Agriculture

"Bees Facing a Poisoned Spring"

"A new generation of pesticides is making honeybees far more susceptible to disease, even at tiny doses, and may be a clue to the mysterious colony collapse disorder that has devastated bees across the world, the US government's leading bee researcher has found. Yet the discovery has remained unpublished for nearly two years since it was made by the US Department of Agriculture's Bee Research Laboratory."

Source: UK Independent, 01/20/2011

Biogas Project Touted As Climate Fix Emits Thousands Of Tons Of Methane

"A Wisconsin project dubbed the “world’s largest manure biogas project” emits nearly 5,000 metric tons of climate-warming methane annually, roughly equivalent to emissions from 30,000 gasoline-powered vehicles, according to state data that adds to concerns about the impacts of large-scale manure digesters."

Source: The New Lede, 03/23/2026

Trump DOI Issues Sudden Waiver Allowing Budd-Falen To Work On Grazing

"Ethics officials at President Donald Trump’s Interior Department granted Karen Budd-Falen, the agency’s No. 3 official, a waiver on March 11 — the very day that Public Domain inquired about her recent work on grazing issues — that provides her wide latitude to work on grazing policy and permitting, despite her family’s vast personal holdings in the public lands grazing industry."

Source: Public Domain, 03/23/2026

Sewage Sludge Battle Heats Up As Greens Appeal Move To Dismiss EPA Lawsuit

"A federal court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit alleging US regulators failed to prevent widespread contamination of farmland with toxic PFAS chemicals was based on a “flawed interpretation” of the Clean Water Act, creating “dangerous real-world consequences for public health,” a watchdog group argued in a new court filing."

Source: The New Lede, 03/20/2026

Iran War Has US Farmers Worried About Cost And Availability Of Fertilizer

"Tennessee farmer Todd Littleton expects to pay $100,000 more for fertilizer this season, a 40% spike from his bill last year thanks to the war in Iran — and he is scrambling to cover that extra cost."

Source: AP, 03/19/2026

EPA Rolled Back Mercury Regs And Left This Community In Pollution's Path

"Rainbow trout is a prized catch for fisherman on the Northern Cheyenne reservation, in the high plains of southeastern Montana." 

Source: CNN, 03/19/2026

Ten Million Tons of Manure In California Are Unaccounted for: New Report

"Factory farms in California routinely avoid pollution regulations intended to protect the state’s water, finds a new white paper out of Stanford. Ten million tons of animal manure in the Golden State are unaccounted for, the report finds, thanks to a combination of non-compliance, non-enforcement and opaque disclosure rules."

Source: Sentient, 03/18/2026

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