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Puerto Rico looks to go local to reduce food import dependence

Jan 10, 2024
One reason that food prices are high on the island is that under the Jones Act, only U.S. ships carry food to the territory.
Puerto Ricans are working to improve access to fresh, affordable food. The territory imports roughly 90% of its food. Above, farm workers secure tomatoes to wooden stakes in Guanica.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images

I've always wondered: how mint flavoring became associated with clean teeth

Sep 8, 2023
Listener Grant Cohoe says he's "not a fan of mint" and asks: "Why it is that mint is so ubiquitous in toothpaste, mouthwash and the like?"
Mint flavored toothpaste at the store. 
Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace

The Census of Agriculture: what it's for, why it matters

Feb 6, 2023
The USDA sends its survey out every five years to create a snapshot of American agriculture, divvy up funds and make policy decisions.
The government uses data from the USDA survey to target resources and inform policy decisions.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Farm profits, up last year, may sink again as farmers' costs rise

Feb 21, 2022
Seed and fertilizer are just a few of the products whose costs have risen because of ongoing supply chain problems.
Though farmers' profits rose by nearly 25% last year, surging costs for labor and supplies are cutting into those gains.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Eau de livestock, anyone?

Apr 26, 2021
France has passed a law to protect the sounds and smells of the countryside as a way to preserve French heritage.
A new law protects France's "sensorial heritage" — its smells and sounds, including those that have provoked lawsuits by annoyed rural residents.
Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via Getty Images

Meat processing plants are COVID-19 hot spots. What does that mean for U.S. food supply?

Tyson Foods is warning that millions of pounds of meat could "disappear."
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Farm bankruptcies up sharply in 2019

Jan 31, 2020
Filing for bankruptcy doesn't necessarily mean you’re giving up on farming.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Food cannons and goat yoga: Farmers get creative for profits

Sep 16, 2019
In troubled trade times, anything to bring business to the farm.
A farmer in La Union, New Mexico, built a 10-acre corn maze in 2000 as a way to supplement their income.
Joe Raedle/Newsmakers

In the flooded farm belt, a race against the clock for planting

Jun 7, 2019
Growers are racing to plant corn, soybeans and wheat before it's too late.
Water pools in rain-soaked farm fields on May 29 near Gardner, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Why it's the "nonfarm" payrolls report

May 1, 2019
The Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly report doesn't count jobs down on the farm. We explain why.
Farmworkers pull weeds in a spinach field near El Centro, California, in January.
Scott Olson/Getty Images