Category: VOA Agriculture Report

People who do not get enough vitamin A in their diet may develop night blindness. But in the developing world a lack of vitamin A causes much more serious harm to children. The World Health Organization links vitamin A deficiency to as many as two hundred fifty thousand child deaths every year. One excellent source …

For American soldiers, the move from the military to civilian life is not always easy. Military veterans have a thirty-five percent unemployment rate. This is more than three times the national average. And an estimated one hundred thousand veterans are homeless. The federal government and private organizations offer programs to help veterans. One private program …

An evergreen tree is a Christmas tradition in many American homes. The tree is usually a pine or fir dressed with lights and other colorful decorations. Families might buy a cut tree or go to a tree farm and cut one down themselves. Some people bring a live tree in a pot into their home …

An international group has set the limit for the two thousand eleven catch of bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. The limit is just under thirteen thousand metric tons. That is six hundred tons less than the two thousand ten quota, a reduction of four percent. Conservation groups criticized the move, saying …

Two thousand ten was a good year for American farmers. They earned an estimated eighty-two billion dollars. That is almost one-third more than they earned in two thousand nine. And it is twenty-six percent higher than the ten-year average.The numbers are from the Economic Research Service at the Department of Agriculture. They represent net farm …

Recycling programs usually give new life to materials like paper, metal, plastic and glass. But a program in the eastern United States is recycling shellfish to help the Chesapeake Bay. Oysters are filter feeders which means they help clean the water. At the same time, generation upon generation of oysters form reefs. These structures provide …

Thanksgiving Day is America’s version of a harvest festival. The holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Millions of Americans joined family and friends to give thanks and eat a meal with a history that is centuries old. Early European settlers in North America held other ceremonies where they gave thanks. But what …

Teff is a common part of the diet in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa. This nutritious grain is very small. It has a mild, nutty taste. People use teff flour to make bread and other foods. Now teff is finding new uses in foods for people with celiac disease. People with celiac disease cannot …

Farmers know that if you reduce harmful insects and diseases in your crops, you have a chance for a better harvest. Today, many farmers and experts praise Integrated Pest Management, or IPM. IPM is a series of choices and methods to control insects, diseases and fungi. The program provides current information on how pests live …

In nineteen ninety-four, animal health experts started a worldwide campaign to end rinderpest. This disease is closely related to the measles virus but it does not infect people. Yet for thousands of years rinderpest has affected people by killing cattle and other animals and causing starvation. The last known outbreak of rinderpest took place in …

Chocolate comes from cocoa beans, and more than half of those beans come from two countries in West Africa. But the situation is not all sweetness for poor cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast and neighboring Ghana. The United States has announced ten million dollars for renewed efforts to end the worst forms of child labor …

Cacao or cocoa trees grow in hot, rainy areas of Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Their beans are used to make cocoa powder, cocoa butter and of course chocolate. There are five to six million growers, maybe more. Many are poor family farmers with only a few hectares. West Africa produces more than …

Some people like to start their dinner with a salad of lettuce or other leafy greens. Ancient Egyptians and Romans also liked to have lettuce with their evening meal. But they served it at the end.There are hundreds of kinds of head and leaf lettuces. The most popular ones include head lettuces such as iceberg, …

Farmers in the United States have grown genetically engineered crops since the late nineteen nineties. Now, a federal agency is deciding whether to let a genetically modified animal into the food supply for the first time. A company, AquaBounty Technologies, has developed the AquAdvantage Salmon. The fish is an Atlantic salmon that contains genes from …

Farmers and gardeners have turned the soil for centuries. But many now believe in no-till or reduced tillage, a method also called conservation tillage. The Conservation Technology Information Center says forty percent of American cropland used this method at last report.Tilling can remove weeds and the waste from last season’s crops and help break down …

In September, world leaders met in New York City to discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals they set ten years ago. Five years remain to meet eight goals to reduce hunger, poverty and disease and expand education.United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a three-day summit meeting of one hundred forty presidents and prime ministers. …

Not all research begins with a plan. Some studies begin by accident. Meredith Schafer says that is what happened with her and Cynthia Sagers. Cynthia Sagers is a biology professor at the University of Arkansas. Meredith Schafer is a graduate student. They were traveling in the state of North Dakota on a project. They noticed …

I’m Alex Villarreal with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. Goats are valuable not just for their milk and meat. Or for their ability to control weeds and help renew grasslands. Or even for their ability to be gentle around children. Goats can also be valuable for their hair.Cashmere goats produce cashmere and Angora goats …

‘m Alex Villarreal with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. Today we have a test for you — a vocabulary quiz. The words are all related to agriculture. We start with two questions about terms for plants. Ready? First question: What do we call a plant that lives only one year or one growing season? …

Russia’s Pavlovsk Experimental Station houses one of the oldest seed and plant collections in the world. But in August a court agreed to let the Russian Housing Development Foundation take control of the land. The Russian government established the foundation in two thousand eight. The foundation wants to build housing on the land near Saint …