The strange reproductive science behind the invention of modern corn. 

Freaks in the Cornfield

Researchers have found an underground industry helping spread the New World screwworm across borders: “narco ranchers,” trading cattle for narcotics.

Contraband Cattle Are Spreading the Screwworm

Andy Cook

Have you heard of the American Honey Queens? Have a peek at one of our very sweetest commodity competitions.

Honey Royalty

New research shows promise in engineering bees that aren’t as susceptible to chemical harms. Critics argue it reduces incentives to reduce pesticide use.

What if We Pesticide-Proofed the Bees?

Many cotton farmers would love to exit the globalized commodity market. Is there enough momentum to do so?

Southern Cotton Struggles

Starting in 2027, the U.S. military will offer four plant-based Meals Ready-to-Eat. Troops asked for them.

Vegan MREs for the Troops

As antimicrobial resistance rises in humans, researchers are looking for ways to fix the problem back where it starts: in the hen house. 

Alternative Medicine for Chickens

Georgia’s “watermelon brand ambassador” is a queen in all but name.

End of the Melon Monarchy? 

Tomato ripening rooms reveal the growing costs of the produce industry’s massive consolidation.

Gassed Up

Tomatoes are as loved by scientists as they are by consumers. But why?

The Lab Rat of Fruits

An emergent line of research is exploring the possibility of efficient and productive lab-grown vegetables.

Growing Tomatoes Without Photosynthesis

Faced with an uncertain future, farmers and ranchers are figuring out new ways to help protect and conserve their precious water supply.

A Watershed Moment for Montana Agriculture

The early Soviet Union transformed vast swaths of Central Asia to grow cotton. They asked for help from American scientists whose ancestors had spent their lives picking it.

White Gold in Red Soil

Artist and researcher Maggie Coblentz fermented miso in orbit, chasing a deeper question: What makes a miso a miso—or a person a person—away from Earth?

The Miso That Went to Space

Growing up on the world’s largest hippie commune, my mother received an unorthodox education in caring for the land.

The Roots of Utopia

How patience, passion, and purpose have shaped a gentler model of caretaking for Alaska’s last prehistoric megafauna.

Moral Fiber

Hawai`i’s invasion of little fire ants is taking a painful toll on farmers and farmworkers.

Ant Attack

Increasingly in demand, wild octopus populations are dwindling. Can farming ever be the answer? 

The Octopus Conundrum

Is growing agave a smart solution to California’s drought problems? 

Mezcalifornia Dreaming 

In the wake of headlines about the “Oat Mafia” attempting to disrupt America’s oat infrastructure, one writer shares some lessons from the recent past.

My Dad Helped Build North America’s Oat Supply Chain: Can It Be Remade?

The paniolo predate the Wild West’s cattle wranglers — they continue their practices to this day.

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