Agriculture
"The Top 10 Hardest-Hit States for Crop Damage"
"The searing U.S. drought of 2012 devastated the nation’s corn crop, pushing yields down in some states to their lowest levels in nearly 30 years. According to recently-released numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Missouri, Illinois and Indiana were among the hardest hit Corn Belt states, with yields at 28-, 26-, and 22-year lows, respectively."
"High-Stakes Fight Over Soybeans at High Court"
Today the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case testing the reach of GMO companies' market power based on intellectual property claims -- and while environment and health are not immediately before the court, a case that could have wide impacts on both.
"UN Says Fertiliser Crisis Is Damaging the Planet"
"Mass application of nutrients causes pollution in some areas while under-use hampers food production in others."
"Fewer Bees In US Threaten Almond Crop"
"Fewer bees are available to pollinate California's growing almond crop. Beekeepers in the US have fewer bees this year because of drought and ongoing colony collapse disorder."
"Drought Joins U.S. Farmers in the Field for Spring Planting"
"U.S. farmers will plant crops this spring under the shadow of a persistent drought that grips prime farmland from the mississippi river to the rocky mountains, with grain supplies already tight from drought losses in 2012."
"$30 Million Treatment Plant Targets Tainted Valley Farming Drainage"
"FIREBAUGH, Calif. -- A $30 million water treatment plant rises slowly over this quiet prairie on the San Joaquin Valley's west side where nature has both blessed and cursed farmers."
"Monsanto Sued Small Farmers To Protect Seed Patents, Report Says"
"The agricultural giant Monsanto has sued hundreds of small farmers in the United States in recent years in attempts to protect its patent rights on genetically engineered seeds that it produces and sells, a new report said on Tuesday."
"Horsemeat Scandal: How Often Does Food Fraud Happen?"
"The mystery of how horsemeat got into Findus beef lasagne has led to an international hunt already taking in four countries.
"Food, Drink Industries Undermine Health Policy, Study Finds"
"Multinational food, drink and alcohol companies are using strategies similar to those employed by the tobacco industry to undermine public health policies, health experts said on Tuesday."