A new book, The Food Explorer, tells the story of botanist David Fairchild who, in the 1890’s, sleuthed out over 200,000 kinds of fruits, vegetables and grains around the world. Thanks to his findings, the USDA distributed many new seeds and crops to farmers throughout the states.
An agricultural economist writes that treating Twinkies and carrots as the beginning and end of the farm subsidies discussion distracts from useful public discourse.
The nonprofit National 4-H Council accepts donations from a veritable who’s who of Big Ag: Monsanto, ConAgra, DuPont, and Altria each gave at least a million dollars in 2015. A lot of cultural norms around gender and sexuality are directly illustrated by the history of 4-H.
Far from a bucolic idyll, farming in America is one of its most dangerous professions. And almost no one is trying to change that.
With rural issues in the spotlight following the election, Iowa's poet laureate, Mary Swander, speaks about her work with farmers, the concerns of her neighbors in this political moment, and the role of art in challenging times.
The food activist group, Eco Practicum, came together for five days in New York City for the third annual program produced in partnership with Our Name Is Farm, a training aimed at building “effective advocacy for a better food system.”
Simran Sethi's book, "Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love," is a call to arms: a warning of the dire consequences of what she sees as a disturbing lack of diversity in the foods we eat.
Two farmers with different viewpoints--Nikiko Masumoto, of the organic Masumoto Family Farm in California, and Zach Hunnicutt, a fifth-generation farmer from Nebraska,-- talk about organic farming, GMOs and farm technology.
Classically-raised chickens, including music appreciation, enjoy their calmer lifestyle.
Hiring migrant farm labor is very profitable for big agribusiness. Last year workers walked out of the fields at Sakuma Brothers Farms in Washington - one of the largest berry growers in the state. Berries are big business, with annual sales of $6.1 million, and big corporate customers like Häagen Dazs ice cream. Here is their story.
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