On the fiftieth anniversary of the controversial weedkiller’s release, a Friends of the Earth analysis – New Roundup, New Risks – finds that residential Roundup products are more toxic to consumers and the environment than ever before. Not only has manufacturer Bayer [OTCMKTS: BAYRY] failed to remove glyphosate from all Roundup products, as promised, but new formulations of Roundup are 45 times […]
Harvest is upon us here in Southwest Iowa, and we’re about a week ahead of the usual timing as I am writing, on Oct. 4. We’ve already harvested about half of our soybeans and about 80% of our corn. It helps that we have pretty good weather right now, although it is dry and unusually hot […]
For the first time in 114 years, biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) have observed a fall-run Chinook salmon returning to spawning in the Klamath Basin in Oregon. By Dan Bacher On October 16, the ODFW documented this bright fish in a tributary to the Klamath River, Spencer Creek, above the former J.C. Boyle […]
The struggle by Tribes, environmental organizations, fishing groups and the people of California to stop the construction of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), AKA Delta Tunnel, heated up today with the submission of a formal statement with the State Water Resources Control Board that highlights the “fundamental flaws” with the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) hearings. […]
By design, factory farms generate stunning amounts of waste from the thousands or even millions of animals they confine. And while the industry swears it treats that waste “responsibly,” neighboring communities know otherwise. By Emily Miller Food and Water Watch Under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should protect our water from harmful factory […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced up to $7.7 billion for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt voluntary conservation practices on working lands, representing double the amount made available last year and the highest level of assistance made available in a single year in U.S. history for popular USDA conservation […]
October 2 was a momentous day on the Klamath River, since it marked the complete removal of the four PacifICorp hydroelectric dams. The dam removal will restore salmon and steelhead to hundreds of miles of habitat above the dams. By Dan Bacher The removal of the dams wouldn’t have been possible without over two decades of efforts, including direct […]
A global movement of organizations dedicated to ensuring a just transition away from industrial animal agriculture released a white-paper roadmap to a U.S. audience on Tuesday containing guidance on shifting to equitable, humane, and sustainable food systems. By Stephanie Feldstein Center for Biological Diversity The roadmap was released at a panel during Food Day at Climate […]
On Friday, Sept. 20, a California appellate court upheld an earlier trial court ruling and found the controversial Sites Reservoir Project environmental impact report (EIR) to be legally adequate, disappointing environmental advocates and fish groups. By Dan Bacher Judge Ronald B. Robie, Presiding Judge of the Third Appellate District Court in Yolo County, concluded that “the environmental impact […]
The lead article for the September 18th E-news from the Minnesota Farmers Union is a story posted by the St. Cloud (MN) Times newspaper. The story highlights the stress on Minnesota farmers triggered by a wet spring following two years of drought. Extreme weather events coupled with diminishing farm profitability is causing stress for farmers, farm families, […]
Farmers are called to be the shepherds of God’s creation. As a seventh-generation farmer from Iowa, I hold this calling very closely and try to embody it on my farm and in my business at Continuum Ag. On the farm, my family has been very focused on improving soil health. We’ve been using no-till since […]
Society is facing many challenges, from climate issues including wide swings in temperature and moisture, to water quality and quantity issues, to low farm profitability, to the decline of rural communities, to our human health crisis. It is my belief that all of these can be linked, at least in part, to the degradation of […]
At a press event to celebrate the above average snowpack survey in the Sierra Nevada on April 2, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled the state’s controversial updated California Water Plan to supposedly “protect California’s water supplies from the climate crisis” while boosting the state’s ability to capture and store water for when dry conditions return. By Dan Bacher Among the key […]
This week, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led their colleagues in an urgent letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo calling for them to swiftly declare a federal fishery disaster, joining California Governor Gavin Newsom in his request. By Dan Bacher “The closure of this vital […]
Tens of millions of chocolate bunnies get sold in the U.S. every Easter. Here are six articles about chocolate from The Conversation’s archive – great reading while you’re nibbling the ears off your own bunny (if you’re one of the three-quarters of Americans who start at the top). Maggie Villiger, The Conversation 1. Food scientist […]