Today, it serves as headquarters for ranches and farms that raise wheat, corn, sunflowers and more pheasants than anyone can count. Birds thrived when farming practices left cover on the ground before the time when row crops took over and the habitat was lost. I was ducking pheasants," he said gesturing with his fingers this way and that in front of his face. Because South Dakota law allows hunting on roadsides unless too near to homes, Bell exited his pickup truck right there and shot his...

Helicopters airlifted food to hungry survivors Monday while rescuers struggled to reach remote areas devastated by Bangladesh's worst cyclone in a decade, amid fears the death toll could be far higher than the official figure of 2,400. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the sisterhood, and to commemorate this milestone, San Francisco sent a culinary delegation composed of 35 restaurant and food industry folks, led by yours truly, and an equal number of Japanese-Americans affiliated...

Intensive cattle farming is decimating the Amazon rainforest, but there is hope - in the shape of a marble-sized, purple berry, staple ingredient of a popular smoothie. Andrew Purvis visits the families whose lives are being transformed by the ultimate sustainable fruit Sunday November 18, 2007 The Observer Do you eat meat?' asks Jo o Meirelles Filho, a Brazilian conservationist living in Bel m, the last big city on our journey north from S o Paulo to the Amazon. Andrew Purvis visits the...

Donations from an array of sources are at their lowest in 20 years and the nonprofit has issued a first-ever community alert asking for cash and food this month. Cupboards are barer than usual at food banks and pantries across the state and Orange County, coinciding with higher local unemployment and rising supermarket prices. In June, a UCLA report found that an estimated 190,000 adults in Orange County struggle to afford food, resulting in health problems, household stress and skipped...

This summer, American officials restricted imports of Chinese shrimp, eel and three types of fish after unapproved drugs showed up in some shipments. That explains the recent arrest by Chinese authorities of 774 people in a crackdown on production and sale of poor-quality and counterfeit food and drug products. Any American worth his hush-puppies should pick the home-grown version of our regional fish every time, even if it costs a bit more. And judging by the execution of an official who...

A growing number of Missourians, like Gamble, have come to revere the river after experiences like paddling a canoe, fishing from a boat or just sitting on a bank and soaking up nature. The federal government has several assignments for the Missouri River: hydropower generated by upstream dams, navigation to benefit barge traffic and protect against flooding, and recreation characterized by fishing and boating, much of it on the upstream lakes that formed behind the dams. There are a lot...

Maglaya said that prices of agricultural commodities are prone to movement during the rainy months, but easily slide back to normal immediately after typhoons. The government has ordered tight monitoring of prices as well as the supply of basic commodities until the Christmas season, on the back of the expected uptick in demand, the Department of Trade and Industry said. Favila said that gasoline price hikes play a small part in bidding up overall inflation, since the peso s appreciation...

Through its online message boards, forums and directories, users are helped by professional telephone technicians and installers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Time Capsule for Baby Boomers Now Available on the Internet The Capsule contains 4 Baby Boomer's Home Pages (Boomers, Babies, Still Kicking, and 40-60s) with each Home Page reserves 1 million pixels ("dots" on the computer screen) to permanently present images that link to dedicated Web sites. Time Capsule for Baby...

If Georgia has its way-and draws more water from upstream-Barber said the results could devastate the oyster industry From the harvester to the distributor to the dinner table. Georgia wants to hold back some of the water that flows through its rivers into Florida and Alabama because it's in a drought. In fact, they produce 90% of the oysters for distribution throughout the state of Florida. The area is one of the most fertile regions for oyster harvesting. But that cost is measured by...