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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 14h

Seems plausible

Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 17h

Good luck!

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 23h

"Jones (@theswinerepublic.bsky.social) says it’s within the capabilities of the regulating agencies and university systems in both Minnesota and Wisconsin to calculate the exact number of livestock the watershed is capable of enduring. He says they should do that, because the industry won’t."

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 23h

From Dr Chris Jones @theswinerepublic.bsky.social

"The waste produced by livestock [beef cattle, dairy cows, hogs, chickens & turkeys] in the St. Croix River watershed is equivalent to 3.25 million more people living in the region."

wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/07/31/r...

Researcher finds livestock waste in St. Croix watershed equivalent to more than 3 million people • Wisconsin Examiner

Livestock farming within the St. Croix River watershed has created waste equivalent to 3.25 million extra people living in the region.

wisconsinexaminer.com

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Reposted by Ben Maas

Silvia Secchi @profsecchi.bsky.social · 2d

I wrote several papers about how bad corn ethanol was going to be around 2010, so I am not surprised.
We should always remind ourselves that biofuels are complements not substitutes for fossil fuels, b/c they are used in ICEs and have limited scalability.
They are a big ag and big oil PR mechanism.

T&E @transportenvironment.org · 2d

NEW: Biofuels globally emit more than the fossil fuels they replace, our latest study shows.

The first-of-a-kind study looks at global biofuels production today and the potential impacts of government biofuel targets.
🧵⤵️

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 2d

Great work from the folks ag EWG! From thr report...

"We found that adopting the four best conservation practices on just 1% of continuous corn acres each in the four states would reduce total greenhouse gas emissions at an amount that would be like taking over 850,000 cars off the road."

Anne Schechinger @anneschech.bsky.social · 2d

New @ewgofficial.bsky.social analysis released today from me and @albine14.bsky.social. We found that just under 15 million cropland acres across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are used for continuous corn, representing 20% of the total harvested cropland. 1/4 www.ewg.org/research/fer...

Fertilizing ‘continuous corn’ drives major source of farm greenhouse gases, but conservation can help

Millions of acres in four major Corn Belt states are used to grow "continuous corn” on the same fields year after year, requiring significant use of

www.ewg.org

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Reposted by Ben Maas

Anne Schechinger @anneschech.bsky.social · 2d

New @ewgofficial.bsky.social analysis released today from me and @albine14.bsky.social. We found that just under 15 million cropland acres across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are used for continuous corn, representing 20% of the total harvested cropland. 1/4 www.ewg.org/research/fer...

Fertilizing ‘continuous corn’ drives major source of farm greenhouse gases, but conservation can help

Millions of acres in four major Corn Belt states are used to grow "continuous corn” on the same fields year after year, requiring significant use of

www.ewg.org

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 2d

This was a well-done radio segment from @mprnews.org.

They highlighted how the Rapidan Dam failure negatively impacted the water quality of the Blue Earth River over the short term & long term.

Rivers have slowly improved as a result of regulations of ag pollution.

www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...

Rapidan Dam failure still harms the Blue Earth River while most other Minnesota waters improve

Minnesota’s rivers and lakes are slowly getting healthier, according to the latest water quality report by the state's Pollution Control Agency, but the pollution still threatens many of the state’s w...

www.mprnews.org

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Reposted by Ben Maas

Climatologist49 @climatologist49.bsky.social · 3d

September climate warming stripes. It's as if something has changed. 🤔

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Reposted by Ben Maas

Silvia Secchi @profsecchi.bsky.social · 3d

This story is absolutely bonkers.

“There is a “crazy hole in our food safety system” that prevents the FDA from entering Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to sample for pathogens that have caused an outbreak in people”.
Let the stewards of the land poison us galore.

Julian A Nowogrodzki @plantnerd.bsky.social · 4d

Factory farm dust could be the missing link in a major food poisoning outbreak, thanks to a "crazy hole in our food safety system”

Natasha Gilbert reports: sentientmedia.org/factory-farm...

