A federal freeze on certain USDA programs has held up billions of dollars for conservation and caused layoffs at a nonprofit in Iowa that supports soil and water quality.

Peat bogs sequester a massive amount of the Earth's carbon dioxide. But even as scientists work to better understand bogs' sequestration, the wetlands are under threat.

The Soybean Innovation Lab based at the University of Illinois has laid off 30 employees and expects to shut down in the spring if funding isn't restored. Lab leaders at other Land Grant universities say they have avoided layoffs, but that could change.

The annual “Great Backyard Bird Count” asks people to track the birds they see and hear over a few days. The information can help researchers better understand bird populations and whether species are declining.

The U.S. could lose up to 15 million acres of forestland to development by 2060. One effort to keep forests intact is to give landowners a financial incentive through the carbon market.

Aronia berry, also known as chokeberry, is a native fruit increasingly known for its health benefits, but producers are having trouble finding demand.

Biofuel advocates say the industry is at an inflection point. They’re calling on the new administration to increase ethanol and biodiesel volumes in the country's fuel supply, expand E15 gasoline and clarify tax credits.

Foreign investors owned about 46 million acres of U.S. farmland in 2023 — which is less than 4% of all American farmland, according to a recent report. The data comes as more states consider limiting foreign ownership of agricultural land.

The potential cut to a federal meal program for high-need school districts would result in about 900,000 students in the Midwest and Great Plains losing free school breakfasts and lunches.

Bison — which most tribes refer to as buffalo — are an essential part of many Plains tribes' cultural and spiritual life. Now more tribes and tribal nations are working to reestablish bison herds on their own land.