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Home Buying Challenges; Farming Alternatives and What It Could Mean for The Future of Agriculture. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired October 23, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, sunshine. I`m Coy Wire. Welcome to CNN 10. Happy motivation Monday to you. Remember that there`s no such thing as
overnight success, the best musicians, artists, athletes, doctors, you name it, they become great only after years of study and practice. So as you
pursue your greatness, remember the story of the Chinese bamboo. It`s a seed that remains underground for four years, with nothing peek up above
the surface until in the fifth year, after being watered regularly, it`s now strong and suddenly it shoots up growing 90 feet tall in just five
weeks. Let`s keep growing y`all.
We`re going to start today with news about the housing market. It might not be the best time for prospective home buyers to get a loan, to buy a home.
That`s because mortgage rates are nearing 8%. A mortgage rate is the percentage of interest that is charged on a home loan. Let`s break it down
by the numbers.
For an 8% interest rate on say, a 30-year loan of a hundred thousand dollars the total amount you`d pay over 30 years would be more than
$250,000. Interest rates changed with economic conditions. Prices have climbed for the past three months straight. And there were fewer homes on
the market in September than any September ever before. No wonder home sales just hit a 13-year low.
Unfortunately, prices are expected to stay high. Inventory is expected to stay low and rates could climb even higher. ICE Mortgage Technology says
that monthly mortgage payments on median priced homes are more than $2,500 up 91% from two years ago. And that housing is the least affordable it`s
been since 1984.
The last time home affordability was this tight interest rates were over 13% and the average home price was about three and a half times, the median
household income. We`ll keep you updated on the housing market right here on CNN 10.
Now pop quiz, hotshot. Ten second trivia, which of these weather patterns is a "warm phase" having weaker winds and warmer ocean water?
Nor`easter, El Nino, La Nina or Derecho?
El Nino, Spanish for the little boy is this irregular weather pattern that originates in the Pacific Ocean.
El Nino, a natural ocean and weather pattern in the tropical Pacific might shake things up for the U.S. this winter. It`s looking like some areas
might get a warmer, maybe wetter winter, but for those of us who love those snowy, wintery, wonderlands, don`t worry, though, we may be in for above
average temperatures this winter season, we`ll still get cold snaps. They just might not hit as often or hang around as long. More now from CNN`s
Karin Caifa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Winter will be wetter and warmer in parts of the U.S. Thanks to El Nino, a natural ocean and weather pattern in the
Tropical Pacific.
JON GOTTSCHAL, NOAA CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER: What typically can happen when in those cases is that the U.S. and Alaska is impacted by much more
air of Pacific ocean origin, which is generally warmer.
CAIFA: That forecast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. But Jon Gottschal of NOAA`s Climate Prediction
Center says you should still unpack the winter coats.
GOTTSCHAL: There will be certainly periods of below normal temperatures. There`ll be those Arctic outbreaks. What we`re saying basically is more
that there may be less -- less of them and shorter duration potentially this year.
CAIFA: And the snow boots. El Nino brings the potential for more precipitation, especially in the Northeast where it could deliver two or
three major snowstorms. And above average precipitation as rain, snow, or icy mix that`s forecast from the Plains to the Southwest could be welcomed
after a summer of extreme drought.
GOTTSCHAL: Overall, it could be a very much a needed benefit relief for the drought conditions that are occurring in those areas.
CAIFA: Looking back on hallmarks of recent El Nino winters, the 2018, `19 season saw the wettest winter on record for the U.S. mainland, according to
NOAA, and a very strong El Nino during the 2015, `16 winter contributed to the warmest winter on record for the U.S. mainland land. In Washington, I`m
Karin Caifa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Next up, a method of farming that could potentially provide us with more nutritious crops while putting more money in farmer`s pockets. A lot
of big farms in the United States rely on pesticides to battle pesky weeds, bugs, and diseases that can ruin crops, but they`re not cheap. And maybe
there is a safer way to protect the crops that we consume. CNN`s Derek Van Dam went on a trip to Southern California to learn about something called
regenerative farming, a method from the past that just may become the future of farming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): It was grown using what`s called Regenerative Agriculture. It`s farming practices, which are
centuries old, but getting new life, thanks to small farms like coastal roots here in Encinitas, California.
