I used to have a friend in SF whose parents owned 8 Applebees franchises in Alabama. Sometimes when splitting the bill somewhere he'd be like "I'm low on cash, would you take double the amount in Applebees Bucks?"

Ran one of our articles through an is-this-AI tool. It really gassed up the writer! This reads like a working farmer with strong opinions and a gift for writing. The piece has the kind of specific, embodied knowledge and rhetorical personality that AI currently struggles to authentically reproduce.

Isn't this the same company that ran a series of ads on how hotels suck?

awesome vintage photo

High tech bird deterrent that utilizes what I'd call "tire store marketing" technology

Guy at Genius Bar disappeared with my computer a while ago. Pretty sure he works here?

There's increasing evidence that fish feel, and though the science isn't settled, researchers and fish farmers are undertaking projects to help fish have painless deaths - and enriching lives. My story for Offrange (with astute edits from @jessehirsch.bsky.social) ambrook.com/offrange/stu...

Frustrated by economic conditions at home, there's been a slow trickle of U.S. soybean farmers moving to Brazil in the hope of striking it rich. Offrange's Sana Khan takes a look at the complicated legacy of Soylandia: ambrook.com/offrange/boo...

"Not every shiny robot is a solution." I talked to farmers, engineers, executives, and food scientists to ask why 18 ag tech startups failed last year - even when the machines did amazing stuff. Please check out the answers and let me know what you think:

Thanks to @jessehirsch.bsky.social for shepherding the piece through

Everyone loves a city bus but clock the reactions when you say you are taking a Greyhound

Really wish this article wasn't talking about dogs

Met a celebrity yesterday. With @jessehirsch.bsky.social of the inimitable Offrange Magazine and inimitable-er newsletter The Haul.

Hard to reconcile the well-written story draft I just edited with the double spaces after every period

🚨Excellent headline alert 🚨

Just got an out of office email from somebody who stepped out for lunch

Section 180 is an obscure tax deduction for farmers that the IRS has given very little advice on. Many have been wary to try it for fear of an audit, but when deductions can reach 6 or 7 figures — it's shifting. Donavyn Coffey looks into IRS's controversial Section 180: ambrook.com/offrange/far...

Frustrated by economic conditions at home, there's been a slow trickle of U.S. soybean farmers moving to Brazil in the hope of striking it rich. Offrange's Sana Khan takes a look at the complicated legacy of Soylandia: ambrook.com/offrange/boo...

actual lol

I have 5 vintage pictures of women on fainting couches that I use as Slack reactions for workplace dramatics

For all of their benefits, the limited hours of farmer's markets give a too-brief sales window for producers and local consumers. The rapidly growing "farm stop" model, however, gives farmers and shoppers an all-week place to connect. New from Heidi Roth: ambrook.com/offrange/far...

Excited to document how landowners are building community networks to burn their land

TIL that in my town, so many local teachers and other school staff went on GLP-1s in the last year that everyone's health insurance premiums went up 38%!

samuel beckett was born on this day 120 years ago. astonishing to think that if he had survived, and could run 100m in 9.57 seconds, he would be not only the oldest but also the fastest man in the world - together with his nobel prize for literature, an astonishing trifecta

Dept of Treasury finally approved 45Z, a generous tax credit that rewards producers who use regenerative practices. It could be a huge boon for sustainable ag — if the USDA can agree on its rules. New from @kristenschmitt.bsky.social: ambrook.com/offrange/far...

An update on the saga of 45Z, the Clean Fuels Production credit that *might* pay farmers for regenerative practices. This one's had a lot of twists and turns since it was created by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Not sure why the cool art didn't show up

A Colorado farmer named Clara Coleman realized farmers don't do much in terms of self-care. So for the last 6 years, she's been awarding $100 microgrants to hundreds of farmers, for massages, a nice dinner out — that kind of thing. New from Nicole Caruth: ambrook.com/offrange/lab...

A Colorado farmer named Clara Coleman realized farmers don't do much in terms of self-care. So for the last 6 years, she's been awarding $100 microgrants to hundreds of farmers, for massages, a nice dinner out — that kind of thing. New from Nicole Caruth: ambrook.com/offrange/lab...

Dept of Treasury finally approved 45Z, a generous tax credit that rewards producers who use regenerative practices. It could be a huge boon for sustainable ag — if the USDA can agree on its rules. New from @kristenschmitt.bsky.social: ambrook.com/offrange/far...

Section 180 is an obscure tax deduction for farmers that the IRS has given very little advice on. Many have been wary to try it for fear of an audit, but when deductions can reach 6 or 7 figures — it's shifting. Donavyn Coffey looks into IRS's controversial Section 180: ambrook.com/offrange/far...

Did not expect to learn this much about fish oil today.

SCOOP: Algal oil has similar omega-3 levels to fish oil, but it's always been too expensive to compete on the open market. Now, with fish oil prices doubling and tripling due to climate disruptions, algal oil may be having its day. New from Emma Penrod: ambrook.com/offrange/fis...

I do khapra beetle trapping in warehouses that import grain products from countries where it's known to occur. Any find of one in a trap would be an all hands on deck situation. (fun fact: the traps use a pheromone lure and organic wheat germ as bait)

"National headlines"!

Destructive pests that feast on rice, wheat, and other grains destroy a minimum of 30% of our stored grains. Meet the insect investigators working to fight back. New from Jonathan Feakins: ambrook.com/offrange/cro...

Not to brag but one of our articles is being reprinted in the Hoof Trimmers of America's annual newsletter.

All indications are that a novel method of pulling nitrogen from the air could revolutionize fertilizer production. But farmers worry it's too good to be true. New from @dkruzman.bsky.social: ambrook.com/offrange/tec...

All indications are that a novel method of pulling nitrogen from the air could revolutionize fertilizer production. But farmers worry it's too good to be true. New from @dkruzman.bsky.social: ambrook.com/offrange/tec...

just read "threatening the noodle sector" which will be in my head all day

Plant breeding is a delicate, sometimes mysterious, sometimes confounding dance. Breed a drought-resistant tomato and suddenly it tastes lousy. A higher-yield soybean is vulnerable to disease. It's tough to be a plant breeder - Russell Nichols dives in: ambrook.com/offrange/cro...

Peak American headline

A controversial study made waves a couple years ago, claiming to show that urban farming is more carbon-intensive than its traditional rural counterparts. The study authors want you to know - the real story is more complicated! New from Vicky Xu: ambrook.com/offrange/env...

Ok fine we aren't a typical agriculture publication

Plant breeding is a delicate, sometimes mysterious, sometimes confounding dance. Breed a drought-resistant tomato and suddenly it tastes lousy. A higher-yield soybean is vulnerable to disease. It's tough to be a plant breeder - Russell Nichols dives in: ambrook.com/offrange/cro...

A controversial study made waves a couple years ago, claiming to show that urban farming is more carbon-intensive than its traditional rural counterparts. The study authors want you to know - the real story is more complicated! New from Vicky Xu: ambrook.com/offrange/env...

From Potato Roses to Bunny Boards

"It's just green for St. Patrick's Day," I assure the horrified lab worker drawing my blood.

When California and Massachusetts passed laws forbidding pork being sold from farmers that used inhumane gestation crates, some farmers spent millions to overhaul their operations. The new Farm Bill would invalidate those state laws. From @lelanargi.bsky.social: ambrook.com/offrange/leg...

lol