agriculture
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California’s Drought Is So Bad, Farmers Are Ripping Up Almond Trees
Farmers in California are beginning to feel the heat. As the state plunges into a worsening drought, water deliveries have drastically fallen in much of California’s farmland. That’s forcing farmers to make tough decisions about the future of their operations. Some farmers are ripping up certain crops to plant less water-intensive ones, while others are…
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This Sensor Lets Beekeepers Catch Bees Before They Do Each Other Dirty
Our friends the bees have certain behaviours that are unhealthy to the hive and scary for passersby. One behaviour, swarming, happens when a hive splits naturally with a group of bees following a new queen. This is a delicate time for the hive and could result in starved bees and a dead queen. In other…
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What India Really Needs to Do to Protect Its Farmers
Since November, hundreds of thousands of farmers and their supporters have been protesting across India, calling for an end to a series of new agricultural laws introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. The demonstrations have seen record-breaking turnout in the streets — and sparked historic backlash, including widespread censorship, government-ordered internet shutdowns to crack…
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The Department of Agriculture Killed 1.2 Million Wild Animals Last Year
The mission of Wildlife Services, an office in the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is “to provide federal leadership and expertise to resolve wildlife conflicts to allow people and wildlife to coexist.” In practice, that means slaughtering animals in droves.