ADAM MCCURDY, DIRECTOR OF FARM PRODUCTION, COASTAL ROOTS: This is what it`s all about. Look at that.
VAN DAM: Yeah, that`s fertile, fertile land here.
(Voice-Over): Regenerative agriculture is a guiding principle centered around this stuff, soil and its ability to repair itself. Thanks to what`s
already living inside of it.
(On camera): There is more microorganisms in this teaspoon of soil from this farm than there are people on the planet. Incredible.
VAN DAM (voice-over): A few hours north at McGrath Family Farm, it`s plain to seat, the healthier the organisms, the healthier the crops.
INLAKESH AMOR, LEAD FARMER, MCGRATH FAMILY FARMERS: And the more regenerative practice you do the healthier those organisms are.
VAN DAM: These microbes are what gives soil its ability to grow food. Current methods, fertilizer, tillage, pesticides, just disturbing, the
soil, can kill these microorganisms and deplete the land. Instead Inlakesh and Adam are putting life back into their farm`s soil by rotating crops. So
old already harvested plants become the compost to feed new plants.
AMOR: How are these dead sunflowers going to become food for, for the soil, right?
VAN DAM: Right.
AMOR: So these organisms helps break that down for plants. You -- you could see like the roots of the plants are -- are basically like our stomachs and
the more diversity of bacteria there is, the more organic matter, the healthier the plant is.
VAN DAM (voice-over): And instead of using synthetic pesticides, Adam McCurdy is recruiting fowls.
MCCURDY: Hey girls. They do a great job of eating pests (ph) and then leaving the deposit. So they`re preparing the soil.
VAN DAM: McCurdy is practicing rotational grazing, where he carefully moves this livestock around from one crop to another to manage soil health.
MCCURDY: So you see a crop that`s here. Once this is spent, we`re going to bring those chickens here.
VAN DAM (On camera): Your chickens are going to come and help, you know, decompose that food. They`re going to fertilize the soil. In turn, you`re
going to create a new crop and wash prints repeat, right? I mean --
MCCURDY: Exactly.
VAN DAM: That`s awesome.
MCCURDY: Exactly.
VAN DAM (voice-over): Not only is regenerative agriculture better for the planet by moving away from harmful pesticides and fertilizers, but food
grown this way can even be more nutritious, according to environmental scientists. It could also be more profitable for farmers in the long run.
One study suggests regenerative corn fields where 78% more profitable than traditional models. It`s a win-win. And so more farms and big businesses
like McDonald`s General Mills and PepsiCo are pledging to support and source from regenerative farmland.
MCCURDY: Even those that are doing heavy tillage and grossing $200 an acre.
VAN DAM: Yeah.
MCCURDY: As opposed to intent expensive growing like this, if you`re doing it well, you can do $20,000 an acre.
VAN DAM: Yeah.
MCCURDY: $50,000 an acre. So they even started to say, oh yeah, preserve the microbes in the soil like granddad used to do.
VAN DAM (voice-over): But the cost to switch farming methods can be high and it`s still not widely used yet. McCurdy thinks more research is needed
to upscale production and start systematic change. But he`s hopeful.
(On camera): Do you think that we can feed America with regenerative agriculture?
MCCURDY: Absolutely. It`s a holistic approach. So it`s about holistic regenerative community nourishment and management.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10 is lit. This piece of literature was checked out of the Larchmont Public Library way back in 1933. And
whoever got this book, either forgot to return it, or they were just really into it. The library just recently got a package with the book inside
nearly 90 years overdue. You`d think that the late fees would be astronomical, right? Well, thanks to the library rules. The fine was just
five bucks. The book is called Youth and Two Other Stories by Joseph Conrad published in 1925.
A book fell on my head the other day. I only have my shelf to blame. Today`s special shout out is long overdue, Howard Middle School in Atlanta,
Georgia, rise up. We see you Brooklyn. We hope you and everyone watching around the world have a wonderful one. I`m Coy Wire, and we are CNN 10.
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