake in ionosphere, researchers reveal
+ Report Highlights Social and Economic Impacts of Space Weather
Breakthrough study shows how plants sense the world
Birmingham AL (SPX) Jan 23, 2018
Plants lack eyes and ears, but they can still see, hear, smell and respond to environmental cues and dangers - especially to virulent pathogens. They do this with the aid of hundreds of membrane proteins that can sense microbes or other stresses. Only a small portion of these sensing proteins have been studied through classical genetics, and knowledge on how these sensors function by formi ... more
+ Humans get in the way of mammal movement
+ Bacteria under your feet
+ How did we evolve to live longer?
+ Why don't turtles still have tail spikes?
+ Facebook top choice for Philippines wildlife traders: monitor
+ Expert unlocks mechanics of how snakes move in a straight line
+ New technology will create brain wiring diagrams


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