The Farms of the Future Were Built for Outer Space. Will They Work on Earth?
It will be years until NASA is ready for a journey to the red planet, but if Earth continues to suffer from climate change, Mars could come to us.
Big Ag Monopolies Have Stifled Small Farmers. 2020 Democrats Want to Break Them Up.
When a few agribusinesses have all the power, one choice by them can determine the course of a farmer's entire production. Will 2020 change that?
The Trump Administration Will Pay Farmers $16 Billion for Its Trade War
The announcement comes amid criticism of farm subsidies, which exceed revenue Trump has taken in from tariffs on Chinese imports.
Why Are More Schools Going After Families for Lunch Debt?
More than 75 percent of school districts reported school lunch debt in the previous school year, and 40 percent say their debt is growing.
The Trump Administration Admits Its Change to SNAP Eligibility Could Worsen Food Insecurity for Millions of People
The rule would slash benefits for those families that do not quite meet the program's poverty threshold, but are still food insecure.
'Cut, Relocate, Eviscerate': Moving a USDA Research Agency Will Have Lasting Consequences, Employees Say
The Economic Research Service collects data on how many Americans lack access to food. When the agency moves to Kansas City, former employees say all of it could be lost.
To Save a Neighborhood, Ban a Dollar Store?
Some local governments are hoping that, once dollar stores are banned, grocery stores will come to food deserts.
The USDA Gives Fewer Loans to Women and Minority Farmers, a Government Watchdog Finds
Women and minority farmers and ranchers receive disproportionately less credit than their white male counterparts.
Trump Promises to Veto a Bill Banning the Military From Using Toxic Products With PFAS
The Trump administration says the Department of Defense isn't to blame for a toxic firefighting foam the military helped pioneer in the 1960s.
Only One in Seven Eligible Kids Get Free Lunch in the Summer. What's Going Wrong?
Food insecurity increases in the summer, but providers who want to get free meals to kids say they're restricted by an onerous and outdated program.
Millions of Kids Could Lose Health Insurance and Food Assistance Under Trump's Public Charge Rule
A new study estimates that as many as 8.3 million kids are at risk of losing their benefits.
Why Are California Grocery Workers Threatening to Strike?
For many of the state's grocery workers, wages declined as non-unionized companies like Walmart claimed a bigger portion of the market.
How Common Is Price-Fixing in the Food Industry?
The DOJ intervened in a lawsuit alleging Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, Sanderson Farms, Koch Foods, and Pilgrim's Pride conspired to increase chicken prices.
A Conservative Christian Group Wants to Keep Transgender Athletes From Girls' Sports
Legal experts say this complaint resonates with a larger pattern of discrimination against transgender girls and women in sports.
Is Trump Right to Let Gas Stations Offer SNAP and to Classify Cheese Spray as a Staple?
Critics of the USDA's new stocking standards say their opposition is about incentivizing retailers, not about penalizing people for what's in their grocery cart.
Half of College Students Are Food Insecure. Are Universities Doing Enough to Help Them?
As more students search for their next meal, there's increasing demand for programs that go beyond the food pantry.
The Oil Industry and Environmentalists Form an Odd Alliance Against Trump on Ethanol
It could be years before farmers see any gains from the rollback of E15 restrictions—or before oil interests and environmental groups see any losses.
Drought Intensifies the Navajo Nation's Ongoing Water Shortage (in Photos)
Although drought conditions are improving across most of the U.S., more than 40 percent of Navajo households still don't have running water at home.
The FDA Finds Groceries Are Contaminated. But Will It Do Anything About That?
PFAS in water are already regulated. Environmental advocates think it's time for food to be regulated too.
'The Fields Are Washing Away:' Midwest Flooding Is Wreaking Havoc on Farmers
Historic flooding this year is setting back planting season. Climate change will force farmers to adjust to similarly brutal weather events in the future.
Trump's Mexico Tariffs Could Start Another Trade War, Economists Warn
This round could be even more costly for U.S. agriculture and consumers.
New Research Shows SNAP Recipients Are a Benefit to—Not a Drain on—Rural Economies
The roughly 40 million Americans who use food assistance programs are also helping to create jobs.
California May Extend Medicaid to Undocumented Immigrants. Will Trump Weaken the Plan?
This week, the state came one step closer to becoming the first to extend Medicaid to all undocumented immigrants.
How Trump's Latest Crackdown on Public Benefits Fits Into His Immigration Plans
A new memo could have a chilling effect on both family-based immigration and participation in public-benefit programs.
