From salmonberry harvests to traditional tattoos, Native American culture is spotlighted in November
November marks the start of National Native American Heritage Month. It's a time to celebrate the diverse histories and cultures of hundreds of tribal communities across the U.S. In Alaska, a family carries on a tradition of harvesting salmonberries even after a devastating typhoon. In North Carolina, a group of Indigenous girls convinced tribal lawmakers to grant rights to a river. And in Oklahoma, a tattoo artist is working to revitalize ancestral markings. U.S. presidents have issued proclamations for decades honoring Native peoples in the month that coincides with the traditional harvest season.
The Delaware Farm Bureau is accepting applications through Nov. 27 for its 2027 Summer Internship Program, offering college students hands-on agricultural experience and opportunities to develop leadership, communication and advocacy skills.
The Federal Railroad Administration has announced a $10.1 million grant, with Delmarva Central Railroad contributing to a 35 percent non-federal cost share, for a proposed Delmarva Central Railroad project.
Global warming is making the El Niño weather pattern stronger, and that’s prolonging a devastating drought across a region of Central America known as the Dry Corridor. Now so many crops have died that farmers are depending on supplies from the World Food Program, and the government of Honduras is trying a controversial climate-mitigation tactic known as cloud seeding. It’s paid $750,000 for 20 flights to trigger rainfall over parched farmland by spraying silver iodide particles into the sky. Honduras is also fortifying existing irrigation systems, building water reservoirs, and distributing food, fertilizer and seeds to help subsistence farming communities survive.
Promises by nations to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to finance nature and increase protections for oceans around the globe are falling short ahead of a key U.N. biodiversity conference. The warnings from the head of the conference and environmental groups comes as the countries gather Monday in Yerevan, Armenia for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP17. The conference running from Oct. 19 to Oct. 30 is a chance for countries to take stock of their progress after agreeing to a historic deal in 2022. Countries agreed to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030 and raise at least $200 billion by 2030.
California strawberry farmers have applied steam to fields as an alternative to chemical fumigants used to kill soil-borne diseases. While steam has been used for decades in greenhouses, researchers are working to adapt the technology to fields near the Pacific Coast. Strawberries are especially susceptible to soil diseases, and growers rely on fumigants for their crops. Experts say using a machine to inject steam into the soil before planting can kill key soil-borne diseases and weeds and improve crop productivity. The vast majority of strawberries grown in the United States come from California.
This photo taken with a smartphone shows strawberries grown using a steam-powered farming machine in Watsonville, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
This phone taken with a smartphone shows a steam-powered farming machine being tested by High Degree, an agriculture startup, in Watsonville, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
This phone taken with a smartphone shows a steam-powered farming machine being tested by High Degree, an agriculture startup, in Watsonville, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
Sri Lanka is facing severe drought, leaving reservoirs dry and farming communities struggling. Experts say the lack of rain is partly due to a strong El Niño and climate change. The southwest monsoon, crucial for rainfall, has been weak this year. Recent showers have brought some relief, but not enough to restore water levels. Farmers are facing huge losses and debts. Wildlife in reserves are also suffering from dehydration and heat stress.