Dec 05 Watch 4:23 How to solve Puerto Rico's looming food crisis? Eat local, farmers say By PBS News Hour Last week, Puerto Rico managed to make a $354 million payment on $72 billion worth of bond debt, which the government says it cannot pay off. Officials hope that boosting the agriculture sector will help dig the island out of… Continue watching
Nov 24 Watch 8:45 Are pesticides to blame for the massive bee die-off? By PBS News Hour Commercial beekeepers across America have been struggling with great numbers of bee deaths over the past few years. What’s behind their failing health? Some research points to a class of pesticide that’s coated onto a large proportion of corn and… Continue watching
Nov 13 Goal of new produce safety rules: prevent illness outbreaks By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press The Obama administration wants you to eat your fruits and vegetables. They also want the produce to be safe. Continue reading
Nov 03 Watch 8:04 To build or not to build, that's the dam question in dry California By PBS News Hour Across California, after years of punishing drought, reservoirs that normally fill canals and make crops bloom are greatly depleted or even empty. Some say that getting more water into storage by building more dams is key. But dams also create… Continue watching
Oct 30 EPA may ban common pesticide used on fruits and vegetables By Matthew Daly, Associated Press A common pesticide used on citrus fruits, almonds and other crops would be banned under a proposal announced Friday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal would prohibit use of chlorpyrifos, a widely used insecticide that is sprayed on a… Continue reading
Oct 17 Watch 9:15 Why Kentucky farmers are quitting tobacco and turning to an unlikely new crop By PBS News Hour A Farm Bill passed by Congress last year included an amendment granting states and universities the right to research hemp. Several states have since started research projects, but Kentucky is at the forefront, experimenting with creating a new industry around… Continue watching
Jul 05 How drones could replace workers on American farms By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Agricultural use of drones is about to take off after being grounded for years by the lack of federal guidelines. Continue reading
Jun 23 Nonprofit hopes to spread aquaponic farming to schools around the country By Cat Wise SchoolGrown was started last year by a group of like-minded aquaponics enthusiasts who felt that students weren’t getting enough hands-on experiences growing food and learning about their connection to the world around them. Continue reading
Jun 22 Watch 6:30 Aquaponic farming saves water, but can it feed the country? By PBS News Hour Aquaponics, a system of farming that uses no soil, also uses far less water than traditional agriculture. But while the technique is gaining attention, it remains a very niche way to grow produce due to economic limitations. Special correspondent Cat… Continue watching
Jun 19 Watch 6:14 What Cuba can teach America about organic farming By PBS News Hour Continue watching