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

Peanut Problems

The public is fascinated by images of thousands of gallons of milk being discarded in farm fields each year. The reasons are complicated.

Why Dairy Farmers Dump Their Milk

Small producers rarely manage to access USDA grants and loans. Independent consultants may boost their odds of “winning.”

A New Class of Consultants Helps Farmers Navigate USDA’s Cumbersome Funding Applications

In a drought-stricken world, recycling our wastewater could help put food on your plate.

Embracing the Toilet-to-Farm Irrigation Model

We’re living through the largest outbreak of avian influenza in U.S. history — the stakes have never been higher.

The Complicated Case for Vaccinating Chickens

The only child of an 82-year-old Wisconsin farmer considers what’ll happen when she inherits the family farm.

Notes From a Dairy Farmer’s Daughter

Legislation penalizing companies that employ undocumented workers goes into effect on July 1. Some farmworkers, fearing discrimination and deportation, are already fleeing the state.

Florida’s New Anti-Immigration Law Spells Bad News for Agriculture

High cost of health care and unpredictable year-to-year incomes have strained farmers’ ability to access health insurance nationwide. Minnesota has a new plan.

Minnesota Farmers Celebrate Their New Public Health Care Option

Along with chemical inputs like glyphosate, Eric Williamson uses grass-fed cows as a tool, to improve the soil health on his Washington farm.

Why Would a Conventional Vegetable Farmer Bring Someone Else’s Cattle Onto His Fields?

As U.S. farmers and ranchers get their hands on the technology, its labor-saving, climate-friendly benefits are becoming clear — and so are its shortcomings. 

Virtual Fencing Will Change How We Raise Livestock, Fight Fires, and Support Soil Health

Funding for the water quality sensor system that monitors ag-related pollution has been axed, making it harder to hold the industry accountable, and nearly impossible for citizens to check the quality of their drinking water.

Iowa’s Water Crisis Isn’t Drying Up Anytime Soon

The Securities and Exchange Commission wants broader emissions reporting up and down the supply chain. Trade groups are claiming it will break the small family farm. 

Why Are Farm Groups Opposing Climate Disclosures?

Animal waste accounts for 11% of farming’s greenhouse gas emissions. Advocates are looking to the Farm Bill for help. 

Can the Farm Bill Fix Agriculture’s Methane Problem?

Public seed breeders, often academics who work to help farmers and gardeners, are rapidly disappearing. All the while, commercial breeders with patented, expensive seeds are consolidating.

We’re Losing Our Seed Breeders

Washington State University used CRISPR technology to produce pigs that were sold in sausage form. Is this a one-off, or a sign of things to come?

Genetically Edited Pork Has Entered the Food Supply

By integrating trees and pasture, farmers can increase their bottom line and protect livestock from hotter summers.

Silvopasture Is an Ancient, Climate-Smart Farming Practice. Can the Farm Bill Help Spur its Renaissance?

On the Experimental Farm in temperate North Carolina, research growers are cultivating tropical plants like taro, cassava, and chayote — crop options for a changing climate.

The Small Southern Farm Working to Forecast the Crops of the Future

The new law gives hope to farmers in other states that costly downtime and repairs could cease to be the norm.

Colorado Became the First Right-to-Repair State — Who’s Next?

Climate change is making agricultural labor more dangerous. The Farm Bill can add key protections.

How a Climate-Smart Farm Bill Can Save Lives

If you’re a struggling producer without local mental health services, remote therapy seems like a promising option. But how do you overcome distrust of the unknown?

For Farmers in Crisis, Could Online Therapy Be the Answer?

Small farmers and their workers sometimes clash over what comprises fair wages and true educational opportunities.

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