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Raising roosters is big business. Now a push to ease penalties for cockfighting is ruffling feathersCockfighting, the practice of fighting roosters, has been around for centuries. In the U.S. it’s a federal crime and illegal in all 50 states. But in Oklahoma, there’s an effort to lower the penalties for cockfighting that breeders say simply protects their right to raise roosters, while animal rights groups are calling foul.
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This farmer's livelihood was ruined by PFAS-contaminated fertilizer that few Midwest states test forBiosolids — a type of treated sewage byproduct from wastewater treatment plants — are used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer on farms across the Midwest. But a group of toxic “forever chemicals” are slipping through the cracks and could be inadvertently contaminating millions of acres of farmland.
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As the number of wind and solar farms increases, so does opposition in the rural areas where they’re being built. While more counties and townships passed restrictions in the last year, some states are responding by passing laws making it harder for local governments to say no to wind and solar.
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Winter tends to be the cloudiest part of the year, but data shows there were more overcast days than usual in parts of the region.
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The Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to send nearly 5,000 electric buses to school districts around the country after a nearly two-year ramp-up. A few Midwestern districts weigh in on how the new buses are working so far.
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Thousands of miles of oil and natural gas pipelines already crisscross the country. Now, many more are being proposed to carry things like hydrogen and carbon dioxide as ways to combat climate change.
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The National Music Museum has one of the world’s largest and most significant collections of historical instruments — a sort of musical Smithsonian. But it’s far away from the museums on the National Mall: It’s in Vermillion, South Dakota.
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Canning — once a necessity so families could have fruits and vegetables through the winter — has turned into a hobby. A look at how canning evolved from the home to factories, and why people are returning to the practice.
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The United States has imported $20 billion more in agricultural products than it exported — putting the sector on pace to run a record deficit. A look at what’s behind the numbers.
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A U.S. Department of Agriculture report found “socially disadvantaged producers,” especially Black farmers, operate at a higher risk level compared to their white counterparts and are less likely to receive government payments.
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Climate change means communities along the Mississippi River are experiencing longer and higher floods in springtime, flash flooding from heavy rains, as well as prolonged droughts. Now cities along the river are turning to each other for solutions.
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Some conservationists argue a recent Forest Service report will lead to more logging of old trees. They say federal forests should be left alone to soak up carbon emissions. But the Forest Service says in coming decades older trees will absorb less carbon.