Sep 18 When labor laws left farm workers behind — and vulnerable to abuse By Kamala Kelkar Farm workers lack the federal rights afforded to most laborers -- even as they face some of the toughest working conditions in the country. Continue reading
Sep 06 Column: When industrial-scale farming is the sustainable path By Miriam Horn There's a large and growing movement across the heartland states to use big, intensified agriculture as a path to restoring soil life and a stable climate. Continue reading
Aug 28 Trump warns of regulations, taxes harming family farmers By Scott Bauer and Ken Thomas, Associated Press Donald Trump said rival Hillary Clinton will push regulations and high taxes that will hurt family farmers as he campaigned in Iowa. Continue reading
Aug 16 Watch 5:57 The origin of ‘white trash,’ and why class is still an issue in the U.S. By PBS News Hour In “White Trash,” Nancy Isenberg delves into the history of class in America, starting with British colonization. At that time, America was seen as a wasteland -- a place to discard the idle poor. The agrarian communities they subsequently formed… Continue watching
Aug 15 Kenyan entrepreneur grows business by helping young farmers By Larisa Epatko Peter Mumo, a 28 year old from Kenya, started a project to help farmers, hospitals and schools store much-needed water. Continue reading
May 11 Column: El Nino, the global spoilsport affecting oil, food prices and tourism By Vikram Mansharamani A wildfire rages, displacing tens of thousands. Droughts ravage crops, leaving tens of millions hungry. An African nation sells off some of its famous wildlife. Bleaching harms stretches of the Great Barrier Reef. What's happening? El Niño. Continue reading
May 02 Watch 10:40 How farmer-philanthropist Howard Buffett is planting hope in Africa By PBS News Hour Howard Buffett, son of billionaire Warren Buffett, has an ambitious life goal: ending world hunger. As a farmer and philanthropist, his focus is on reviving African agriculture, which has suffered massive production failures. In collaboration with The Atlantic, Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Apr 26 Watch 6:21 Why going green is growing on U.S. farmers By PBS News Hour The U.S. agriculture industry used enough energy in 2011 to power a state the size of Iowa for a year. Today, as renewable energy becomes cheaper and more accessible, many farmers are committed to going green, both as a means… Continue watching
Jan 28 Watch 7:09 Will ethanol fuel caucus voters in corn country Iowa? By PBS News Hour Ethanol took center stage in Iowa last week when Gov. Terry Branstad urged voters not to support Sen. Ted Cruz, who wants to repeal the mandate that ethanol be blended into most types of gasoline. Special correspondent David Biello of… Continue watching
Jan 04 Think El Niño is weird now? Just wait for this summer By Nsikan Akpan Scientists predict what El Niño might mean for the cost of cookies, the quality of marijuana and the arrival of DC's cherry blossoms. Continue reading