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How The USDA’s Food Box Initiative Overpaid And Underdelivered
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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The Trump Administration has been buying food from farmers and getting it to food banks. Food banks, however, say the program was not set up to deliver food efficiently.
Big-Money Investors Gear Up For A Trillion-Dollar Bet On Farmland
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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A trillion dollars worth of American farmland will change hands in the coming years. Wealthy investors are likely to buy more of it with the power to shape rural communities and the environment.
Farmers Got Billions From Taxpayers In 2019, And Hardly Anyone Objected
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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Farmers got more than $22 billion in government payments in 2019 — and most of the money came through a program that Congress never approved. It’s the highest level of farm subsidies in 14 years.
As The Climate Warms, Companies Are Scrambling To Calculate The Risk To Their Profits
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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Companies are trying to figure out the risks to their profits from a warming planet. Some of them are turning to high-tech tools of climate science.
Don’t Cut Those Trees — Big Food Might Be Watching
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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Dozens of food companies have promised to stop their suppliers from clearing forests in order to grow crops or graze cattle. Now the companies have a tool to monitor those farmers from space.
Economists Say Trump Administration Is Overpaying Farmers For Trade Losses
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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The Trump administration has released details of a $16 billion plan to compensate farmers who’ve lost money as a result of the trade dispute with China. Some economists say it’s too generous.
Not Just For Cows Anymore: New Cottonseed Is Safe For People To Eat
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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Cottonseed is full of protein but toxic to humans and most animals. The USDA has approved a genetically engineered cotton with edible seeds. They could eventually feed chickens, fish — or even people.
New Maps Reveal Global Fishing’s ‘Vast Scope Of Exploitation Of The Ocean’
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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Researchers have used radio transmissions to track the movement of fishing vessels and create stunning maps of fishing activity. The maps show that fishing covers most of the globe’s oceans.
Why Is Venison On Expensive Plates And Food Pantry Shelves?
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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Venison, a luxury meat sold in high-end stores also shows up on the winter menus of expensive restaurants. But venison from deer killed by hunters can’t be sold, so much of it is given away for free.
The Soybean Is King, Yet Remains Invisible
By: Dan Charles | NPR
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For the first time in history, soybeans are about to become America’s most widely grown crop. Yet compared to corn or wheat, they remain curiously invisible in American culture.