Agriculture

"Eric Perez and his wife, Mari, live with their five children in the Wenatchee Valley in central Washington state. Their house is just feet from an orchard. A couple of years ago, the kids were having an Easter egg hunt in the yard when they smelled something 'plasticky,' Perez remembers — like 'rotten eggs.'"

"A University of Florida horticulture professor known for his scientific defense of genetically modified foods lost his defamation suit against journalist Eric Lipton and the New York Times for describing his close relationships with biotech giants including Monsanto."

"New law will allow people of Toledo to act as legal guardians for Lake Erie, and polluters could be sued to pay for cleanup costs"

"USDA inspectors documented 60 percent fewer violations at animal facilities in 2018 from the previous year, in what animal protection groups say is the latest sign of weakened enforcement by an agency charged with ensuring pet breeders, research labs, zoos and other exhibitors follow federal animal welfare laws."

"As the Southwest faces rapid growth and unrelenting drought, the Colorado River is in crisis, with too many demands on its diminishing flow. Now those who depend on the river must confront the hard reality that their supply of Colorado water may be cut off."

Jim Robbins reports, with photography by Ted Wood, in a 5-part series for Yale Environment 360 January 14, 2019.

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"Bayer AG is set to face a second U.S. jury over allegations that its popular glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup causes cancer, six months after the company’s share price was rocked by a $289 million verdict in California state court."

"As sea levels rise, saltwater is entering farms near the bay, damaging crops and releasing legacy nutrients into already-polluted waterways. "

"Federal grazing fees for 2019 have been lowered, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Fees for 2019 were set at $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM), down from $1.41. The new AUM fee is for both BLM and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands."

"For months, Clovis, New Mexico, dairy farmer Art Schaap has been watching his life go down the drain. Instead of selling milk, he is dumping 15,000 gallons a day – enough to provide a carton at lunch to 240,000 children. Instead of working 24/7 to keep his animals healthy, he’s planning to exterminate all 4,000 of his cows, one of the best herds in his county’s booming dairy industry."

"Claims that insects will disappear within a century are absurd, but the reality isn’t reassuring either."