Agriculture

Global Entry: Help may be at hand for those who wait to get OK'd

2013-05-17 07:00:00

If you’re waiting…and waiting…for an interview appointment to complete your application for the Global Entry fast-pass-through-customs program, help may be at hand. In a blog post Monday, I� explained that I had been conditionally...

Veterans home-loan bond money going untapped

2013-05-14 18:41:00

SACRAMENTO — In the last century, Californians have said yes to every request for money to help veterans buy homes. Since 2000, they have signed off on $1.4 billion in bonds for that purpose. But most of that money remains untapped. In fact, the...

Billie Sol Estes dies at 88; notorious Texas con man in 1960s scandal

2013-05-16 11:40:00

Billie Sol Estes, a flamboyant Texas huckster who became one of the most notorious men in America in 1962 when he was accused of looting a federal crop subsidy program, has died. He was 88. Estes died in his sleep at his home in DeCordova Bend, a city...

Farmer loses seed patent case

2013-05-14 00:00:00

WASHINGTON — Monsanto Co. and other companies that patent seeds may prohibit farmers from growing a second crop from their genetically modified seeds, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously. The closely watched decision was a clear victory for...

Supreme Court hands Monsanto a GMO victory

2013-05-13 22:50:00

The Supreme Court sided with Monsanto Co. on Monday,�ruling against a farmer who used beans grown from the company's patented, genetically modified soybean seeds to plant subsequent crops. It was apparently the first time the court had upheld patent...

Cattle grazing can promote cheatgrass dominance, study finds

2013-05-13 14:53:00

Ranchers often argue that cattle grazing is the best way to combat cheatgrass, an aggressive invader that has taken over vast areas of the Great Basin, destroying the native sagebrush ecosystem and fueling huge wildfires. But a study published today...

Wrigley holds off on caffeinated gum as FDA reviews caffeine

2013-05-09 16:54:00

Less than a week after the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would investigate the safety of added caffeine in U.S. food and beverage products, Wrigley North America has decided to put its bid to market a caffeinated gum on hold out of...

What do we spend to preserve nature? $40 billion

2013-05-10 13:45:00

Some say that you can’t put a price on precious natural resources. As of this week, you can. The public and private tab for conserving the nation’s fish, wildlife and natural resources is close to $40 billion a year, according to a study...

Silicon Valley uses growing clout to kill a digital privacy bill

2013-05-03 05:00:00

Silicon Valley has wielded its growing political clout at the state Capitol to kill a digital privacy bill that would have given consumers access to information about them being collected online. Had the Right to Know Act become law, California would...

Rep. Lamar Smith defends tentative changes to research funding

2013-05-01 15:25:00

Republicans in Congress, long skeptical of the value of some taxpayer-supported research, have taken aim at the National Science Foundation with a bill that seeks to limit the scope of its grants. A draft bill by House Science Committee Chairman Lamar...

Group warns habitat designation could lead to plant's extinction

2013-04-27 20:40:00

An environmental group has warned that a federal agency's plan to designate 98.4 acres as critical habitat for an endangered plant in western Riverside County is inadequate and could result in the extinction of the species. In response to a lawsuit by...

Letters: When coal and ranching collide

2013-05-01 00:00:00

Re "Ranchers drawing a line in the coal," April 27 With ranchers in southern Montana possibly having their land divided by rail lines to deliver coal to Asia — disrupting their cattle operations and polluting their water — it does seem...

Boyne City students in Susan Sharp's eighth grade science class (from right) to left) Jon Guiles, Olivia Vargo, and Alie Roberts plant vegetable seeds in the new

2013-05-09 07:36:00

Pictured are some of the organic products ordered by Gretchen Anderson of Baltimore that were delivered by Relay, a new grocery-delivery service.

2013-05-07 13:55:00

Interns Sam Moll of Reading plants bean seeds at the Rodale Institute in Maxatawny Township, Berks County on Thursday.

2013-05-02 00:00:00