Publication Items

Report: Nitrogen and Phosphorous Pollution Remains Serious Threat [1]

The USGS study used data from thousands of locations to analyze trends from 1992 to 2004. You can probably find many local and regional stories as these pollutants contribute to various environmental and human health problems.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [3]
Pollution [4]
Health [5]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Environmental Health [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Chemicals [9]
Agriculture [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Report: Nitrogen and Phosphorous Pollution Remains Serious Threat [1]
Court: BLM Must Release Names of Grazing Permit Holders [12]

The decision could eventually force disclosure for holders of some 18,000 permits across 160 million acres in the West.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Natural Resources [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Agriculture [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Court: BLM Must Release Names of Grazing Permit Holders [12]
Urban Agriculture: Down, But Not out, on the Farm [16]

This growing trend can yield a crop of homegrown food stories with strong environmental angles. Here's a roundup of recent and upcoming urban agriculture issues, as well as some background and resources, to whet your appetite.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Urban Agriculture: Down, But Not out, on the Farm [16]
Reporters' Resources: Farm & Food — A Local Story [18]

Journalism about farm and food is often a key part of the environment beat. To help reporters quickly find sources and resources that can help them cover farm and food, SEJ has compiled on its website a list of some of the best.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Food [19]
Journalism & Media [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Reporters' Resources: Farm & Food — A Local Story [18]
Grasshopper Infestations on the Rise Again [21]

As drought blankets much of the western U.S. and Canada, so do grasshoppers, Mormon crickets, and other associated bugs. The cyclical insect infestations, which are occurring in pockets in every state west of the Mississippi and in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, range from light to very severe.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Disasters [22]
Wildlife [23]
Region:
Canada [24]
Northwest (OR WA) [25]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [26]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [27]
California [28]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Grasshopper Infestations on the Rise Again [21]
Taxpayer-Funded Feedlots Refuse To Disclose Polluting Emissions [29]

Beef and pork factory farms are exempt from federal requirements to report their greenhouse gas emissions but are okay with accepting federal subsidies to capture their methane emissions and turn them into energy.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Air [30]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Waste [31]
Government [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Taxpayer-Funded Feedlots Refuse To Disclose Polluting Emissions [29]
Several More States and Provinces Hit by Fatal Bat Disease [33]

Bat losses can have major impacts on ecosystems, as they routinely consume large quantities of insects and themselves provide food and nutrients for other plants and animals. There also are economic impacts as caves close to recreational use, in an effort to combat the spread of the disease.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Economy & Business [34]
Biodiversity [35]
Wildlife [23]
Region:
International [36]
Canada [24]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [37]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [38]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [39]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Several More States and Provinces Hit by Fatal Bat Disease [33]
Supreme Court Case Could Affect Many GE Foods [40]

The case, Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms, focuses on genetically engineered alfalfa. One of the concerns is that GE alfalfa can cross-contaminate, rendering organic alfalfa noncompliant with federal standards, and precluding export.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Food [19]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Government [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Supreme Court Case Could Affect Many GE Foods [40]
1 in 7 Wildlife Refuges Has Genetically Engineered Crops [41]

Three organizations file a lawsuit against the USFWS, a new study finds three strains of GE maize likely damaged organs of rats that ate the foods for just three months, pesticide use associated with GE crops may actually be greater than for traditional crops, and GE seed prices skyrocket.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Natural Resources [14]
Biodiversity [35]
Policy [42]
Technology [43]
Wildlife [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about 1 in 7 Wildlife Refuges Has Genetically Engineered Crops [41]
Detailed Organic Farm and Ranch Data Available [44]

USDA's first major national survey of U.S. organic farms includes 14,540 farms and ranches that cover 4.1 million acres in 50 states.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [10]
Government [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Detailed Organic Farm and Ranch Data Available [44]

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