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The sociopolitical landscape surrounding corn production in the US

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Hello fine redditors,

I am a university student looking into the American corn industry, specifically examining the lock-in many conventional corn farmers experience. In my research I have become quite interested in the role of farmers unions and political lobbyist groups.

I originally found the National Corn Growers Association, thinking it was somewhat of a conventional union. I now realize that they are more of a lobbyist group than anything else. This leads me to wonder what infrastructure exists in terms of farmer representation on a country-wide scale, compared with that which represents the interests of companies like ADM, Cargill, etc.

Can anyone help me understand the nuance behind this? I have stumbled upon the “Diverse Corn Belt” project, and it seems like they are focused on market access, but not necessarily addressing the larger institutional forces that shape the corn production landscape. In a hypothetical transition toward crop diversity and economic diversification, where would we expect to find pro-farmer welfare, pro-environmental voices? Any and all insight helps!

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Tree ID Challenge: Metasequoia ‘Gold Rusk’ vs. Sequoia Look‑Alikes | Can You ID This Tree?

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I’ve been running a weekly series on my TreesWizard channel called Can You ID This Tree? 🌳

This week’s challenge features a tree that often gets mistaken for a sequoia. The answer is Metasequoia ‘Gold Rusk’, a dawn redwood cultivar with striking golden foliage.

Since many people confuse Sequoia and Metasequoia, here’s a quick breakdown:

  • Sequoia (Coast Redwood & Giant Sequoia): Evergreen giants native to California, reaching over 300 ft tall, with needle‑like leaves that stay year‑round.
  • Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood): Deciduous relative from China, topping out around 165 ft, with soft needles that turn bronze and drop in fall. Thought extinct until rediscovered in the 1940s.

I’m sharing this with the self‑promotion flair because tree identification is a core skill in permaculture design. Knowing the differences helps us choose species wisely for resilience, aesthetics, and ecological fit.

Would you consider planting Metasequoia in a permaculture system, given its deciduous habit and ornamental qualities?

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Why saving microbes may be the most important conservation effort ever

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Researchers have launched the first coordinated plan to protect microbial biodiversity, calling attention to the “invisible 99% of life” that drives essential Earth systems. The IUCN has formally recognized this effort through the creation of the Microbial Conservation Specialist Group. By developing new metrics, policies, and restoration tools, scientists aim to make microbial life a core part of global conservation action. The roadmap also outlines upcoming goals such as microbial hotspot maps and new microbe-based conservation solutions.

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Why saving microbes may be the most important conservation effort ever

News Articles /

Researchers have launched the first coordinated plan to protect microbial biodiversity, calling attention to the “invisible 99% of life” that drives essential Earth systems. The IUCN has formally recognized this effort through the creation of the Microbial Conservation Specialist Group. By developing new metrics, policies, and restoration tools, scientists aim to make microbial life a core part of global conservation action. The roadmap also outlines upcoming goals such as microbial hotspot maps and new microbe-based conservation solutions.

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Trump officials reveal plan to roll back regulations in Endangered Species Act

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Experts fear plan, one of many attempts Trump’s made to dismantle wildlife protection, will speed up extinction crisis

The Trump administration presented a new plan to roll back regulations in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on Wednesday, a move experts fear will accelerate the extinction crisis if adopted.

The proposed changes would allow the federal government more power to weigh economic impact against habitat designations, remove safeguards against future events – including the impacts from the climate crisis – and rescind the “blanket rule” that automatically grants threatened species the same protections as those designated as endangered.

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