As agriculture, large-scale irrigation, market competition and climate change fuel 'water war,' Spain reconsiders its water policy. Farmers, who use 80 percent of the country's water and now irrigate historically arid crop of olives to boost production, are blamed for tapping up to 1.5 million illegal wells. Desalination offers some hope.
By Christine Spolar
Chicago Tribune 2008-08-18 (entry)
As horseweed, Palmer amaranth, johnsongrass and other weeds develop resistance to Monsanto's Roundup, Arkansas farmers pin hopes on Bayer CropScience LibertyLink soybeans. New soybeans will be resistant to Ignite, a potent weedkiller. And: EPA classifies active ingredient, glufosinate ammonium, as 'persistent' and 'mobile' (click 'See also').
By David Bennett
Delta Farm Press 2008-08-13 (entry)
See also
USDA decision expected soon on whether millions of acres it rents from farmers to maintain soil, wildlife habitat, grasslands, trees, wetlands and buffer areas along streams and rivers can be plowed for corn crop without penalty. Amid rising food prices, last year's corn crop was used for ethanol; Congress has mandated increased ethanol use this year.
By Joel Achenbach
The Washington Post 2008-07-11 (entry)
See also
Jellyfish unwelcome residents at beaches worldwide after severe overfishing removes their predators (tuna, sharks, swordfish) and food competitors, and pollution saps oxygen needed for other predators to thrive in coastal shallows. Their presence signals declining health of the world's oceans, scientists say. And: Jellyfish could take place of fish with chips (click 'See also').
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
The New York Times 2008-08-03 (entry)
See also
After population's mid-century exodus to urban Italy, grape vines tended for centuries were left to run wild. Now, vineyard sleuth in Alpine valley works to save grape varietals from extinction, to bring them back to cultivation and, finally to turn them into wine.
By Aaron Maines
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2008-07-04 (entry)
Commercial and sport fishing will likely be affected as fish population undergoes quick changes in Lake Huron. Blame could be placed on exotic invasive species, including zebra mussel, quagga mussel, round gobies and the spiny water flea. Ecosystem evolution will be studied this year by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
By Jeff Kart
The Bay City Times 2008-03-05 (entry)
Democratic senators say administration-rejected EPA report declares that greenhouse gases endanger public welfare. It forecasts worse heat waves, more strain on scarce water sources, worse flooding and erosion, more stress on damaged ecosystems. And: EPA administrator refuses to grant Dems' request to appear at hearing on climate change inaction (click 'See also).
By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post 2008-07-25 (entry)
See also
As ocean warms, octopus appear in Scottish seas lobster traps and might be eating the more lucrative catch; their price drops to that of cod. Squid, deep-sea John Dory fish, red blenny and Japanese skeleton shrimp among those invading - others have hitched rides on ship hulls.
By Paul Kelbie
The Observer (UK) 2008-07-20 (entry)
Climate change may bring water shortages in West and increased spread of diseases contracted through food and water, as well as heat waves, hurricanes and increased death rates in inner city, EPA says. And: Oil industry arguments helped block regulations on greenhouse gases (click 'See also').
By David A. Fahrenthold and Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post 2008-07-18 (entry)
See also
Reflecting industry ties, California forestry board turns down emergency salmon protection bid. Board regulates logging on private land. Coastal coho salmon numbers have plunged 73 percent since last year and may be near extinction. And: Logging and conversion of timberland have harmed coho salmon, fisheries group says (click 'See also').
McClatchy Newspapers/The Guardian (UK) 2008-08-07 (entry)
See also
Conservation program land won't be released for planting without penalty because of good harvest projections and because many farmers have already paid their way out of program, returning 288,726 acres to farming, USDA says. Decision disappoints bakers and livestock owners, who face high grain costs; hunters, conservationists pleased.
By Andrew Martin
The New York Times 2008-07-30 (entry)
USDA decision expected soon on whether millions of acres it rents from farmers to maintain soil, wildlife habitat, grasslands, trees, wetlands and buffer areas along streams and rivers can be plowed for corn crop without penalty. Amid rising food prices, last year's corn crop was used for ethanol; Congress has mandated increased ethanol use this year.