How Factory Farm Air Pollution Can Spread Dangerous Bacteria

Factory farm dust can spread E. coli and could have sparked a large food poisoning outbreak in 2018, a new study shows.

sentientmedia.org

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 3d

If only there was a way to add filtration to, what is essentially, HVAC systems.

And usually is either the people or the equipment not being cleaned. Best of intentions and whatnot.

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 3d

Not so bio secure locations...

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Reposted by Ben Maas

Dr. Sandra Steingraber 🏳️‍🌈 @ssteingraber1.bsky.social · 7d

🧪 NEW STUDY: Pregnant women with higher levels of microplastics in their placenta are at increased risk of miscarriage.

Also: Microplastics were found in all placentas tested.

Also: Miscarriages are involuntary abortions.

1/5

www.ehn.org/miscarriage-...

Microplastics in the placenta linked to increased risk of miscarriage

In a recent study published by eBioMedicine, researchers found that women with higher levels of microplastics in their placenta were at an increased risk of experiencing spontaneous miscarriage in the...

www.ehn.org

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Reposted by Ben Maas

PFAS Project Lab @pfasproject.bsky.social · 7d

What a new study reveals about 'forever chemicals,' lead, more in New Orleans-area tap water. Read the full article by Emily Woodruff (Nola.com) here: www.nola.com/news/environ...

What a new study reveals about 'forever chemicals,' lead, more in New Orleans-area tap water

A new report shows widespread PFAS, lead and other contaminants in tap water drawn from the Mississippi River for New Orleans and neighboring parishes.

www.nola.com

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 8d

"Walk up the damn stairs!"

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Tim Walz: "My god, we've got the White House threatening investigations and jail time because an escalator stopped? Walk up the damn stairs!"

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Reposted by Ben Maas

Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 9d

That’s because the lake is deceptively shallow... That keeps the lake warm, allowing aquatic plants & algae to flourish. It also makes Itasca more susceptible to increasing air temperatures [due to climate change]”

Smoke from forest fires provides the nutrients

www.startribune.com/lake-itasca-...

Something is wrong with Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River

Warming water may have an outsized impact on the legendary lake, which has been protected for decades.

www.startribune.com

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 9d

That’s because the lake is deceptively shallow... That keeps the lake warm, allowing aquatic plants & algae to flourish. It also makes Itasca more susceptible to increasing air temperatures [due to climate change]”

Smoke from forest fires provides the nutrients

www.startribune.com/lake-itasca-...

Something is wrong with Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River

Warming water may have an outsized impact on the legendary lake, which has been protected for decades.

www.startribune.com

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 11d

You were great as always!

Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 13d

It's spooky pumpkin season!

www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

Artistic pumpkins that go bump in the night

The Minnesota Zoo’s annual pumpkin art showcase opens Friday, displaying over 5,000 carved jack-o-lanterns on a spookily lit wooded trail.

www.mprnews.org

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 13d

The problem with volunteer conservation is that you need to have volunteers.

There is little chance that Iowa, or any other Midwestern state for that matter, will meet it's Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals without real and meaningful regulations.

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 13d

"...while the percentage who support adopting more conservation practices declined."

"...a 72% to 63% decrease in respondents saying they would like to improve conservation practices on the land they farm to help meet the Nutrient Reduction Strategy’s goals."
www.iowapublicradio.org/agriculture/...

Iowa Farm Poll reveals farmers’ shifting views about conservation and water quality over a decade

A new report examines Iowa farmers’ awareness and opinions related to the state’s strategy to cut nutrient runoff in waterways. The majority support more conservation, but their numbers have softened ...

www.iowapublicradio.org

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Ben Maas @masbenmaas.bsky.social · 21d

"two data centers... in Ozaukee and Racine counties will consume enough energy to power 4.3 million homes... the Foxconn site in Mount Pleasant was already at the center of a controversial plan to divert 7 million gallons of water per day from Lake Michigan."

wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/09/16/e...