In an overcrowded ag market, what does it take to break through with a new product?

No New Crops

The diarrhea-inducing outbreak from infected Mexican lettuce is mercifully over. But some food safety watchers fear this parasite is here to stay.

Cyclospora Forever?

Recent legal challenges to the home distilling ban are the latest in America’s long, fraught history with spirits production.

Moonshine Heads to the Supreme Court

More than a century ago, four Wisconsin brothers transplanted wild ginseng to finance a silver fox farm. Marathon County now grows over 90 percent of America’s commercially cultivated ginseng.

Ginseng County, USA

To curtail a tick epidemic exacerbated by alpha-gal syndrome, Martha’s Vineyard needs deer control. Its hunters are ready to help.

Ticks in the Crosshairs

“Short corn” varieties are gaining traction around the U.S. and beyond. Seed companies expect big returns, but farmers still reserve judgement. 

When Corn Falls Short

Along Tucson’s Santa Cruz River, archaeological discoveries and historical records trace 4,100 years of corn cultivation. 

A Cornfield Persists

A return to rural Utah was supposed to provide peace. Instead, our writer found a delicate balance of anger and acceptance.

Between Rage and Resilience

Increased antibiotic use in livestock has dire impacts on human health. The effects are also turning up in wildlife.

Field Mice on Drugs

Siri Kaur

Palmeros are the gutsy, highly skilled farm workers who harvest your medjool dates. Now climate change, immigration raids, and a push for mechanization threaten their 6,000-year-old tradition. 

Ghosts of the Grove

As non-native plants and insects rampage across the Northeast, researchers are trying to stanch the damage to parks like the Adirondacks before we get some very different forests—or no forests at all.

Thin the Trees to Save the Trees

Vermont and New York are banning neonic-coated seeds. Some farmers are worried about the risks.

Going Bare

A quick kill reduces an animal’s suffering and improves the quality of its meat. Can it also support small-scale fishermen and sustainable seas?

If You Give a Fish Some Grace

In recent years, dozens of affinity groups and training programs have popped up for military vets transitioning into agriculture. What’s behind it?

Why the Veteran-to-Farmer Pipeline Makes Sense 

Genetically modified corn is highly unpopular in Japan, yet the country is deeply reliant on GM corn from the United States.

It’s Complicated: Japan’s Love for American Corn

Read the lyrics to this classic Travis Tritt ballad about leaving the farm, as annotated by cattle rancher and culture critic Darby Minow Smith.

Where Corn Don’t Grow: A Critical Reading

Algae was once sold as a promising biofuel alternative to corn—it ultimately failed. But now it’s back, and researchers say it’s poised to disrupt the ethanol industry.

Why Algae Hasn’t Displaced Corn for Biofuels—Yet

The Hood Canal in Washington state is home to a multimillion-dollar aquaculture industry. For the second time in recent history, algae blooms have shut it down.

It’s Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Season

As climates shift and traditional growing regions suffer, the American South has potential to be the next global olive oil source.

Southern Olive Oil

Andy Gagne

In Maine’s northernmost county, broccoli farming helps drive the local economy. That’s why it’s so important to keep moose—and their hunters—out of the growing fields.

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