Articles by Anne Schechinger
Syngenta exits paraquat production, but other manufacturers will continue supplying it
The agricultural chemical and seed giant Syngenta announced it will stop producing the toxic weedkiller paraquat by the end of June this year. But this is a tactical retreat, not a public health...
Sharp rise in livestock antibiotic use threatens life-saving medications
The sale of medically important antibiotics for use in livestock surged in 2024, raising serious concerns about overuse of these medications worsening drug resistance. Antibiotics are classified as...
Beware misleading ‘regenerative’ claims on food
Some food companies are making “regenerative” claims on their product packages or in their advertising – but these statements may not be everything they seem to be.
Minnesota farmers would not gain much from GOP budget farm subsidy proposals
The House and Senate budget reconciliation bills are packed with loopholes that will send tens of billions more dollars in subsidies to the largest farms. But most farmers in Minnesota would not...
House budget bill’s top farm subsidy loopholes and giveaways
Farm subsidies already favor the largest farms . But the budget reconciliation bill the House will consider this week is packed with farm subsidy loopholes that would make the problem worse. These...
10 questions for Agriculture Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins
Brooke Rollins, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Agriculture, will testify January 23 before the Senate Agriculture Committee. The panel’s...
Rain from Hurricane Helene deluged Western North Carolina barns housing 21.6M poultry
Precipitation from Hurricane Helene inundated 1,021 poultry barns in Western North Carolina that house almost 21.6 million birds, new Environmental Working Group research shows. The torrent increases...
EWG submits comments to USDA on the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program
EWG submits comments to the United States Department of Agriculture on the agency’s Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program.
USDA conservation funding ‘guardrails’ vital for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
When Congress provided almost $20 billion in Department of Agriculture funding for climate-smart farming practices, it included legislative “guardrails” to ensure the money goes to practices that...
USDA should strategically expand list of climate-smart conservation practices
A top Department of Agriculture official is touting plans to expand the USDA’s list of climate-smart conservation practices eligible for $11.7 billion in federal funding – and the department should...
New USDA data reveal that the largest factory farms keep growing in number
The largest factory farms that are bad for farmers, the environment and public health keep growing in number, according to new data the Department of Agriculture released today.
E. coli from factory farms threatens America's leafy greens
A single enormous cattle feeding operation potentially threatens the safety of thousands of acres of leafy greens grown in the U.S. during the colder months, an EWG analysis shows.
Triple dipping: Rice farmers received at least $3B from three types of taxpayer-funded programs
Some agriculture groups and Republicans in Congress are proposing to increase crop price guarantees in the upcoming farm bill to boost farm subsidy payments – but an EWG analysis shows some rice...
Increasing price guarantees would likely send more farm subsidies to large partnerships
Some farm groups and Republican legislators have proposed increasing price guarantees for a few major crops, and farm subsidies along with them. But farm subsidies mostly benefit the largest and...
USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program needs reform to improve climate benefits
The Department of Agriculture recently announced changes it has made since 2021 to the Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, to improve how it can reduce farmers’ greenhouse gas emissions. This...
Millionaire CEOs run companies getting billions from the federal Crop Insurance Program
In the 2023 Farm Bill, lawmakers are looking everywhere for savings to fund their priority programs. One possible source of savings: big insurance companies’ federal Crop Insurance Program overhead...
Rice to riches: Sixteen rice farms padding their pockets with taxpayer dollars
Just sixteen rice farms in the U.S. have each received at least $10 million in taxpayer-funded subsidies while earning record profits – and now some members of Congress want to give them even more.
Giving IRA conservation funds to farm subsidies threatens millions of cover crop acres
Millions of potential cover crop acres that may help reduce farming’s greenhouse gas emissions could be lost under a plan to shift $19.5 billion in Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, funding from...
Despite record farm income and subsidies, some seek even more handouts
Despite enjoying record levels of subsidies and profits for large farms, and farm household income well above the U.S. average, some lawmakers want to increase farm subsidies for cotton, rice and...
Despite new climate-smart funds, agricultural conservation programs remain oversubscribed
The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, set aside $19.5 billion for agricultural conservation programs that pay farmers to implement conservation practices that reduce agriculture’s greenhouse gas...