Collard enthusiasts are using science and preservation to lift up rare varieties of the leafy green

Collard enthusiasts are using science and preservation to lift up rare varieties of the leafy green

Collard greens are a nutritious vegetable with a rich cultural heritage in the U.S. Now, scientists and enthusiasts are working to preserve and popularize heirloom varieties that could be tastier and more climate resilient than common grocery greens.

Cicadas impacted some apple harvests in Central Illinois, but Curtis Orchard was spared
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Cicadas impacted some apple harvests in Central Illinois, but Curtis Orchard was spared

This summer, three broods of cicadas emerged at the same time in parts of Illinois. Cicadas lay their eggs in the bark of small trees, which can damage or stunt their growth. The volume of cicadas varied from town to town. 

Missouri farm

Some farmers left in limbo after Missouri’s state budget limits funding for a USDA grant

Missouri’s 2025 state budget includes less than a third of the federal funding the state received for Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program grants. More than a dozen producers with selected projects are without funding for now. The day Emily Wright expected to hear whether her vegetable and flower farm in mid-Missouri would receive grant funding…

It tastes like chicken, but ‘cultivated’ meat sees growing opposition from U.S. lawmakers
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It tastes like chicken, but ‘cultivated’ meat sees growing opposition from U.S. lawmakers

Cultivated meat – meat grown from animal cells – is touted as a way to meet growing global demand with far fewer climate impacts. Yet two states banned the sale of cultivated meat earlier this year, and there are proposals in several Midwestern states to do the same. The meat sizzling in the pan at…