Agriculture

"The widely used weedkiller dicamba poses a previously unknown risk to honeybees, EPA said in a draft assessment of the pesticide’s potential dangers to wildlife."

"Ants can be more effective than pesticides at helping farmers produce food, according to new research. They are better at killing pests, reducing plant damage and increasing crop yields, according to the first systematic review of ants’ contributions to crop production."

"Even today, as California struggles with severe drought, global warming has doubled the likelihood that weather conditions will unleash a deluge as devastating as the Great Flood of 1862, according to a UCLA study released Friday."

"California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a new water strategy on Thursday that plans for a future with 10% less water and shifts the emphasis from conservation to capturing more water that otherwise flows out to sea."

"The Inflation Reduction Act includes billions for sustainable agriculture and a last-minute provision to provide debt relief to farmers."

"Charlie Hamilton hasn’t irrigated his vineyards with water from the Sacramento River since early May, even though it flows just yards from his crop."

"The United Nations warned on Tuesday that the two biggest water reservoirs in the United States have dwindled to “dangerously low levels” due to the impacts of climate change."

"It’s past time to green the nation’s agriculture. But spending on biofuels and seaweed additives is the wrong way to do that."

"The federal government has told states to agree on urgent water cuts to ensure dams can keep generating power. Researchers say reductions once considered “unthinkable” may be necessary in the long term."