News & Commentary

Midwest Heat Waves May Cook Crops—and Fry Harvests

September 12, 2022 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

Climate change–induced temperature extremes could wilt corn and soybean yields, potentially causing ripples to food supplies across the world.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

A Growing Concern: Microplastic Pollution on Farm Fields

February 2, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Scientists are showing that we are sending tons of tiny plastic particles into our soils each year, potentially affecting crops and our health.

America’s Dairyland May Have a PFAS Problem

October 11, 2019 DispatchMidwest, Wisconsin, MaineSusan Cosier

The toxic chemicals have been showing up in milk around the country, prompting midwestern farmers to take a closer look at their land.

Climate Change May Bring Big Trouble to Big Bluestems (and the Cattle That Love Them)

December 4, 2017 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

As higher temperatures head north, the Great Plains’ grasslands are in for a transformation.

The “Sioux Chef” Shares His Roots (and the Midwest’s, Too)

September 22, 2017 DispatchMinneapolis, Minnesota, MidwestSusan Cosier

Sean Sherman wants to show the world another type of North American cuisine: indigenous food.

State Legislators Say Iowa Has Achieved Sustainable Farming (It Hasn’t) and Doesn’t Need More Research (It Does)

July 17, 2017 DispatchIowaSusan Cosier

The state’s lawmakers have cut funding for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, leaving rural farmers in the lurch.

Manure Is Spilling and Seeping into Wisconsin’s Waterways and Wells

November 17, 2016 DispatchWisconsinSusan Cosier

As the state’s dairy farms get bigger, cow poop is polluting Lake Michigan and people’s drinking water.

This Former Meatpacking Facility Is Now an Experiment in Sustainable Urban Ag

March 8, 2016 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Come take a tour of "The Plant."

You Don't Know Jack(fruit)

November 9, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Prolific and nutritious, this funny-looking fruit could help feed the world.

Biting Back

October 22, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Backyard breeders are creating a new kind of hero honeybee—one that chomps off the legs of mites and saves the hive.

Not-So-Secret Gardens

June 15, 2015 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Uncovering Chicago’s gardens—and planting their locations on a map—could help sow the farming movement.

Pesticide Patrol

April 2, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

A new report says the most widely used weed killer probably causes cancer.

Back from the Dead Zone

February 23, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Doing just a little to curb fertilizer pollution in the Mississippi could go a long way to breathing life back into the Gulf.

Give Peas a Chance?

February 10, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

As lunchroom fights rage in Congress, some school officials are offering both carrots and sticks.

The Sour Side of Strawberries

January 22, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

California is regulating a harmful pesticide used on strawberries and other crops, but does it go far enough?

A Sickening Swill

December 5, 2014 DispatchIowaSusan Cosier

Iowans don't want runoff from factory farms coming out of their faucets. So it’s about time the government does something about it.

Don’t Drink the Farm

October 2, 2014 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Agriculture runoff is choking Lake Erie. Are lawmakers finally ready to tell farmers to knock it off?