After oysters are consumed, there are countless uses for their sturdy shells — including shoreline reparation. Why is it so hard for restaurants keep them out of the trash?

We Need More Oyster Shells

Farmers worried about avian influenza are trying to zap the wild birds that carry it.

Attacking Bird Flu With Lasers

As the world heats up, forests are shrinking away from hot, dry land—but can’t travel to cool, wet areas on their own. Do they need “a little push” from us?

What if the Forests Could Move?

Why is this community farm nestled in Adirondack State Park giving away everything it grows?

The Crops No One Will Ever Buy

Scientists rave about salt-water-loving vegetables, but they have struggled to gain a foothold in U.S. supermarkets. Could labels on freshwater-free produce help secure their future?

How to Sell a Sea Vegetable

Millions of viewers have fallen in love with cow hoof trimming videos. What’s the appeal?

Why Hoof Surgery Went Viral

Banned by the federal government a century ago, black currants were cast to the fringes of U.S. agriculture. Agroforestry advocates and berry connoisseurs are urging a revival.

A Taste of the Forbidden Fruit

Midway through reporting on a $3.1 billion program for farmers and researchers, the trail went cold.

Everything I Never Learned About USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities Program

Cloud seeding is a decades-old method of forcing clouds to release their precipitation. It’s an effective technique, but it’s falling on the weight of conspiracy theories.

Changing the Weather Is for Farms, Not Evil

Plant breeders spend most of their time in labs and fields, tinkering with crop genetics. When a new variety emerges, it gives the chance to have a little fun.

Naming Crop Varieties Is a Little Treat

Experts worry that fisheries could be overfishing their stocks even when they’re officially “sustainable.” 

What’s a Sustainable Fishery? It Depends Who You Ask.

Bugs could connect the ends of the food system by eating waste and creating fertilizer. But the industry will take time to hatch, experts say.

The Growing Allure of Insect Poop

The Silicon Ranch solar company has plans to install droves of sheep on sites across the country. Do the ecological and community benefits outweigh the methane output?

Do Sheep Under Solar Panels Count as Clean Energy?

Trump’s executive orders on global trade are getting very mixed reactions — depending on what’s being farmed.

Trump’s Tariffs: Are the Trade Groups Happy?

The caviar renaissance is well underway. But what will it take to make sturgeon farming sustainable?

Caviar’s Shifting Tides

Florida breeders are building spuds that can beat the heat, for an overlooked part of the tuber supply chain.

Hot Potatoes

A recent Land O’ Lakes’ marketing campaign highlighted “Farmcore,” an internet fashion trend based on your old farm work clothes. Is it real? 

Are You Farmcore? 

A dairy waste byproduct presents sweet potential — and sour challenges — for the alcoholic beverage industry.

I Like the Whey You Move

Shrimp mislabeling is rampant in Gulf State restaurants, according to a new study. Shrimpers and consumers are paying the price.

The Shrimp Detectives

The U.S. is losing farmers year over year, but one demographic is growing — despite significant challenges. 

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