By Joel Achenbach
The Washington Post 2008-07-11 (entry)
See also
"And soon it was lunchtime/
Mom said I should ask about how poor kids could get fed/
So I got a book of tickets and a schedule and it read/
Monday - Hot Dog, Tuesday - Taco/
Wednesday - Hamburgers and Chocolate Milk/
Thursday - Sloppy Joes and doritos in a bag/
Friday was Pizza Day, the best day of the week/...
As time went on we figured out/
It was totally uncool/
To eat the welfare lunch/
Provided by the school/
So in poser-punker fashion/
We just mooched off all the kids/
And lived off eating candy bars/
And bags of nacho chips/
Monday - Hot Dog, Tuesday - Taco/
Wednesday - Hamburgers and Chocolate Milk/
Thursday - Sloppy Joes and doritos in a bag/
Friday was Pizza Day, the best day of the week/
It always came with salad and a side of cold green beans/
Hooray for Pizza Day/
Hooray for Pizza Day/
I miss Pizza Day./ "
— The Aquabats, "Pizza Day" lyrics
As biofuels plants open, pollution follows. In Alabama, substance resembling salad dressing repeatedly fouled waterways near the state's first biofuels plant, and for 20 miles downstream, fish died with oil around them. In Missouri's bootheel, illegal dumping kills 25,000 fish and wipes out population of endangered mussel.
By Brenda Goodman
The New York Times 2008-03-11 (entry)
See also
Eating fish laden with mercury can cause brain damage in adults and fetuses - a Stanford student was temporarily disabled by his four-can-a-day tuna diet. Coal-fired power plants, which supply half the nation's energy, in 2005, dumped nearly 50 tons into the air, which washed into waterways, then into fish. Safe seafood choices: salmon, shrimp, flounder, scallops, anchovies and sardines.
By Larry Wheeler
Gannett News Service, USA Today 2007-10-31 (entry)
With global demand, drought-related crop failure and corn for ethanol replacing food crops, prices rise for wheat, dairy, corn, high-fructose corn syrup and crude oil; processed food and manufacturers begin shrinking packages and/or raising prices, and sales fall.
By Anjali Cordiero
The Wall Street Journal 2007-09-26 (entry)
Bush vowed years ago to end expensive commodities subsidies but backed down. Now, his acting secretary of agriculture vows to recommend a veto of the Senate's version of the farm/food bill. Belated action is better than none for this bill and its billions in subsidies for corn, cotton, wheat, rice and sugar that U.S. agribusiness produces to excess.
The editors
The Cincinnati Post 2007-11-08 (entry)
Existing farm/food bill fosters obesity and diabetes by subsidizing cheap junk food and fast food and encourages land, water and meat pollution by rewarding feedlot production of livestock and fence-row to fence-row cultivation of only a few crops. Then, its authors comfort critics with extra funds for nutrition programs and environmental cleanup.
By Michael Pollan
The New York Times 2007-11-04 (entry)
If Congress can triumph over farm-state legislators' desires and overcome inertia to approve Lugar-Lautenberg bill, crop insurance would replace subsidies. It would save $20 billion over five years, and would funnel the savings to valuable soil, open space and wetlands preservation programs, as well as the food stamps program.
The editors
The New York Times 2007-11-03 (entry)
With tuberculosis in cattle on the rise, UK farmers want badger population culled, but controversy continues over whether reducing germ-carrying population will reduce incidence of disease (click 'See also'). In 2007, 28,000 cattle were slaughtered because of TB; number likely to reach 40,000 this year.
By James Meikle
The Guardian (UK) 2008-07-05 (entry)
See also
Citing possible harm to wildlife, France bans Monsanto's genetically modified MON810 corn seed, angering farm lobby and delighting environmentalists. The company vows to consider all options. But it's not a blanket ban; France allowed 54,340 acres of Monsanto biotech corn to grow last year.
By Tara Patel
Bloomberg 2008-01-12 (entry)
House overrides Bush veto of $23 billion bill funding nearly 900 new water projects, including improving Depression-era locks and dams that impede agricultural freight traffic on the upper Mississippi River.
