Glean. Grow. Give.
GMOs and the fight against climate change
During the climate change summit in Paris last week, Monsanto officials said they planned to work with farmers to make their operations "carbon neutral" by 2021.
The relationship between agriculture and climate change is a complicated one at best. Some estimates project that climate change will cost the agriculture industry $11 billion in damages by 2100.
Some companies like Monsanto point to GMOs as a way to help mitigate the effects of climate change by protecting crops against drought and pests. Others say there's no magic bullet.
But over the past 20 years, the number of acres of corn and soybeans planted with GMO seeds have exploded. Today, 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres are planted with GMO seeds.
Leading the way is Monsanto, which is responsible for one out of every three USDA-approved GMOs, according to an analysis of USDA data.
In July, we explored why. Don't have time to read? Listen to our story
Reporting on the U.S Visa system?
Many agricultural migrant workers are in the U.S. under the H2A Visa program. But there are dozens of other visa programs in the U.S. and reporting on any one of them is a daunting job. In the past month, visas have come under increasing scrutiny. Check out our list of tips, resources and stories on how to best cover this subject - based on a three-day workshop we hosted in April.
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Opinion: The new threat to food security
With the average age of farmers at an all-time high of 58 years old, the future of who will farm America's land remains uncertain.
And the number of new farmers is on the decline, while the cost of farming is on the rise.
With the number of jobs for farmers, ranchers and agriculture managers expected to drop nearly 20 percent by 2022, #DaveDickey explores its impact on the future of our food.
From beef to wheat.
A state senator from southern Illinois introduced legislation last week to oppose the free-trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It's one of many criticisms that have cropped up since the details of the agreement were released in November.
There is also much support.
Check out our graphic to see import/export data of agriculture products from the countries that originally signed on to the agreement.





