Reading “The Goophered Grapevine” on the Farm
Charles W. Chesnutt was a serial transplant. He found the ancestral North Carolina inhospitable. And in the North--Washington, New York, Cleveland, he was always homesick, from his earliest departures.
Midwestern Apiaries are a Sweet Thing
The USDA attributes the pollination of 15 billion worth of crops in the U.S. annually to honeybees. This insect alone contributes between 1.2 and 5.4 billion dollars in agricultural productivity by pollinating 80 percent of all flowering plants, including more than 130 fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
Detasseling Corn – Less Fun Than it Sounds
Detasseling is a "Rite of Passage" Promising "Fun, Freedom & Money"
What the USDA Still Owes Farmers of Color
The American Rescue Plan offers debt relief for farmers of color, but structural factors have kept many from obtaining loans in the first place.
Gambling on Hemp
Illinois began accepting applications to grow industrial hemp at the end of April. But the first legal crop in more than eighty years is accompanied by a lot of uncertainty.
Tapping into Tradition
In the Ohio Valley, more farmers are harvesting maple syrup, a practice that dates to before the arrival of Europeans.
Losing the Farm
"The twentieth century in America brought dramatic changes to the farm...one of which was the abstraction of my family and me from our roots on the land."
Can Agriculture Save Pollinators?
A Wisconsin beekeeper searches for solutions on the farm.