Agriculture

"A lawsuit aimed at creating mandatory water quality regulations to reduce farm pollution in the Raccoon River will not proceed after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the case asked the courts to infringe on the powers of the legislature."

"Apple growers in northern climates such as Michigan and Vermont are facing more outbreaks of a nemesis long battled by Washington apple growers – a pathogen known as fire blight that when left unchecked can decimate entire orchards."

"After a historically dry winter, some growers are farming less land, switching crops, and trucking in water, or taking the season off entirely."

"A proposal to bring down four hydroelectric dams near the California-Oregon border cleared a major regulatory hurdle Thursday, setting the stage for the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history to save imperiled migratory salmon."

"The record-breaking heat wave roasting the West is expanding its grip on Thursday, with the focus of the triple-digit heat shifting into California — particularly the Central Valley and desert regions."

"As storms grow more violent and Louisiana loses more of its coast, the family that makes Tabasco Sauce is fighting erosion in the marshland that buffers its factory from hurricanes and floods."

"Arab states are calling on the U.N. Security Council to discuss the dispute over Ethiopia’s plan to fill a giant dam it is building on the Blue Nile, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Tuesday after a foreign ministers’ meeting."

"Two new reports draw attention to the scant laws safeguarding farmworkers’ health, including from worsening extreme heat."

"The American West contains 620,000 miles of fencing, threatening the migration of pronghorn, mule deer and other species."