Voters in Colorado and Washington recently approved the legalization of marijuana for recreational — not “medical” — purposes. But this hardly means that the business of growing and dispensing of pot will be all fun and games.
Agriculture
Lots of Goodies Were Stuffed into the Fiscal Cliff Deal
A host of special interests, from filmmakers to rum distillers, got tax breaks in last week’s fiscal cliff deal.
Mississippi River Could Close to Barge Traffic Within Days
Traffic on the Mississippi River – which transports everything from grain to petroleum to coal – could come to a halt as soon as this weekend.
Why Does Canada Have a Maple-Syrup Cartel?
Over a one-year period during 2011 and ’12, some 6 million gallons of maple syrup — about $18 million worth — were stolen from the “strategic maple syrup reserve” controlled by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup …
Why the Coconut Craze Isn’t Helping Farmers
Americans are demanding all-things-coconut, but it’s unclear how the boom will benefit farmers in foreign countries.
Small Towns Get Boost From Oil, Gas as Wealth Shifts Away From Cities
The Great Recession hit small towns hard. But according to a new analysis, small-town America is actually experiencing an economic revival thanks to an oil and gas boom.
The Cost and Consequences of the U.S. Drought
The 2012 farming season may be in its waning days, but the consequences of this year’s drought, the worst of its kind in 25 years, are yet to be known.
On the Great Lakes, a Dry Summer Slows a Recovering Shipping Industry
Low water levels on the Mississippi River, which have snarled cargo traffic and completely halted hundreds of barges at a time, got most of the media attention during this year’s arid summer. But the weird weather is also having …
So About That ‘Unavoidable Bacon Shortage’? You Can Stop Freaking Out Now
Aporkalypse! Baconpocalyse! Bacon-geddon! “Pig out” now! The news that a global shortage of bacon and pork products is “unavoidable” has been met with mass hysteria, albeit mostly the ironic kind. But will there be an actual …
Bitter Harvest: U.S. Farmers Blame Billion-Dollar Losses on Immigration Laws
Ralph and Cheryl Broetje rely on roughly 1,000 seasonal workers every year to grow and pack more than 6 million boxes of apples on their farm along the Snake River in eastern Washington. It’s a custom they’ve maintained for …