Before he was abruptly fired last month, Derek Copeland worked as a trainer at the US Department of Agriculture’s National Dog Detection Training Center, preparing beagles and Labrador retrievers to sniff out plants and animals that are invasive or vectors for zoonotic diseases, like swine flu. Copeland estimates the NDDTCContinue Reading
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Just four West African countries are the foundation of an industry worth more than $100 billion. In the tropical nations of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria, rows of cacao trees sprout pods bearing dozens ofContinue Reading
The widespread layoff of Department of Agriculture scientists has thrown vital research into disarray, according to former and current employees of the agency. Scientists hit by the layoffs were working on projects to improve crops, defend against pests and disease, and understand the climate impact of farming practices. The layoffsContinue Reading
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMBAT RATIONS? The ready-to-eat meals share similarities with army combat rations, which many national servicemen are familiar with. The sterilisation technology used for both products is the same, said Ms Sin, but combat rations require different packaging and food options due to considerations such as needingContinue Reading
It also puts him on a collision course with people who worry that a switch to organic crops would make it much harder for the US to achieve its climate goals. Organic crops tend to produce less yield per acre, thus requiring larger areas of land to grow the sameContinue Reading
