Meadow the yearling Black Angus calf spends her days frolicking in northeastern New Mexico's cattle country, all with her prosthetic hind legs. ...more

November 4, 2009

Tom Vilsack, Iowa's former governor, calls his "the most important department in government," noting that the Agriculture Department serves education through school nutrition programs and serves diplomacy by trying to wean Afghanistan from a poppy-based (meaning heroin-based) economy. But Vilsack's department matters most because of the health costs of the American diet. If Michael Pollan is right, the problem is rooted in politics and, in a sense, Iowa. ...more

March 8, 2009

He hasn't formed any alliances. He hasn't been a party to any dirty dealing, yet. He hasn't made a fool of himself. So Spencer Duhm, the youngest "Survivor" contestant ever, is still in the running for the $1 million prize on CBS' "Survivor: Tocantins: The Brazilian Highlands." The Lakeland native and University of Florida student survived another round, as seen Thursday night. ...more

March 6, 2009

There's this grossly obese guy with a fat mouth to match, not elected to any office, yet every lie, every accusation he dreams up, is repeated almost verbatim by our Republican representatives and senators. ...more

February 12, 2009

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The 5-year-old teetered on broomstick legs - he weighed less than 20 pounds even after days of drinking enriched milk. Nearby, a 4-year-old girl hung from a strap attached to a scale, her wide eyes lifeless, her emaciated arms dangling weakly. ...more

November 21, 2008

There's a full plate of urgent issues awaiting President-elect Barack Obama and the next Congress. The Government Accountability Office, Congress' nonpartisan watchdog, listed 13 of them recently. Along with some obvious choices, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and oversight of the financial industry, the GAO included food safety. ...more

November 19, 2008

Since Lorne DeWitt apparently considers the bulk of the scientific community to be "environ-whackos," he probably doesn't really want an answer to his question as to why it was so cold in the 1940s, given global warming. But here's one anyway. ...more

June 20, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY "You can't turn on the TV the past few days without hearing something about tomatoes and salmonella" Betsy Crisp, Pasco County Extension family and consumer sciences agent, said in a press release. "Things have been changing almost daily and you just need to be alert – but do not panic." ...more

June 16, 2008

Lawmakers voted Thursday to subpoena nine companies responsible for analyzing the most dangerous food entering the country as part of an investigation that gained more urgency with an outbreak of salmonella from tomatoes. ...more

June 13, 2008

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer on Tuesday announced a total ban on the slaughter at meat plants of cows too sick or weak to stand. ...more

May 21, 2008