Tag: farmers
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In the Heart of the Corn Belt, an Uphill Battle for Clean Water
Iowa State Senator David Johnson has led the fight to reduce agricultural pollution of the state’s waters. Casey Beck Runoff from farms and feedlots has badly polluted Iowa’s waterways, more than half of which do not meet federal quality standards. Now, an unlikely coalition is calling for stricter controls to clean up the drinking water…
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Despite A Ban, Arkansas Farmers Are Still Spraying Controversial Weedkiller
These soybeans were damaged in 2017 by dicamba, a popular weedkiller that’s prone to drifting into neighboring fields. Some farmers in the state are defying efforts by regulators to strictly limit use of the chemical. Dan Charles/NPR The fields and back roads of eastern Arkansas were a crime scene this past summer. State inspectors stopped…
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California’s Can’t-Miss Chance to Provide Safe Drinking Water for All
Photo: A sign outside the Lafayette Reservoir in Lafayette, California. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images State legislators have until the end of the month [August 2018, —Ed.] to pass the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. There is an urgent need to provide clean drinking water to the 1 million Californians who lack access to such supplies,…
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California’s water wars heat up at Sacramento hearing over river flows
At the Capitol on Monday, farmers protest a proposal by water officials to increase flows for the lower San Joaquin River. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press Central Valley farmers and their elected leaders converged on Sacramento on Tuesday to accuse the state of engineering a water grab that puts the fate of fish above…
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Drought Forces Hard Choices for Farmers and Ranchers in the Southwest
Large reservoirs have buffered urban areas in the Southwest from the worst of the year’s dry conditions, but rural farmers and ranchers are bearing the brunt of water shortages and the economic fallout. CHESTER, Utah – It’s only the beginning of August – typically the height of the farming season – but the irrigation ponds…
