Apr 1 Agriculture As Some Midwest Farmers Struggle With Historic Flooding, Ohio Valley Ethanol Producers See Profit Boost Mick Henderson runs the Commonwealth Agri-Energy ethanol plant in west Kentucky. He said the past year for U.S. ethanol producers, including in the Ohio Valley, has been rough. “We’ve just passed our 15th anniversary just now, and this is going to be one of our weakest years,” Henderson said. Ethanol prices have been down the […] By Liam Niemeyer Apr 1 Agriculture As Some Midwest Farmers Struggle With Historic Flooding, Ohio Valley Ethanol Producers See Profit Boost Liam Niemeyer
Mar 28 Agriculture Kentucky Called A “Warning Signal” On SNAP Work Requirements The federal government is considering a work requirement for some people who get food assistance through SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. A new study uses Kentucky as an example of what that change could mean for the country. The SNAP rules require 80 hours of work a month and cap assistance at three […] By Mary Meehan Mar 28 Agriculture Kentucky Called A “Warning Signal” On SNAP Work Requirements Mary Meehan
Mar 22 Agriculture Sweet Equity: Ohio Valley Farmers Tapping Into Tradition When Seth Long first began experimenting with maple syrup production, he tapped hollow pegs called spiles into individual trees, collected drips of sap in milk jugs, and carried each gallon down the the steep mountainside on foot. Now, Long rides an open-air buggy up muddy switchbacks to a 500-gallon collection tank from which translucent blue […] By Sydney Boles Mar 22 Agriculture Sweet Equity: Ohio Valley Farmers Tapping Into Tradition Sydney Boles
Mar 15 Agriculture Ohio Valley Farmers, Electric Cooperatives Push Back On Trump’s Budget Cut Proposals West Kentucky Soybean Farmer Jed Clark, like many Ohio Valley farmers, is in a tighter financial situation because tariffs from the trade war and market forces have depressed crop prices. “We’ve had a collapse in our grain markets,” Clark said. “We’re seeing some of the lowest commodity prices for wheat we’ve seen in a long […] By Liam Niemeyer Mar 15 Agriculture Ohio Valley Farmers, Electric Cooperatives Push Back On Trump’s Budget Cut Proposals Liam Niemeyer
Mar 15 Agriculture Distress Grows For Ohio Valley Farmers As Trade Deals Stall West Kentucky Farmer Barry Alexander doesn’t have an answer on when the Trump administration will reach a trade deal with China, now a year into tariffs that have hamstrung some Ohio Valley industries. Alexander is optimistic these continued negotiations will be worth it, but his plan in the meantime lies in massive, silver storage bins […] By Liam Niemeyer Mar 15 Agriculture Distress Grows For Ohio Valley Farmers As Trade Deals Stall Liam Niemeyer
Feb 8 Agriculture Hemp’s Heyday: It’s Finally Legal. Now, Can Ohio Valley Farmers Cash In? Inside Winkin’ Sun Hemp Company in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia, store owner Doug Flight tries to position himself in front of a camera crew. His experience with growing and selling hemp spans years. But memorizing lines for what he says could be the first hemp TV commercial in the state is another issue. “I know, […] By Liam Niemeyer Feb 8 Agriculture Hemp’s Heyday: It’s Finally Legal. Now, Can Ohio Valley Farmers Cash In? Liam Niemeyer
Feb 1 Agriculture Farmers Still Dealing With Effects Of Government Shutdown The federal government shutdown is over but some Ohio Valley farmers are still dealing with its effects as they try to sign up for federal relief payments and find ways to substitute for missing information caused by a delay in important government reports. The American Farm Bureau Federation said 62 reports were delayed during the shutdown. These […] By Liam Niemeyer Feb 1 Agriculture Farmers Still Dealing With Effects Of Government Shutdown Liam Niemeyer
Jan 25 Agriculture Dairy Dilemma: Food Shelters Awash In Surplus Milk They Can’t Afford To Store Cyndi Kirkhart has some 26,000 square feet of warehouse space at the Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington, West Virginia, where she is executive director. That sounds like a lot of space. But very little of it is cooler space. “This is the only cooler we have,” Kirkhart said, stepping into a walk-in cooler the […] By Glynis Board Jan 25 Agriculture Dairy Dilemma: Food Shelters Awash In Surplus Milk They Can’t Afford To Store Glynis Board
Jan 17 Agriculture Limited USDA Service During Government Shutdown Sows Confusion For Farmers The Farm Service Agency office in Mayfield, Kentucky, is so quiet you can hear the tick of the Department of Agriculture-branded clock on the wall. Eleven employees usually make up this busy office. Only three were called in Thursday morning as the U.S. Department of Agriculture reopened Farm Service Agency offices across the country on Thursday. […] By Liam Niemeyer Jan 17 Agriculture Limited USDA Service During Government Shutdown Sows Confusion For Farmers Liam Niemeyer