The Adopt-a-Forest program is volunteer-driven and helps people engage with the outdoors and encourages them to keep public lands clean, the state Department of Natural Resources says.
Agriculture
As much as a third of the topsoil in the corn belt may be gone
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Conventional farming practices have eroded much of the topsoil from a region of the Midwest known as the corn belt, according to a recent study.
Land
Chicago could adopt garden registry soon
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Chicago environmental groups are pushing to protect urban gardens from fines levied for having too many weeds.
Land
Farmworkers need more off-site housing, Michigan task force says
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As farmworkers from other states and countries come to work in Michigan, the need for safe and affordable off-farm housing options is becoming increasingly important, a recent task force report said.
Agriculture
Higher prices, pandemic payments help Michigan farms stay afloat in 2020
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In 2020, Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy filings fell by 7 percent.
Agriculture
New state plan has Michigan hemp growers uncertain about the future
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Growers worry that higher license and testing fees will push an already high cost of operation even higher.
Land
Chicago activists and artists color environmental justice
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The idea is to showcase a vision of transforming communities in a way that prioritizes employees, children and the planet’s well-being, organizers say.
foraging
Foraging for medicinal plants gains popularity
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Foraging for medicinal and indigenous foods is a prehistoric practice that not only has boosts immune systems, but has gained increased attention due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Agriculture
Midwestern farms suffocating Gulf of Mexico ecosystems
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Fertilizer runoff from seasonal heavy rainfall on Midwestern farms is traveling down the Mississippi River and creating a “hypoxic zone,” or low oxygen zone in the Gulf of Mexico, a recent study by Iowa State University scientists warns.
Agriculture
New nutrient trapping program takes off
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A newly funded project in Ohio’s Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District aims to reduce water nutrients and sediments that flow into Lake Erie, causing excessive growth of algae.
Agriculture
Cherry growers want to get in on the snacking trend
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Struggling Michigan cherry farmers hope to cash in on a growing consumer trend during the pandemic: We’re eating more snacks.