Dole Sues "Bananas!" Film-Maker For Defamation

July 15, 2009–Showing of the film, depicting purported harm and claims of sterility by Nicaraguan plantation workers, went ahead at the Los Angeles Film Festival, even though an April 2009 Superior Court ruled that those claims were fraudulent.

Toolbox: Homeland Security Daily Infrastructure Report

July 15, 2009–Reporters interested in following the hazards of dams, refineries, chemical plants, pipelines, and other infrastructure may find story leads in DHS reports.

Judge Rules That Feedlot Phone-Book Can Be Secret

April 8, 2009–As of March 31, 2009, the Agriculture Department may keep secret the locations and phone numbers of feedlots — however much the public may complain about their smell and the pollution emanating from them.

Obscure Farm Bill Provision Blacks Out Agricultural Data

February 25, 2009–The USDA is interpreting a provision in the 2008 Farm Bill so broadly that it may amount to a FOIA exemption for most information about individual agricultural operations.

Toolbox: USDA Releases New Census of Agriculture

February 18, 2009–Data range from the very big picture, such as the total acreage devoted to agriculture in the country, and each state and county, to myriad details.

EPA Hides Data on Pesticide Link to Bee Die-Off

September 10, 2008–The Environmental Protection Agency looks determined to keep the public from knowing whether a pesticide on which it has waived safety rules may be a factor in the worldwide bee die-off known as "colony collapse disorder."

USDA Stops Pesticide, Fertilizer Data

August 27, 2008–The Bush administration is killing a longstanding program that publishes free the information it gathers on the application of pesticides and fertilizer by U.S. farmers.

USDA Raises Barriers to Disclosure of Predator Control Info

August 13, 2008–The Department of Agriculture has stopped reporting publicly how many animals it kills for farmers and ranchers in its predator control program.

Farm Bill Launches Sweeping New Secrecy Initiative

May 21, 2008–New language added to the 2007/08 Farm Bill by conferees at the 11th hour could create a sweeping new secrecy mandate that would prohibit the Agriculture Department from disclosing almost any information about individual US farm operations.

Farm Bill + Global Ag Report = Deeper Ag Policy Stories

April 30, 2008–A new report on global agriculture can deepen your Farm Bill stories.