John Flesher

AP Environmental Writer
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When Filling Automation Wins
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When Filling Automation Wins
August 1, 2026
A coalition of farmers, consumer and environmental groups hold placards after a press conference at the Greenpeace office in Kuala Lumpur, Aug. 11, 2026.
Farmers, Environmental Groups Call for Rejection of GMO Rice Trial
August 12, 2026
Compostable straws and a fork are displayed at CJ Biomaterials, Woburn, Mass., Aug. 3, 2026.
Researchers Create 'Plastic' Forks Made From Sugar
August 12, 2026
A sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration outside offices in Silver Spring, Md., Dec. 10, 2020.
FDA Proposes New Requirements for Food Additives and Ingredients
August 11, 2026
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When Filling Automation Wins
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When Filling Automation Wins
More from John Flesher
When Filling Automation Wins
Sponsored
When Filling Automation Wins
See how automated bulk bag filling and palletizing helped eliminate labor challenges and improve output.
August 1, 2026
Undated photo of a northern long-eared bat.
Supply Chain
Climate Change, Disease Imperil North American Bats
Bats give the nation's agriculture a $3.7 billion annual boost by gobbling crop-destroying insects.
April 17, 2023
Pigs eat from a trough at the Las Vegas Livestock pig farm in Las Vegas, April 2, 2019. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will study whether to toughen regulation of large livestock farms that release manure and other pollutants into waterways. EPA has not revised its rules dealing with the nation's largest animal operations — which hold thousands of hogs, chickens and cattle — since 2008. The agency said in 2021 it planned no changes but announced Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, that it had reconsidered in response to an environmental group's lawsuit.
Supply Chain
EPA Considers Tougher Rules on Livestock Pollution
Runoff of waste and fertilizers from the operations — and from croplands where manure is spread — fouls streams, rivers and lakes.
January 24, 2023
A lake trout swims in Lake Superior off Isle Royale, Mich., Sept. 12, 2018.
Supply Chain
Michigan, Native Tribes Reach New Great Lakes Fishing Deal
The proposal would extend oversight in areas covered by an 1836 treaty.
December 13, 2022
Undated photo of a northern long-eared bat.
Supply Chain
Bat Species Devastated by Fungus Listed as Endangered
Bats are believed to give U.S. agriculture an annual boost of $3 billion by gobbling pests and pollinating some plants.
November 29, 2022
Carp processed at Two Rivers Fisheries, Wickliffe, Ky., Feb. 11, 2020.
Consumer Trends
From Carp to 'Copi'
An unpopular fish gets a makeover.
June 23, 2022
In a March 11 photo, potato farmer Brian Sackett watches as potatoes are moved from a storage bin at his farm in Mecosta, Mich.
Supply Chain
As Planet Warms, Crop Storage Challenges Increase
The window for unrefrigerated storage for growers of potatoes, apples, peanuts and lettuce will likely shrink by more than two weeks by mid-century.
March 26, 2021
In this Oct. 31, 2018 photo, hogs feed in a pen in a concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO, on the Gary Sovereign farm, in Lawler, IA.
Capital Investment
Factory Farms Provide Abundant Food, But Environment Suffers
The spread of corporate animal farms is turning neighbor against neighbor in town halls and courtrooms.
February 6, 2020
Sludge
Home
Tainted Sewage Spread on Croplands
While the sludge offers farmers a cheap source of fertilizer, there long have been concerns about contaminants in the material.
September 12, 2019
Fda
Home
FDA Finds Broad Contamination
The FDA found PFAs in everything from grocery store meats and seafood to an off-the-shelf chocolate cake.
June 3, 2019