Sampath, 63, planted these oil palm trees on his farm in Tamil Nadu, India, 12 years ago, but has yet to turn a profit. Sushmita Pathak/NPR hide caption
farmers farmers
The Big Iron Farm Show draws thousands of farmers and farm equipment-makers to a fairground in West Fargo, N.D. For many this year, concerns about crop yields have been eclipsed by worries about President Trump's trade policies. Jim Zarroli/NPR hide caption
Farmers Hope For China Trade Deal, But For Now They Worry About Tariffs' Impact
A new report suggests that when consumers buy sustainably-certified coffee, they have little way of knowing whether or how their purchase helps growers. MediaforMedical/Michel Cardoso/UIG via Getty Images hide caption
The harvest is bad for German farmers this year as the country has experienced the hottest summer on record and months without rainfall. Christian Ender/Getty Images hide caption
German Farmers Struck By Drought Fear Further Damage From Climate Change
Workers in dust masks wash fresh red bell peppers in smoky conditions outside of Eltopia, Wash. Even with the masks, the smoke is still causing tight chests, itchy eyes and dry throats. Anna King/Northwest News Network hide caption
As Wildfires Rage, Smoke Chokes Out Farmworkers And Delays Some Crops
Northwest News Network
As Wildfires Rage, Smoke Chokes Out Farmworkers And Delays Some Crops
Cedric Habiyaremye and his mother, Agnes Mukankwaya, on a quinoa farm in Rwanda. Cedric Habiyaremye hide caption
Cattle on a dry paddock in the drought-hit area of Quirindi in New South Wales. Glenn Nicholls /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Eve Clark, 10, and Maggie Berry, 17, help with chores at Vision Aire Farms. They are seen in the barn, adjacent to the milking parlor. Coburn Dukehart/Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism hide caption
For Wisconsin's Dairy Farmers, Tariffs Could Reshape The Race For The Senate
The Feed the Future Tworore Inkoko, Twunguke project hosts a meeting in the Gataraga sector of Rwanda to recruit farmers to grow chickens. If the farmers commit to four days of training and pass a competency test, they are given a backyard coop worth about $625, as well as the means to obtain 100 day-old chicks, vaccines, feed and technical advice. Emily Urban/NPR hide caption
Farmers do their version of the Kiki Challenge, dancing to Drake's song "In My Feelings." In the mud. With oxen. My Village Show Vlogs via YouTube/screenshot by NPR hide caption
Morning dew glistens on a tobacco leaf in a field outside Rolesville, N.C. Despite a worldwide decline in production, tobacco remains North Carolina's most valuable crop. Allen Breed/AP hide caption
The herbs for Sanctuary Herbs of Providence's teas are grown by first-generation immigrants. Cyndee Fand @ The Creative Counter hide caption
The alkali bee is slightly smaller than a honey bee, with opalescent stripes that shimmer between yellow, green, red and blue. Aaron Scott/Oregon Public Broadcasting hide caption
The booming real estate market has driven up prices to the point where Rhode Island now has the most expensive farmland in the country. The state is trying to preserve some land for farmers. Carol M. Highsmith/Getty Images hide caption
Rhode Island Bets The Farm That Cheap Land Will Help Local Agriculture Thrive
The Diamond B Ranch, north of Cheyenne, Wyo., is no longer a working property. It's been bought and subdivided by a realty company. Cooper McKim/Wyoming Public Radio hide caption
Arkansas farmer David Wildy inspects a field of soybeans that were damaged by dicamba. The pesticide ban is tied up in courts, leaving farmers uncertain about what to plant. Dan Charles/NPR hide caption
A field of recently-sprouted grain sorghum in Lyford, Texas, shown in a photograph from May 2013. In the latest salvo of a growing trade war, China announced a temporary 179 percent tariff on the U.S. crop. Christopher Sherman/AP hide caption
Deb Gangwish inspects soil on her farm near Shelton, Neb. Dan Charles hide caption
Hog farmers worry that they will pay a hefty price if there's a trade war with China. Red Cedicol/EyeEm/Getty Images hide caption
Kansas farmer Derek Klingenberg is using satellite images to capture cow art from space. YouTube hide caption
Have You Herd? Farmer Writes A Memoo Using Cows And Satellite Imagery
High Plains Public Radio
In 2012, record heat throughout the U.S. farm belt curtailed crop production like this rotting corn on a farm in Bruceville, Ind. Farmers are now worried that the lack of rainfall this year could start the cycle over again. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
The Theewaterskloof Dam is at just 13 percent capacity and is full of sand and dried tree trunks. About 85 miles north of Cape Town, the dam supplies both city and local farmers. Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
South African Farmers Lose Crops And Workers Amid Crippling Drought
A head of poor-quality malt barley taken directly from a field in Power, Mont. Heat and a lack of water resulted in small and light kernels. Grain rejected for malt barley often ends up as animal feed. Tony Bynum/Food & Environment Reporting Network hide caption
President Trump speaks at the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual convention in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Sale Tambaya, a cattle herder in central Nigeria, grazes his cows. After his home state criminalized open grazing on Nov. 1, he and his family fled with their livestock to a neighboring state where grazing is allowed. Two of his sons died on the journey. Tim McDonnell for NPR hide caption