The House Agriculture Committee has advanced a 2026 Farm Bill, as Democrats failed to scale back Republican SNAP cuts and to remove protections for pesticide companies against individual lawsuits.
Take a look back at our most important stories that spotlight women farmers and food producers shaping the food system.
Shell Beach, where generations have made a living from the marshes, is battling rising waters and environmental degradation. That doesn’t stop efforts to save it.
“I still have a lot of hope. Our past best growing areas could be our best growing areas again.”
The Republican-backed proposal for the 2026 Farm Bill moved forward with bipartisan support after seven Democrats voted for the measure.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signed waivers allowing Kansas, Nevada, Ohio, and Wyoming to restrict certain food purchases under SNAP, bringing the total number of states with SNAP waivers to 22.
Shell Beach, where generations have made a living from the marshes, is battling rising waters and environmental degradation. That doesn’t stop efforts to save it.
Nearly half of all states now have approved waivers to restrict SNAP purchases, with a third Democrat-led state joining the list.
Op-ed: The USDA Wants California to Abandon Farmland Equity. It Shouldn’t.
For over 200 years, the Isleños, who immigrated to the U.S. from the Canary Islands, have provided for themselves along the coast of Louisiana. But the landscape that has anchored this culture for centuries is eroding, even as efforts are underway to restore it and prevent further loss.
Trump administration lawyers told Supreme Court justices that they should rule in favor of the chemical company Bayer in an upcoming case that could prevent individuals from suing pesticide companies over claims their products cause cancer and other illnesses.
“Rollins is … neglecting the incredible diversity of small farmers, farmhands, fruit pickers, beginning farmers, and small business owners who ... make California’s agriculture the powerhouse that it is,” write professors Adam Calo and Madeleine Fairbairn in an op-ed.
Federal agencies aim to study the health impacts of pesticide exposure, but the majority of the $1 billion announced Friday is not directly related to pesticides.
California produced a report proposing policies that would foster more equitable access to farmland. The Trump USDA freaked out and threatened legal action.
Adam Calo and I wrote an op-ed on why these policies are EXACTLY what the state needs to make our food system stronger and more sustainable.
In a Q&A with Civil Eats, chef Crystal Wahpepah discusses her latest book, "A Feather and a Fork," the concept of food as medicine, and why fry bread as a symbol of Native resilience.
An agressive warning from the USDA is a sign that creative land governance has political power.
Latest with @landstuff.bsky.social in @civileats.com
civileats.com/2026/03/03/t...
“[Newsom] can choose to abandon principles of equity in favor of appealing to an imagined mainstream voter. Or, he can ... present a vision for an alternative future,” write Radboud University professor @adamcalo.bsky.social and @ucsantacruz.bsky.social professor @landstuff.bsky.social in an op-ed.
“We have so many beautiful stories that have been handed down from generation to generation. I come from a really strong family of women, and I feel like it’s my duty to continue to pass along that wisdom"
Read the full Q&A with chef Crystal Wahpepah. ⬇️
Today, there are hundreds to thousands of seed and plant swaps each winter and spring across the U.S., many of which began as small community events.
Here’s how to get started with hosting your own. ⬇️ 🌱
In her first cookbook, "A Feather and a Fork,” chef Crystal Wahpepah, the self-proclaimed "Indigenous food warrior," presents the powerful healing properties of intertribal cuisine.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Art Cullen explains how farmland issues, like water pollution from industrial animal agriculture and illnesses linked to farm chemicals, could sway elections in Iowa and across the country.
The Winter Waters event series invites Oregonians to understand, appreciate, and support the region’s ocean bounty.
These neighborhood gatherings build community, protect biodiversity, and encourage new gardeners.
Op-ed: A cross-cutting food justice movement could improve our diets, food systems, and health.
During her Senate confirmation hearing, MAHA stalwart Casey Means faced questions on how she would approach ultra-processed foods and pesticides.
Today, there are hundreds to thousands of swaps each winter and spring across the U.S., many of which began as small community events.
Here’s how to get one started in your community. 🌱 ⬇️
President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General and key leader of the MAHA movement, Casey Means, told senators that if confirmed, she would use her position to warn consumers about the dangers of ultra-processed foods.
The Winter Waters event series, led by women in the seafood community, aims to connect attendees to the bounty of the Oregon coast while supporting local fishers and creators of seafood products.
In an era where most home gardeners and farmers grow just a handful of the same hybrid varieties, seed and plant swaps help to preserve open-pollinated and heirloom seeds.
Here’s how to start one in your community. 🌱 ⬇️
90% of the seafood sold and consumed in Oregon is imported, and much of the seafood caught off the Oregon coast is exported. The Winter Waters initiative aims to change all that by connecting consumers with local seafood that reflects the ocean’s diversity and supports the local economy.
