At an Iowa Pork Plant, Piles of Dead Pigs and Wafting Sulphur Dioxide (Sentient)
Multiple photos and videos obtained by Sentient show animal waste lining the floor of the facility, as well as pooled outside.
The Iowa Trout Stream at the Center of a Feedlot Fight (Civil Eats)
Environmental groups and residents argue that the Supreme Beef CAFO has a faulty manure disposal plan that threatens Bloody Run Creek, a spring-fed trout stream. They also allege a brazen abuse of power at all levels of decision-making.
Banning concentrated feedlots is on the ballot in Sonoma (High Country News)
In November, county residents will have the unique opportunity to ban CAFOs with a ballot initiative that would completely prohibit industrial livestock operations. If “Measure J” passes, Sonoma will be the first county in the United States to ban CAFOs.
As California Pushes Increased Ethanol Use, Experts Sound the Alarm on Environmental Impacts (Inside Climate News)
Governor Gavin Newsom has a renewed interest in E15, a blend of ethanol and gasoline, as a means to lower fuel prices. Experts worry it may expand the far-reaching impacts of biofuels.
Farmers Are Overusing Fertilizer, and It’s Polluting Rural Water Supplies (Civil Eats)
Overuse of fertilizer means nitrates are on the rise in water supplies, and rural areas bear the brunt.
A Carbon Capture Monitoring Well Leaked in Illinois. Most Residents Found Out When the World Did (Inside Climate News)
When a CO2 well leaks and potentially endangers the public, who is responsible for informing community members?
A battle in rural Midwest as farmers fight carbon capture pipeline (The New Lede)
The pipeline would run a mere 700 feet from Stockdale’s front doorstep and would create a barrier between the home she shares with her husband and the nearby home where her son lives. The farm’s soils and wetlands would be forever altered by the pipeline intrusion, and if the pipeline were to rupture, the damage could be catastrophic, Stockdale fears.
A lawsuit alleges that three Guatemalan citizens, who came to the U.S. on J-1 visas, worked dangerous jobs under false pretenses.
Meet the Farmers Supporting Prop 12 Despite Pork Industry Pushback (Sentient)
Contrary to what ag industry groups say, these small farmers have embraced the new animal welfare law.
How the humble soybean took over the world (National Geographic)
Henry Ford, the prolific inventor of the Model T car, believed that the versatile soybean had the power to change the world. He made house paint, soap, and enamel for cars from soybean oil. He turned the bean itself into car parts and light switches.
An Iowa Fertilizer Plant Purchase Spurs Antitrust Concerns (Civil Eats)
Koch Industries is making a multi-billion-dollar play to purchase a massive fertilizer production facility in the state; some farmers and lawmakers are raising concerns about monopolization and high prices in an effort to halt the sale.
Should We Be Farming in the Desert? (Civil Eats)
Just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, California’s Imperial Valley is both a desert and an agricultural wonder. Bordered by sand dunes and barren mountains, the region receives less than three inches of rainfall per year, 27 inches less than the U.S. average. From June to September, high temperatures here often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. By most measures, the Imperial Valley is not a great place to grow food.
Nina B. Elkadi 