Ag Secretary: Smartphones Could Tell Buyers What's in Food
In the ever-complicated debate over labeling of GM foods, Secretary Vilsack says he has an idea: use your smartphone. Vilsack told members of Congress that consumers could just use their phones to scan special bar codes or other symbols on food packages in the grocery store. All sorts of information could pop up, such as whether the food's ingredients include GMOs.
 
A Modest Proposal for Feeding Africa
The ingredients that will achieve food security in Africa are already known to us, and we already have parts of them working. Currently, average cereal yields in Africa are a little over one ton per hectare. In the UK it can be up to eight tons. Africa has places where European-level yields could be achieved. That is not the issue. It can be done, the question is how.
 
Freight Farms: How Boston Gets Local Greens, Even When Buried In Snow
Entrepreneurs are using those shipping containers to grow local produce. "Freight Farms" are shipping containers modified to grow stacks of hydroponic plants and vegetables. It's a new way for small-scale farmers to grow crops year-round in a computer-controlled environment, even in the middle of the city.
 
Farming: There's an App for That
The growing field of agricultural technology allows farmers to track herd performance, calculate fertilizer ratios and ID crop pests, all with the flick of a finger on a touch screen. These eight apps are the latest ag tech tools to help farmers improve production and increase revenue.