Dec 19 California declared an emergency over bird flu. How serious is the situation? By JoNel Aleccia, Associated Press Gov. Gavin Newsom said he declared the state of emergency to better position state staff and supplies to respond to the outbreak. Continue reading
Nov 18 French farmers protest EU agricultural pact with South American trade bloc By Associated Press French farmers argue the deal threatens their livelihoods by allowing a surge of South American agricultural imports produced under less stringent environmental standards. Continue reading
Nov 15 How Oklahoma farmers are preparing for a drought-stricken winter By Adam Kemp More than 67 percent of Oklahoma remains in some degree of drought as Oklahoma farmers prepare for winter. Continue reading
Oct 15 RFK Jr. suggests if Trump is elected, he'll play significant role in agriculture and health policy By Michelle R. Smith, Josh Funk, Associated Press Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist and environmentalist who ran for president as an independent before endorsing Trump, on Monday posted a video on social media that he filmed outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington. Continue reading
Aug 28 Yes, corn can sweat. And it may be why hot Midwestern summers are getting more humid By Melina Walling, Associated Press Corn sweat is the process by which corn plants release moisture into the air to stay cool, and it brings the Midwest a surge in humidity every summer. Now, climate change and evolving agriculture are making the phenomenon even stickier. Continue reading
Aug 24 Watch 6:58 The future of debt relief for Black farmers after decades of discrimination By John Yang, Kaisha Young According to federal data, there were about 925,000 Black farmers in 1920 in the United States. A century later, that number has declined to only about 42,000. John Boyd Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, joins… Continue watching
Jul 30 U.S. will buy regular flu shots for farmworkers to prevent bird flu from getting more dangerous By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Health officials are worried about what might happen if people are infected with bird flu and seasonal flu at the same time. It's possible the viruses could swap gene segments, in a process that scientists call reassortment. Continue reading
Jan 14 Watch 9:09 How rural communities are tackling a suicide and depression crisis among farmers By Megan Thompson, Melanie Saltzman More than 50,000 Americans took their own lives in 2023, the nation’s highest yearly rate of suicide on record. Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association. Continue watching
Dec 26 Watch 7:15 Israelis volunteer on farms to save agricultural supply after migrant workers flee war By Jon Frankel When Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel declared war, most foreign farm workers left the country and Palestinian workers were barred from entering Israel. Many Israelis were called to reserve duty, leaving the farming industry facing financial losses… Continue watching
Dec 14 How to slash emissions across the U.S. economy, according to experts By Bella Isaacs-Thomas Five economic sectors in the United States — electric power, transportation, industry, buildings and agriculture — together account for the nation’s main sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading