Agriculture

"A pig at an Oregon farm was found to have bird flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. It’s the first time the virus has been detected in U.S. swine and raises concerns about bird flu’s potential to become a human threat."

"Many industries rely on the agency’s weather and climate data. Even a small gap in its operations could raise food prices and drastically disrupt how people navigate the West’s changing climate."

"Neonicotinoids coat nearly all the corn and soybean seeds available for planting. Agrichemical companies have designed it that way."

"Toxic pesticides dumped off Southern California’s coast decades ago are staying put — deep in adjacent ocean sediments and in the fish that reside in these habitats, a new study has found."

"New research provides evidence that chemicals used in farming may be more harmful to insects than previously thought, contributing to worldwide declines in important species."

"Owasco Lake is called the region’s “canary in the coal mine” for harmful algal blooms, which threaten swimmers, pets and some local drinking water supplies."

"The once-mighty river is barely a trickle through much of West Texas. Scientists and advocates say local initiatives could be scaled up to restore flows to the river."

"New types of Roundup weed killing products marketed to US consumers contain chemicals that pose greater health risks to people than prior formulations suspected of causing cancer, according to an analysis by an environmental health advocacy group. The report was disputed by Bayer, which called the analysis “deeply flawed.”"

"Steven Haller remembers the look of fear on people’s faces when toxic algae in Lake Erie made it into his community’s water supply 10 years ago, shutting it down for two days."