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For Farmland Conservation, It Comes Down To Who Owns It

Lin Warfel puts farmland owners in central Illinois into two categories: Those with a deep connection and desire to preserve their land, and those obsessed with short-term money. The 80-year-old still owns the land that’s been in his family since his great-grandfather arrived in Champaign County in the 1800’s. After farming it for decades, he now rents the corn and soybean operation to his neighbors down the road. It’s a crop-share arrangement. Warfel provides the land and pays the taxes. His...

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Meat's Expanding Its Horizons, Giving The Livestock Industry Pause

By Frank Morris • Dec 19, 2018

The U.S. meat industry is gigantic, with roughly $200 billion a year in sales and growing. But the industry faces emerging threats on two fronts: plant-based meat substitutes and actual meat grown in labs.

Puerto Ricans Angry Over Impending Ban On Cockfighting

By Adrian Florido • Dec 16, 2018

Thursday was a somber day at the Cockfighting Club of San Juan.

The rows and rows of cubbies that usually house up to 80 roosters waiting to fight were mostly empty. On this day, only 26 birds were on display.

Miguel Ortiz, a regular at the club since it opened in 1954, said a lot of people had stayed home, depressed.

"It's because of the law that passed in the Congress," he said.

How Midwestern National Forests Keep Fires At Bay And Prepare For Climate Change

By Jonathan Ahl • Dec 12, 2018

A stand of trees in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri looks a little more sparse than what is often depicted in a forest.

The trees are eight to ten feet apart, and that’s on purpose, fire management officer Greg Painter said.

EPA Looking To Roll Back Many Of Obama's U.S. Waterway Protections

By Jonathan Ahl • Dec 11, 2018

Brazile Creek flows through the town of Creighton, Nebraska, including through the golf course pictured above. — Ariana Brocious / Harvest Public Media file photo

The Environmental Protection Agency is looking to remove thousands of acres of wetlands and miles of waterways from Clean Water Act protections.

The EPA said Tuesday it believes the proposed changes to the “Waters of the United States” rule will reduce inefficiencies and allow landowners to have the freedom they need over their property.

A Slowing Craft Beer Market Shrinks Demand For Locally Grown Hops

By Esther Honig • Dec 10, 2018

Back in 2010, there were high hopes in Colorado that locally grown hops, the plant that gives beer a bitter or citrusy flavor, would help feed the then booming craft beer market. In just six years, the industry sprouted from almost nothing to 200 acres, according to the trade association Hop Growers of America.

A Hands-On Look At Gene-Editing Technique CRISPR, Which Could Be A Game-Changer For Ag

By Amy Mayer • Dec 5, 2018

In a lab at George Washington University, painted lady butterflies flutter in mesh houses. This is where assistant professor Arnault Martin and his research group use the new gene-editing technique CRISPR to unlock secrets about the colors and spots on the butterflies’ wings.

CRISPR has allowed them to isolate a precise gene that controls wing appearance, and they can shut it off at will.

USMCA: Trump Signs New Trade Agreement With Mexico And Canada To Replace NAFTA

By Bill Chappell • Nov 30, 2018

Updated at 8:25 a.m. ET

President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement — or USMCA — in Buenos Aires Friday, using the backdrop of the G-20 Summit to resolve a trade dispute between America and its closest neighbors.

"Let's go," all three leaders said as they sat alongside each other to sign multiple copies of the deal.

Climate Report Says U.S. Cattle And Crops Will Be Stressed By Hotter, Wetter Weather

By Esther Honig & Madelyn Beck • Nov 29, 2018

A changing climate has major implications for farmers and ranchers across the U.S., according to a federal report.

Here’s a select breakdown of the agriculture section of the fourth National Climate Assessment, which was released last week.

Beyond The Farm: A Look At The Wide World Of Ag Degrees

By Madelyn Beck • Nov 27, 2018

Fields, crops and farm animals are part of the agriculture-industry landscape, but an increasingly small one.

The number of farm and ranch managers shrunk by about 20 percent between 1996 and 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. At the same time, there are more students graduating from ag colleges, and, in many parts of the country, 80 percent to 90 percent of them find a job (or go for an advanced degree) within a few months of graduating.

USDA's Rural Broadband Plan Met With Citizen Criticism, Concerns

By Midwest Center For Investigative Reporting & Chris Walljasper • Nov 21, 2018

Darrell Hoemann / Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

Slow speeds, bad coverage and expensive service: These are just some of the concerns contained in nearly 300 public comments on Rural Broadband Pilot Program proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a review by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found.

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