By Christopher Doering
Reuters 2007-11-06 (entry)
Nutrient-rich matter that sustains most of our food and supports life is eroding and disappearing, mostly because of modern agricultural practices, says author of "Dirt." Some farmers advocate no-till planting instead, which leaves crop stubble as erosion barrier and ready-made rows for new planting between the stubble.
By Tom Paulson
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) 2008-01-22 (entry)
China and India, with burgeoning populations, face changing climate, water shortages and diminishing farmlands, and must boldly address pollution problems and infrastructure needs or they will be big customers on the world commodities market in 30 years.
By Hari Sud
United Press International 2007-11-06 (entry)
In 100-year-old crop lands used for research, Illinois scientists found that 50 years of massive nitrogen fertilization reduced corn yields and that level of organic carbon in the soil was greatly diminished, which leads to greater drought vulnerability. Conclusion? Lower doses of fertilizer often are better for crops, soil, water and air.
By Debra Levey Larson
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2007-10-29 (entry)
As horseweed, Palmer amaranth, johnsongrass and other weeds develop resistance to Monsanto's Roundup, Arkansas farmers pin hopes on Bayer CropScience LibertyLink soybeans. New soybeans will be resistant to Ignite, a potent weedkiller. And: EPA classifies active ingredient, glufosinate ammonium, as 'persistent' and 'mobile' (click 'See also').
By David Bennett
Delta Farm Press 2008-08-13 (entry)
See also
Coast Guard opens Mississippi River to limited traffic two days after oil spill; some nearby suburbs find another source for drinking water; fate of fish unknown. And: Between 55 percent and 65 percent of all U.S. corn, soybean and wheat exports leave from the Gulf of Mexico (click 'See also').
By Adam Nossiter
The New York Times 2008-07-25 (entry)
See also
Citing safety risk to toddlers, EPA bans residue of carbofuran. It's used mostly in developing countries on rice, bananas, coffee, sugar cane, corn, potatoes, soybeans and alfalfa. It kills bees and, over last 40 years, it has killed millions of wild birds, including golden and bald eagles, red-tailed hawks and migratory songbirds, environmental groups say.
By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post 2008-07-25 (entry)
Coast Guard opens Mississippi River to limited traffic two days after oil spill; some nearby suburbs find another source for drinking water; fate of fish unknown. And: Between 55 percent and 65 percent of all U.S. corn, soybean and wheat exports leave from the Gulf of Mexico (click 'See also').
By Adam Nossiter
The New York Times 2008-07-25 (entry)
See also
Price for household water headed up for Brits after review shows environmental damage to rivers, wetlands and habitats and threats to wildlife. One water company, required to cut by half the amount it takes from a river supplying 740,000 people in summer, must find alternative source.
By Juliette Jowit
The Guardian (UK) 2008-07-12 (entry)
Oil companies settle groundwater contamination suit for $423 million plus 70 percent of cleanups over next 30 years. At issue is MTBE, a predecessor to ethanol that oxygenated gasoline and reduced smog, but caused cancer in lab rats and made tainted water smell and taste like turpentine. Six companies, including Exxon Mobil, didn't agree to the deal.
By Jad Mouawad
The New York Times 2008-05-08 (entry)
See also
In Midwest, vast fields of crops release moisture into the air, causing pockets of humidity. Dew points, a measure of moisture, may soon reach near 80 in sections of Missouri and Iowa--a level most often associated with tropical rain forests.
By Tom Skilling
Chicago Tribune 2008-07-25 (entry)
Sudden collapse of West Coast salmon population likely linked to 2005 shift in jet stream that delayed water-stirring winds that stimulate fish food growth. Fisheries group predicts closures; sport and commercial salmon fishing off California and most of Oregon dropped to $61 million a year from 2001 through 2005, after an average of $103 million a year from 1979 through 2000.
By Jeff Barnard
The Associated Press; The Seattle Times 2008-03-03 (entry)
As residents abandon their homes for shelters, some begin fighting over fresh water and food in flood-devastated Tabasco region in the south of Mexico; rescuers focus on delivering supplies to communities still isolated by water.
The Associated Press; USA Today 2007-11-04 (entry)