As More Americans Are Being Lifted Out of Poverty, the Racial Wealth Gap Persists
An annual Federal Reserve Board report found that more Americans are financially secure in 2018. Most of them are white.
The Federal Government Won't Pay Back California's Firefighting Costs. What Happens When the Next Fire Hits?
California says it's owed $9.3 million for fighting fires on federal lands. The Forest Service says the state is overbilling.
Experts Have Wanted to Update the Poverty Line for Years—but Not the Way Trump Is Planning to Do It
Amid attacks on several food security programs from the Trump administration, this proposed change could ignite yet another debate about where we draw the line.
Missouri Outlaws Rural Residents' Last Line of Protection Against CAFOs
Under the new law, local standards regulating industrial-scale livestock operations cannot be stricter than any of those set by the state.
Can the College Board Measure Adversity on the SAT?
The College Board plans to score a student's adversity from one to 100.
Women Own Half the Farmland in America. They Don't Earn Half the Profits.
Here's we know about women in agriculture in 2019.
Monsanto Was Ordered to Pay $2 Billion in a Cancer Lawsuit. There Are 13,000 More Plaintiffs.
This is the third strike against the agribusiness giant, now owned by Bayer.
Trump's Plan to Bail Out Farmers During the Trade War Could Backfire
Corn and soybeans—the crops that have been hardest hit by the tariffs—are typically used for animal feed, not human consumption.
Coca-Cola's Research Contracts Allowed It to Kill Unfavorable Studies
A new study finds the industry giant was frequently given the right to oversee and even terminate public-sector research.
Why Is Participation in Food Assistance Programs Like WIC Declining?
New analysis of federal data shows the largest single-year decrease in WIC's history. Participation is down in SNAP and the school lunch program too.
Bernie Sanders Says His Campaign's New Sexual Misconduct Policy Is the 'Gold Standard'
Here's what experts say about best practices to prevent sexual harassment on the campaign trail.
The Trump Administration Wants to Deny SNAP Benefits to Parents Who Don't Pay Child Support
Experts believe the change would result in more low-income families going without food assistance.
Could Giving Milk a Longer Shelf Life Reduce Food Waste?
The dairy industry has seen its fair share of disruptors. Now, an Australian food company has made fresh milk that can last for 60 days.
Can Cauliflower Be 'Rice'? Some States Say No.
New state measures are targeting riced vegetable products to protect the rice industry.
A Lawsuit Against All of California's Bishops Will Be Allowed to Proceed
The lawsuit would force church officials to release the names of alleged abusers in dioceses across the state.
PepsiCo Tells Farmers: 'Join Us or Grow Other Potatoes'
How plant patents work in the U.S. and India.
Californians Will See the Costs of Climate Change in Their Electric Bills
Citing growing wildfire risk, the state's private utilities are attempting to increase their rates significantly.
Iowa's New Law Criminalizing Undercover Investigations of Farms Faces Legal Challenges
The ACLU of Iowa argues this law is no different than its predecessor, which was ruled unconstitutional this year.
Does the Civil Rights Act Ban Discrimination Against LGBT People? The Supreme Court Plans to Decide.
For a trio of anti-LGBT discrimination cases, the issue revolves around the meaning of one word: sex.
SNAP Participants Can Buy Groceries Online for the First Time
Here's what the change could mean for food security among SNAP participants.
Scientists Partially Revived the Brains of Dead Pigs. Here's What it Means for Neurological Research.
Federal regulation of research tissue from the deceased is prefaced on the assumption that the dead (tissue) stays dead. A new experiment suggests otherwise.
America's Leading Animal Geneticist Wants to Talk to You About GMOs
Alison Van Eenennaam has spent the last decade explaining gene editing to critics who find fear more compelling than data. Is anybody listening?
Why the Notre Dame Fire Is a Loss of Collective Memory
An art historian and theorist explains how places become invested with cultural meaning and memory, and what happens when we lose them.
More States Are Restricting Who Can Sue Agriculture Operations
Six states are restricting lawsuits against concentrated animal feeding operations in ways that will disproportionately affect low-income communities.
Stories You Might Have Missed This Week
Students ask the media to publicize their images if they die in a shooting, a prison in Mississippi will replace in-person visits with low-budget Skype, and a minor planet gets its name.
The U.S. Has More Female Farmers Than Ever
And other key takeaways from the latest Census of Agriculture.