Translating Food Technology:
You asked, 'Why do farmers do that?' We answered with this popular regular installment 

Nebraska's farmers have workdays filled with jobs that are often both taked for granted and misunderstood. Our new series in 2014, "Why Do Farmers Do That?" helps answer some of your shoppers' basic questions about what farmers do to get food to their tables. This installment, about why farmers continue to plow farm fields even though the practice has been criticized on environmental grounds, was the top story for last year. Check it out again, in case you missed it.

Navigating the New Food Movement:
Continuing a theme. 'Local' says a whole lot more than simply food miles  

As Farmer Goes to Market just pointed out in our last issue here, "local" has becoming a marketing term filled with both confusion and oversimplification. Our synopsis of several journal articles from last January about the real meaning behind the use of the term continued that theme and earned the story a No. 2 spot in our most popular stories for the year. Take another look at the complex issue.

Meet Your Farmers:
Revisit with this Columbus farmer as he explains environmental-friendly farming 

Take a tour again of a typical medium-sized Nebraska crop, hog and cattle farm, as Columbus' Luckey family farmers explain why today's farming tools actually reduce the environmental footprint of raising crops and animals. Watch it here. 

Competitive Commodity Information:
How will this new pig virus affect pork prices?

When the pig disease known as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea reached Nebraska back in late 2013, grocers turned to Farmer Goes to Market's commodity insight story for a little perspective on the potential impact on markets. Click here to review it again.

Foresight on Food Politics:
The six states most likely to be targeted
for political action against agriculture

The year 2014 was a year that saw groups like the Humane Society of the United States pursue a state-by-state strategy to force agriculture to make changes to traditional practices that don't fit their vision of "humane" farming. It's one reason Nebraska's governer made it clear he didn't welcome the group in our state in 2013. Our reporting on a 2014  study predicting which states made them likely targets for activists was the No. 5 most read story for last year.

On the Lighter Side:
We broke our rule against cute baby videos, to your apparent delight  

Though we maintain a strict no-cats/no-cute-babies video policy at Farmer Goes to Market, we couldn't quite resist this one from last February. Apparently, you couldn't either, as it came in No. 6 on our list of 2014's most popular. We dare you to resist it one more time, here.

• Translating Food Technology:
  As election-year debate heated up over proposed legislation half a country away to ban 'gestation crates' in pig raising, Farmer Goes to Market's analysis of the reason behind their use rose to the top of Google's search-results page as consumers sought answers.
• Translating Food Technology:
  With springtime comes the typical increase in police raids on rural meth labs. With it, Farmer Goes to Market answered one common question: Why do farmers use this typical methamphetamine ingredient?
• Translating Food Technology:
  'Pink slime,' or lean finely textured beef, appears to be on its way back into wide use. Check out Farmer Goes to Market's popular explanation of what it is, what it isn't, and why its use may be good for you in the long run.
• Kathy's Commentary: Would the new proposed legislation dictating housing standards for egg-laying hens turn out to be the next COOL...another set of burdensome regulations imposed on grocers? Kathy Siefken analyzed the question here.