The strange reproductive science behind the invention of modern corn. 

Freaks in the Cornfield

Corny was literal until Americans came into the picture.

On Cringe and Corny

In the woodlands of the Northeast, Indigenous women are reawakening the corn their ancestors grew before settler contact. 

A Braided Heritage

Livestock producers generate a mountain of plastics. Resourceful ranchers are developing solutions.

Ranching’s Plastic Problem

Fleeing persecution at home, refugees from around the world are farming and selling their wares in the Lone Star State.

Refugee Farmers in Texas

“Estate distillers” manage every step of whiskey production, from growing their own grains to bottling the finished spirit.

When Farmers Make Their Own Booze

A new predator is feeding on Georgia honeybees. Can it be stopped before it spreads? 

The Hornet and the Honeybee

Something about the Pacific Northwest turns fig enthusiasts into all-out fanatics.

A Discovery of Figs

Nathaniel Wilder

Salmon fishermen in Bristol Bay are seeking alternatives to the massive processors that have long controlled their paychecks, attempting to build a more lucrative, conscientious supply chain. It won’t be easy.

Swimming Upstream

On Alaska’s waters, women captains and guides are challenging the popular mythology that equates ruggedness, authority, and adventure with men.

Alaska’s New Frontier Women

In our quest for high-fiber, high-protein foods that are sustainable and delicious, the sturdy mesquite tree is getting some attention.

Eat Mesquite!

Like the farmer-driven Populist Party more than a century ago, ag secretary candidates are gaining bipartisan support for platforms of empowering the working class and opposing big business interests.

The New Farm Populists

The U.S. peanut industry is threatened by disease and climate change—but the main tool to help peanuts adapt is endangered.

Peanut Problems

A beloved—and generally reliable—summer crop now finds itself confronting environmental shifts. 

The Watermelon Vs Climate Change

From financial counseling to critical mental health services, programs created by Farm Aid, extension departments, and state ag bureaus have offered a lifeline in farm country.

A Farmer’s Lifeline

The Telluride Mushroom Festival: Where Fungal Love Runs Wild

Reintroducing Native and “canoe” plants, paired with ancestral planting techniques, are helping the island move toward restoration.

Maui’s Wildfire Recovery Looks to the Past

There’s much we can learn from the ancient Pueblans‘ desert farming techniques. Chief among these lessons? Be ready to adapt.

Growing Corn in the Desert

As farmers feel the pinch of war, organic farmers are finding themselves insulated from fuel and fertilizer price spikes.

Organic Farmers: Resilient in the Face of War 

Salmon farmers spent decades reducing their reliance on wild-caught fish. Now the industry’s emissions are up 300%.

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