Webworms are about to strike trees for the third time this year, and this stage can be the most damaging because the caterpillars can defoliate the tree. Synthetic chemicals also degrade when exposed to environmental conditions, but usually remain in the environment longer than naturally-derived chemicals. Infestations are rarely fatal but, by occurring repeatedly, can stress trees and make them susceptible to drought, disease or other insect pests. Synthetic chemicals often mimic...

It requires a lot of fertilizer, and allows a lot of fertilizer to run off with rainwater. But when ethanol is made from corn, it substitutes one set of problems the toll that growing and processing corn takes on the environment for another. Even without that, agriculture experts expect farmers in Virginia and the five other states that feed into the bay to plant half a million more acres of corn, as they respond to higher prices fueled by ethanol demand. There are no easy answers, no...

Market Watch Online email. MURTAUGH, Idaho - By the time Bettencourt Dairy Farm s new Murtaugh facility is ready to milk the first half of its planned 10,000 cows, an anaerobic digester should be ready to begin converting effluent into power, organic fertilizer and digested solids for animal bedding. MURTAUGH, Idaho - By the time Bettencourt Dairy Farm s new Murtaugh facility is ready to milk the first half of its planned 10,000 cows, an anaerobic digester should be ready to begin...

The BASF Agricultural Products division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. The vision of BASF s Agricultural Products division is to be the world s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and...

While acknowledging that the causes of breast cancer are an interplay of familial, environmental and lifestyle factors, Breast Cancer Network called for better information for the public, research into the links between environment and breast cancer, and regulation to reduce exposure to substances that show links to breast cancer in laboratory studies. While acknowledging that the causes of breast cancer are an interplay of familial, environmental and lifestyle factors, Breast Cancer...

What appears to be a growing trend of farmers moving their operations to Mexico and other countries could have some undesirable repercussions, including the loss of farm-related jobs for U. The farmer told the Times he now has a reliable workforce and the farmhands don't have to worry about being deported. Whether moving agricultural production out of the country would increase or decrease the price of foods at the grocery store is not known. While that argument has some merit, it ignores...

Chilliwack Blues Festival. As farmers get ready for the harvest, and the federal government prepares to return for its fall session, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is ready to move on to the next phase of developing the next generation of federal agriculture policy, which must be in place by next April 1. As farmers get ready for the harvest, and the federal government prepares to return for its fall session, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is ready to move on to...

Trimming back new growth and removing new flowers as they form is an excellent way to redirect the plants' energy to maturing the fruit already on them rather than producing more. Fruit forming from now on would not have a chance to mature before that happens. It must be ingested by the target insect to be effective but does not harm moths and butterflies that are not feeding on treated plants. Corn earworms cause the worst of their damage by feeding on the fresh silk and boring into the...

Copyright 2007, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company A Polk County park eyed for a major expansion of Blank Park Zoo sits atop a decades-old military dump site that officials fear has left soil and a popular fishing spot contaminated with pesticides, asbestos and chemical compounds. AUGUST: City leaders create a "super block" committee to study the future of the zoo and possible locations for an expansion on the city's south side. Copyright 2007, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company...