Page 2 - Duron Chavis News Today

On a cold, rainy Sunday morning, Duron Chavis and Senija Davis prep for the upcoming planting months at the Brook Road Youth Farm.

By Michael Crowe for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Washingon News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration Hotter temperatures are changing the agricultural landscape in the Pacific Northwest, especially for iconic tree fruit growers. Keith Veselka has seen that first-hand over the past few years operating NWFM, LLC, which manages 1,400 acres of apples and cherries for institutional investors across Washington state. Over the ...

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Grist-Public News Service Collaboration Cats and dogs eat a lot of meat. In the U.S., they gobble up about a quarter of the calories derived from livestock. If they were counted as a country, America’s pets would rank fifth in global meat consumption. ...

North Carolinas Department of Environmental Quality hosts a virtual public information session today on changes the state is considering to boost the number of electric trucks traveling its roads, and phase out the use of greenhouse-gas-spewing diesel guzzlers. Trucks and buses make up around 3% of road traffic, but emit 26% of North Carolinas smog and 32% percent of particulate matter and other hazardous air pollutants. Jeff Robbins - executive director of CleanAIRE NC - said exposure to ai...

RICHMOND — The hands-on solar panel lesson for rookies at Sankofa Community Orchard in mid-January might have been a bust if student Mary Lewis hadn’t shown up…

By Sakshi Udavant for Next City.Broadcast version by Edwin J. Viera for New York News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration Urban areas in US cities are estimated to lose an average of 36 million trees every year. This results in economic losses of up to $786 million and risks having an adverse impact on already worsening climate change. ...

By Elizabeth McGowan for Energy News Network.Broadcast version by Edwin J. Viera for Virginia News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration The hands-on solar panel lesson for rookies at Sankofa Community Orchard in mid-January might have been a bust if student Mary Lewis hadn’t shown up with her A-game — and her F-150 pickup truck. When the team was short a power drill, Lewis scurried to her trusty toolbox. ...

Gov. Doug Burgum wants amendments to North Dakotas anti-corporate farming law, arguing certain rules make it harder to boost livestock production, but advocates for smaller producers worry about potential ripple effects. The state law in question, in place for 90 years, does not allow corporations to purchase agricultural property. ...

An Iowa farm advocacy group wants the states U.S. senators to oppose a deal to allow one of the worlds largest pork processors to buy large parts of a southeast Iowa hog supplier, a deal which would expand so-called "factory farming" in the state. Brazil-based JBS Foods Group has agreed to buy parts of TriOak Foods, one of the nations largest pork suppliers. ...

During the 20th century, black Americans lost 90 percent of their land across the U.S. because of factors including lack of access to legal and banking systems and racial discrimination. Duron Chavis is Chairman of the Board of the Central Virginia Agrarian Commons - a non-profit that focuses on putting land back into the hands of black farmers. He is also a community leader, an urban farmer, and an educator. Callie Walker is a Methodist minister in rural Amelia county. She believes that repa...