As wolves rebound, range riders keep watch over livestock

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/as-wolves-rebound-range-riders-keep-watch-over-livestock

Sandi Doughton

The Seattle Times

2 August 2015

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Wolves in western America were once hunted to near-extinction but have now been reintroduced into certain territories with notable success. More wolves often means more attacks on ranchers' livestock, however, so cowboys are working to track wolf packs by computer to reduce conflicts.

Serving Up School Lunches of Tomorrow

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/opinion/serving-up-school-lunches-of-tomorrow.html

Mark Bittman

The New York Times

8 September 2015

Video / 5-15 Minutes

It’s no secret that, although progress has been made, school lunches need help to become more nutritious and sustainable. School officials in San Francisco are partnering with researchers from UC Berkeley's School of Public Health to better school lunch programs and, ultimately, curb child obesity.

Cultivating a New Immigrant Narrative

https://medium.com/bright/cultivating-a-new-immigrant-narrative-8273de03537d

Diana Prichard

Bright Magazine

27 April 2015

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Half of U.S. farm workers are Hispanic, but few make it to leadership positions. A historically white non-profit, FFA, is creating equal education programs in California to increase leadership opportunities for minorities in agriculture.

Denmark Might Be Winning The Global Race To Prevent Food Waste

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/01/436292784/denmark-might-be-winning-the-global-race-to-prevent-food-waste

Sidsel Overgaard

NPR

1 September 2015

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To decrease the nation's food waste, activists in Denmark showed the people that it was safe to buy and consume items that were very recently expired. From live demonstrations where celebrity chef features expired items in the entrees to reducing prices for out-of-date items, "Danes now throw away 25 percent less food than they did five years ago."

From Our Prison to Your Dinner Table

http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/from-our-prison-to-your-dinner-table

Graeme Wood

Pacific Standard

3 March 2015

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In prison, most inmates are alienated from social practices and can be a tax burden for the states. The Colorado Correctional Industries is a program that positions inmates in different forms of labor such as making stuffed toys, farming fish, picking fruit, tending livestock, and creating crafts to be sold at grocery stores. The program makes inmates into taxpayers instead of tax burdens and offers skills that are useful for future employment once they leave prison.

In India, Profitable Farming With Fewer Chemicals

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/in-india-profitable-farming-with-fewer-chemicals

Sylvia Rowley

The New York Times

24 April 2015

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In India, many farmers, especially women farmers, have transitioned to organic farming. While it requires a serious set of skills and knowledge, organic farming increases yields and decreases costs by eliminating the need to buy pesticides. The move is both ecological and economical, and the Indian government is trying to spread the solution.

Greener Pastures for Cattle Ranching

https://web.archive.org/web/20171017065949/http://futurefood2050.com/greener-pastures-for-cattle-ranching

Lisa Palmer

Future Food

18 November 2014

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In Colombia, traditional cattle pastures have caused soil degradation, deforestation, and desertification. To reconcile this, several thousand acres of land in Latin America have been transformed into a silvo-pastoral system of grazing and raising cattle with agro-forestry. The Colombia-based Center for Research in Sustainable Systems of Agriculture seeks to reduce pasture land by 26 million acres while increasing cattle numbers by 2019.

In the Pastures of Colombia, Cows, Crops, and Timber Coexist

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/in_the_pastures_of_colombia_cows_crops_and_timber_coexist/2746

Lisa Palmer

Yale Environment 360

13 March 2014

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Colombia’s National Development Plan for cattle ranching seeks to reduce pasture land from 94 million acres to 70 million acres while increasing cattle numbers from 23 million head to 40 million. The program focuses on planting trees on grazing land and the "cut and carry method," whereby farmers grow fields of shrubs and distribute the fresh cuttings to cows in pastures. The result is greater cattle productivity and a more eco-friendly farming system.

In Grizzly country, what do you do with a dead cow?

http://modernfarmer.com/2014/02/grizzly-country-dead-cow

Benjamin Goldfarb

Modern Farmer

10 February 2014

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When cattle die on ranches in Montana, they can attract grizzly bears that can come dangerously close landowners, ranches, and living livestock. Blackfoot Challenge, a coalition of ranchers and landowners who work with the government, collects and composts dead cattle into odorless woodchips. These woodchips are effective at repurposing carcasses into high-way side revegetation projects.

FDA's ‘terrible policy error' blocks simple step to prevent fatal birth defects

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/tweak-to-corn-flour-could-help-prevent-fatal-birth-defects-growing-in-3-wash-counties

JoNel Aleccia

The Seattle Times

11 July 2015

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The life-saving vitamin folic acid is added to flour in the United States, but Hispanics tend to eat little flour. Adding folic acid to corn flour would reduce birth defects in Hispanic women in the U.S.