"Super weeds" are taking root, making it tough for some farmers to sort out their crops.
Farmers loved the weed killer "Roundup" when it was introduced in the 1970s because it could kill nearly any plant and allowed them to give up harsher chemicals and reduce tilling. But now some Roundup resistant varieties of weeds have emerged. Some farmers are now being forced to turn to less environmentally friendly herbicides.
Penn State University weed scientists estimate that in three or four years, farmers' use of dicamba and 2, 4-D, a weed killer developed during World War II, will increase by 55-million pounds a year because of resistance to Roundup.
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The Obama administration is proposing antitrust rules for meat companies that reflect a shift in power between farmers and processors.
The rules proposed last week lowers the bar that farmers and ranchers must meet to sue meat companies they say demand unfairly low prices.
Currently, farmers must prove a company is harming competition in the industry overall. But under the new rules, farmers only need to show the company is engaged in deceptive practices.
Experts say the change could lead to a wave of lawsuits.
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The Dairy Farmers of America's has a new western regional office. The new office opened Friday on Wilma Avenue in Ripon.
The D.F.A. is a national milk marketing cooperative whose core business is to market the milk of its members. It's been in Ripon for a year and also has an office in Southern California.
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The Almond Hullers and Processors Association board of directors is inviting growers to apply for association president.
Interested people should go the group's website for application procedures and a job description.
Review of applications will begin July 5.
