The Islas Ballestas off the coast of the Chincha and Pisco valleys remain an important location for many seabird species, as well as seals and other marine animals. Birds today are less abundant than they were in the past, leading to decreased guano accumulation compared to earlier eras – credit, Jo Osborn New archaeological evidence … Read more
Erwin Bosman via Unsplash From Germany comes the story of mountains of potatoes as far as the eye can see going to feed anyone and everyone in Berlin and nearby towns. For German potato farmers, the early winter potato harvest has been a bumper crop—no, a banner crop—nay, it’s a full-on food-bank-buster crop. The “potato … Read more
Gregory curls up with family’s calf on the sofa one recent frigid night – Courtesy of his mother, Macey Sorrell Over last weekend, a Kentucky farming family welcomed a new calf into a frigid world of single digit temperatures, and quickly realized it wasn’t going to last the night. So being a mother as well … Read more
Darla Hueske – via Unsplash Farming adaptations have seen Canada’s farmers turn out record harvests in the middle of a 5-year drought. Truly unsavory conditions, like oppressive rainfall followed by an immediate return to drought, would typically have left the wheat on Simon Ellis’ fields shriveled and worthless. Instead, plump grains were ready to be … Read more
The American kestrel – credit, Charles J. Sharp via Sharp Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0 This is the American kestrel; a sight to behold. Sporting a back that’s emblazoned with pheasant rust and bars of black, supporting wings of battleship grey tipped with white dots like a moth’s, and streaks of menacing black down its eyes, … Read more
Knüsel family with their electric tractors – Rigitrac Traktorenbau AG via FACEBOOK A big Swiss family has invented Europe’s first all-electric, solar-assisted tractor, and is now selling the vehicle in 5 countries. The Knüsel Family lives in the canton of Schwyz, where patriarch and father of 4, Sepp Knüsel, has been building tractors for over … Read more
Veronika using her brush tool – credit – Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró SWNS A clever cow called Veronika is the first ever to be recorded using tools—a brush or stick to scratch her back. The old Swiss Brown cow has astonished scientists in Austria with her broom, which she uses as a multi-purpose tool, an … Read more
Obi via Unsplash Whether you’re a student, an administrator, a farmer—or the journalists getting their teeth into the story of Kentucky schools’ movement to buy and serve local produce, the consensus is clear: the fajitas are great. At Boyle County High School, locally-raised beef marinated in cumin is heaped onto corn tortillas with queso, guacamole, … Read more
Wells in the Hortobágy National Park Puszta, with a stable – credit Self2 CC 2.0., via Wikimedia Drought is affecting the Great Hungarian Plain like never before, but a team of concerned citizens have hatched a clever plan to address it in the short term. It’s arguable what the Eastern European country is more famous … Read more
Fiona, Britain’s Loneliest Sheep – credit, The Sheep Game Having been called “Britain’s Loneliest Sheep,” and later the “World’s Most Famous Sheep,” Fiona is now pregnant with twins 2 years after her harrowing rescue. GNN reported in 2023 that rural Scotsmen were planning a daring, cliffside extraction of a sheep that had been seen stranded … Read more