Read the lyrics to this classic Travis Tritt ballad about leaving the farm, as annotated by cattle rancher and culture critic Darby Minow Smith.

Where Corn Don’t Grow: A Critical Reading

Algae was once sold as a promising biofuel alternative to corn—it ultimately failed. But now it’s back, and researchers say it’s poised to disrupt the ethanol industry.

Why Algae Hasn’t Displaced Corn for Biofuels—Yet

The Hood Canal in Washington state is home to a multimillion-dollar aquaculture industry. For the second time in recent history, algae blooms have shut it down.

It’s Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Season

As climates shift and traditional growing regions suffer, the American South has potential to be the next global olive oil source.

Southern Olive Oil

Andy Gagne

In Maine’s northernmost county, broccoli farming helps drive the local economy. That’s why it’s so important to keep moose—and their hunters—out of the growing fields.

Moose Tracks

How non-farm heirs can navigate the decisions that come with farmland ownership.

So You Inherited a Farm

The strange reproductive science behind the invention of modern corn. 

Freaks in the Cornfield

Corny was literal until Americans came into the picture.

On Cringe and Corny

In the woodlands of the Northeast, Indigenous women are reawakening the corn their ancestors grew before settler contact. 

A Braided Heritage

Livestock producers generate a mountain of plastics. Resourceful ranchers are developing solutions.

Ranching’s Plastic Problem

Fleeing persecution at home, refugees from around the world are farming and selling their wares in the Lone Star State.

Refugee Farmers in Texas

“Estate distillers” manage every step of whiskey production, from growing their own grains to bottling the finished spirit.

When Farmers Make Their Own Booze

A new predator is feeding on Georgia honeybees. Can it be stopped before it spreads? 

The Hornet and the Honeybee

Something about the Pacific Northwest turns fig enthusiasts into all-out fanatics.

A Discovery of Figs

Nathaniel Wilder

Salmon fishermen in Bristol Bay are seeking alternatives to the massive processors that have long controlled their paychecks, attempting to build a more lucrative, conscientious supply chain. It won’t be easy.

Swimming Upstream

On Alaska’s waters, women captains and guides are challenging the popular mythology that equates ruggedness, authority, and adventure with men.

Alaska’s New Frontier Women

In our quest for high-fiber, high-protein foods that are sustainable and delicious, the sturdy mesquite tree is getting some attention.

Eat Mesquite!

Like the farmer-driven Populist Party more than a century ago, ag secretary candidates are gaining bipartisan support for platforms of empowering the working class and opposing big business interests.

The New Farm Populists

The U.S. peanut industry is threatened by disease and climate change—but the main tool to help peanuts adapt is endangered.

Peanut Problems

A beloved—and generally reliable—summer crop now finds itself confronting environmental shifts. 

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