"Chihuahua: Where the Rain Doesn't Fall Any More"
"A record drought in northern Mexico has prompted warnings that the region's climate may have changed for good."
Source: Independent, 07/11/2012
Agriculture
Dead Zone Pollutant Grows Despite Decades of Work: Who's the Culprit?
"For two centuries, the town of Hermann has been known for the Missouri River. But now the river is making Hermann known for an unexpected reason: It is a hot spot for nitrate. Despite three decades of costly efforts to clean it up, the levels at Hermann have increased 75 percent since 1980."
Source: EHN, 07/09/2012
"Has 'Organic' Been Oversized?"
"ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michael J. Potter is one of the last little big men left in organic food. More than 40 years ago, Mr. Potter bought into a hippie cafe and 'whole earth' grocery here that has since morphed into a major organic foods producer and wholesaler, Eden Foods."
Source: NY Times, 07/09/2012
"Searing Sun and Drought Shrivel Corn in Midwest"
"HARTFORD CITY, Ind. -- Across a wide stretch of the Midwest, sweltering temperatures and a lack of rain are threatening what had been expected to be the nation’s largest corn crop in generations."
Source: NY Times, 07/05/2012
"Wheat, Corn Prices Climb as Heat Takes Toll on Crops"
"Wheat prices rose Wednesday as the hot, dry summer continued to take its toll on crops in the U.S. and Russia."
Source: AP, 06/28/2012
TOOLBOX: EWG Ag Subsidy Database a Tall Silo of Environmental Stories
One starting point to covering agriculture — and the health implications of land and water use — is to follow the money using Environmental Working Group's major database tool. Any reporter covering the ag-environment link should know about it.
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Senate Stifles Amendment on Crop Insurance Disclosure
That left journalists and the taxpayers — for now — at least partly in the dark about where tax dollars subsidizing agriculture are really going. But disclosure advocates think they may get another opportunity when the House takes up its own version of the Farm Bill.
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CBS Gets 'GM' Grass Story Wrong
"Perhaps you heard the story going around today. A genetically modified grass started pumping out cyanide gas, killing a herd of cattle. CBS News had the scoop, as seen at WTVR.com in Richmond: 'Genetically modified grass linked to cattle deaths.' It’s basically a story custom-built for rapid spread around the internet. And it is basically completely wrong. The grass at issue, Tifton 85, was not genetically modified at all, but rather is a hybrid."
Source: Grist, 06/27/2012
"Farmworkers Plagued By Pesticides, Red Tape"
"NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Laboring in the blackberry fields of central Arkansas, the 18-year-old Mexican immigrant suddenly turned ill. Her nose began to bleed, her skin developed a rash, and she vomited."
Source: iWatch News, 06/26/2012
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