Harvest Public Media

Bird flu has killed millions of hens in recent weeks, shrinking the supply of eggs and hiking up prices at grocery stores.

Under a 40-year-old law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture can withhold subsidies, like crop insurance and disaster payments, from farmers who clear, drain or convert wetlands. A company that owns farmland in Iowa says it’s unconstitutional.

The one-time payments could offer short-term support as many farmers grapple with less income and extreme weather.

The monarch butterfly population continues to shrink due to factors such as climate change. People working to help the species say proposed federal protections could boost existing efforts.

The Giving Grove, a Kansas City nonprofit that works with residents of under-resourced communities to grow orchards, will translate their educational gardening materials into 12 different languages. Plus: Midwest scientists and enthusiasts are working to preserve and popularize heirloom varieties of collard greens.

Lincoln University in Missouri is heading a USDA-funded project researching the commodity, but its prohibition created high hurdles for getting the crop off the ground.

There’s no shortage of products designed to grow beneficial fungi that will help your crops or garden. Whether they actually do that, though, is a different matter.

Beyond Pesticides is working to help cities phase out the use of chemicals like weed killers from public outdoor spaces. Advocates and organizers hope it will make communities healthier.

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.

Incoming president Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from countries such as China, Mexico and Canada. Many economists and commodity groups say these import taxes could boomerang and harm U.S. agriculture.

Many Midwest states and outdoor organizations are now trying to reach groups that haven’t historically participated in hunting — including women. But while women make up about a third of new hunters, many face barriers to break into and continue with the sport.

Legal agreements govern the Great Lakes and some river systems in the U.S., but the Mississippi River doesn’t have a compact. Some mayors on the waterway think it’s time to change that.