Kentucky farmers are using biosolids or "biosludge" from city sewage as cheap fertilizer but the price tag is high in terms of health, from toxic industrial chemicals known as PFAS and heavy metals contaminating produce, groundwater and soil.
Kentucky lawmakers have passed regulations experts said weaken protections for biosludge application on farmland.
Tom FitzGerald, attorney and former director of the Kentucky Resources Council, warned farmers in the Commonwealth trying to save money on fertilizer by using biosludge could end up with a significant headache down the road.
"Unless the cities are properly managing the waste that come into the system, and are sampling and clearing them for release for public use, I would simply tell the farmers not to take these biosludges, because the risks are so high," FitzGerald asserted.
According to open records request data from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, lab samples from around a dozen wastewater treatment plants statewide revealed most contained detectable levels of PFAS.
Adam Nordell said his small family-owned vegetable farm dream in Maine became a nightmare when he discovered sewage sludge applied decades prior had irreparably contaminated his land and groundwater with high levels of PFAS. He stressed he wants to raise awareness among farmers in other states about the risks, and the importance of testing.
"We had been living on contaminated land," Nordell explained. "We've been drinking contaminated water. We've been irrigating our crops and supporting our livestock with contaminated groundwater."
FitzGerald said Kentucky's regulations reduce accountability and do not require cities to test the biosludge before it's applied to farmland.
"The cabinet should have used its authority to broaden out the list of contaminants, to broaden out the sampling and testing requirements and to broaden out the notice requirements to farmers," FitzGerald contended.
According to the Environmental Working Group, at least 5% of all crop fields nationwide could be using biosludge likely contaminated with PFAS. And since 2016, more than 19 billion pounds of biosludge have been applied to farm fields.
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Some experts predict arable land per person will shrink by two-thirds by 2050. To combat it, Michigan students are being trained in "smart" agriculture.
Researchers believe smart agriculture is a promising solution to food production challenges as land becomes scarce because of climate change and water shortages. It involves methods such as vertical farming and urban gardens, combined with technologies using sensors, drones and artificial intelligence to improve productivity and yield.
Sara Masoud, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at Wayne State University, leads a program training students in smart agriculture.
"One of the options that we are putting together in my lab, in order to expose the students to is something called the hydroponic system," Masoud explained. "The idea is that if you don't have access to good soil to grow your plants, you can be growing your plants in, for example, water."
Critics of smart farming contended automation could displace farmworkers and, along with the high cost of technologies such as drones and AI, leave small-scale or low-income farmers behind.
They also worry farmers may rely too much on technology, which could be problematic if systems fail or there are disruptions such as data breaches or software glitches. Masoud believes the students' training in smart agriculture will help prepare them for the future.
"Hoping that this exposure is not only going to let them see what's in smart agriculture, but also help them to gain expertise, for example, in data science, or advance technologies that might help them even if they are not pursuing a smart agriculture in the future," Masoud added.
As of 2023, about 68% of large crop farms in the United States use precision agriculture technologies, which are needed for smart farming.
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The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act would have prevented states from enforcing their own agricultural regulations, but has failed to advance in Congress this session.
While the measure was excluded from the most recent Farm Bill extension, food policy advocates warn that efforts to revive it remain a concern, particularly for Mississippi's agricultural industry.
Rebecca Wolf, senior food policy analyst with Food and Water Watch, called the legislation a direct attack on states' rights to regulate their own food systems.
"The EATS Act would preempt state regulation of the factory farm and agribusiness industry. This includes animal welfare, consumer protection, labeling and food-safety laws and regulations, and the bill is so broad that it could also jeopardize state laws that protect rural communities and preserve our environment," Wolf said.
The bill, introduced in response to California's Proposition 12, which bans the sale of pork products from pigs raised in tightly confined gestation crates, was backed by major agribusiness groups.
Supporters argue that it is essential for maintaining a unified national agricultural market and preventing individual states from imposing regulations that could disrupt interstate commerce. Critics argue that the measure would've gone far beyond its stated intent, effectively overriding state agricultural policies nationwide.
Wolf said Mississippi's agricultural sector, which plays a vital role in the state's economy, could face significant consequences if similar legislation is reintroduced. She raised concerns that eliminating local control over agricultural standards could hurt small farmers and expose consumers to products that do not meet higher state-enforced safety and welfare regulations.
"When it comes to food safety, it's a really big concern right now with the avian flu, the kinds of standards in which animals are raised and really big concern being overcrowding of animals," she continued.
Advocacy groups view the bill's exclusion from the latest Farm Bill as a victory, but Wolf warns the fight isn't over.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., a sponsor, argued, "Congress shouldn't allow any one state to single-handedly upend the country's agricultural economy and force the American people to bear the burden of higher food prices."
Wolf highlights the success of a bipartisan group of 171 lawmakers who opposed the EATS Act in the 2023 Farm Bill.
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Conservation groups are celebrating the end of a Massachusetts-based biotech company's pursuit of bringing genetically altered Atlantic salmon to market.
AquaBounty was the first company to get regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell a genetically modified animal for human consumption in 2015, but it faced continuous legal challenges and consumer pushback.
Dana Perls, food and technology senior program manager with Friends of the Earth, said people just don't want to eat it.
"Grocery stores are refusing to sell it," said Perls. "Big restaurants are refusing to sell it. So, it's a market response."
Perls said the altered salmon put wild salmon - along with the fishing and Indigenous communities that rely on it - at risk.
In a statement, AquaBounty says it failed to raise enough capital to maintain its operations.
AquaBounty's AquaAdvantage brand salmon contained added genes from both Chinook salmon and the eel-like ocean pout to make it grow faster.
But polls show most Americans believe genetically engineering animals for protein production isn't an appropriate use of biotechnology.
Perls said consumers are increasingly rejecting industrial food production, and demanding their food be clearly and accurately labeled.
"People want to be able to choose what it is they're eating and what they're feeding their families," said Perls, "and we need to ensure that the food we raise is truly healthy, truly sustainable, and fully regulated for safety."
Perls said the demise of AquaBounty salmon will set a precedent for other companies investing in genetically altered animals.
At least 35 fish species are currently being modified around the world, including trout, catfish, and striped bass. The FDA has also approved genetically altered pigs and cows for food and medical use.
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