Food and Agriculture

No-till farming’s Johnny Appleseed — in a grimy Prius

Jeff Mitchell rides up and down California's Central Valley bearing a message: Farming without plowing saves soil and money.

Nathanael Johnson Climate & Energy

Fearless teenage fish don’t run from climate change, death

These acid-addled fish just want to watch the world burn.

Amelia Urry Climate & Energy

Conventional farmers drop their plows in favor of conservation

A visit to one mainstream California farm that has stopped plowing turns up a surprising reason for the increasingly common change: It comes with a dollar sign.

Nathanael Johnson Food and Agriculture

The future of genetically modified plants could include potatoes with tiny hamburgers in the middle

Writer Daniel Berleant envisions the wacky future of food, including egg-sized sunflower seeds and watermelons that taste like nectarines.

Jess Zimmerman Food and Agriculture

Droughts push beef prices to record highs

Mo' drought, moo problems. Hamburger and sirloins are more expensive than ever, and a shortage of cattle means a surplus of tumbleweeds.

John Upton Climate & Energy

What “kalegate” taught us about New Orleans and food

You can talk all kinds of smack about New Orleans, but whatever you do, don't get mouthy about its greens.

Heather Hansman Cities

California farmers: Drill, baby, drill (for water, that is)

Here's why the agricultural industry's response to water shortages may be a recipe for disaster.

Tom Philpott Climate & Energy

Like some dust bowl with your grain belt?

How crop insurance is subsidizing the conversion of prairie grassland to cornfields -- and seeding a dismal future.

Heather Smith Food and Agriculture

How can we deal with ocean acidification? Step one: Study it.

A group of government agencies have released a strategic research plan for ocean acidification. Stop yawning, this is important!