Returning the 'three sisters' – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms nourishes people, land and cultures
For centuries Native Americans intercropped corn, beans and squash because the plants thrived together. A new initiative is measuring health and social benefits from reuniting the "three sisters."
Nov. 20, 2020 • ~9 min
agriculture nutrition native-americans indigenous-peoples food-deserts us-history us-midwest vegetables corn thanksgiving food-sovereignty indian-removal-act reservations
A few heavy storms cause a big chunk of nitrogen pollution from Midwest farms
New research shows that one-third of yearly nitrogen runoff from Midwest farms to the Gulf of Mexico occurs during a few heavy rainstorms. New fertilizing schedules could reduce nitrogen pollution.
Nov. 2, 2020 • ~9 min
climate-change agriculture rainfall nitrogen gulf-of-mexico us-midwest nutrient-pollution corn fertilizer sustainable-agriculture dead-zones fertilizer-runoff heavy-rainfall mississippi-river
Rural America is more vulnerable to COVID-19 than cities are, and it's starting to show
Being able to identify communities that are susceptible to the pandemic ahead of time would allow officials to target public health interventions to slow the spread of the infection and avoid deaths.
June 18, 2020 • ~10 min
health covid-19 coronavirus livestock us-midwest rural mitigation slaughterhouses rural-policies
Rain plays a surprising role in making some restored prairies healthier than others
Restoring former prairies that have been plowed under for farming delivers land, wildlife and climate benefits. But a new study finds that the weather plays a surprising role.
June 5, 2020 • ~8 min
climate-change ecology rainfall prairies grasslands ecosystem-recovery weather us-midwest weeds precipitation native-plants restoration-ecology
To protect people in the Great Lakes region from climate extremes, weatherize their homes
Climate change is making extreme weather events, both hot and cold, more frequent across the Great Lakes region. Weatherizing low-income residents' homes is an important way to prepare.
April 22, 2020 • ~8 min
climate-change cooling heat-wave housing extreme-weather great-lakes insulation chicago air-conditioning us-midwest weatherization
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