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Reposted by Ben Iuliano

Silvia Secchi @profsecchi.bsky.social · 8d

Well it’s not biblical but it’s more relevant: US ag has always been based on an extractivist export model.
I don’t think this crowd cares for sustainability, so good luck getting US consumers to eat even more CAFO pigs 🐖🐖🐖 and the like.

I discuss origins here - DM me if interested in the paper.

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David Malakoff @davidmalakoff.bsky.social · Aug 26

Pushed out by Trump, New Jersey ecologist launches bid for Congress | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Pushed out by Trump, New Jersey ecologist launches bid for Congress

Megan O’Rourke hopes to be a voice for science, also touts her blue-collar roots

www.science.org

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Silvia Secchi @profsecchi.bsky.social · Aug 19

Here's my open access paper "Who is an American farmer? Who counts in American agriculture?"!
I show that using $1,000 sales value as the threshold to be considered a farmer in the Census of Agriculture + increasing the # of operators per farm results in vast overestimates of "farms" & "farmers" 1/

Who is an American farmer? Who counts in American agriculture? - Agriculture and Human Values

Agriculture and Human Values - The most recent changes in the US Census of Agriculture (CoA) have caused substantial increases in the number of farmers. At the same time, by including lifestyle and...

link.springer.com

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Raj Patel @rajpatel.org · Jul 15

Kudos to Ben Iuliano, Adam Calo, Maywa Montenegro de Wit and Adam Calo from the Agroecology Research-Action Collective for ending the Enduring Fantasy of “Feeding the World” in Spectre spectrejournal.com/the-enduring...

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Adam Calo @adamcalo.bsky.social · Jul 15

What drives the enduring myth of “feeding the world?”
@tabledebates.bsky.social

journalspectre.bsky.social @journalspectre.bsky.social · Jul 15

This week we have members of the Agroecology Research-Action Collective ( @adamcalo.bsky.social , Maywa Montenegro de Wit , @beniuliano.bsky.social , @alastairiles.bsky.social ) taking on the productivist roots of the "feed-the-world" approach to food security.

spectrejournal.com/the-enduring...

The Enduring Fantasy of “Feeding the World” – Spectre Journal

Members of the Agroecology Research-Action Collective argue against the productivist logic underlying the "feed-the-world" approaches to feed security.

spectrejournal.com

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Ben Iuliano @beniuliano.bsky.social · Jul 15

Really proud of this piece pushing back against renewed enthusiasm for “land sparing” (i.e. industrial ag boosterism), written with some brilliant colleagues. Check it out!

journalspectre.bsky.social @journalspectre.bsky.social · Jul 15

This week we have members of the Agroecology Research-Action Collective ( @adamcalo.bsky.social , Maywa Montenegro de Wit , @beniuliano.bsky.social , @alastairiles.bsky.social ) taking on the productivist roots of the "feed-the-world" approach to food security.

spectrejournal.com/the-enduring...

The Enduring Fantasy of “Feeding the World” – Spectre Journal

Members of the Agroecology Research-Action Collective argue against the productivist logic underlying the "feed-the-world" approaches to feed security.

spectrejournal.com

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · May 6

The solution proposed by generative AI boosters is to devote more and more class time to learning about their product, its uses, its limits (if any) — and less and less to the substance, the subject matter of the course.

Solutions, problems — what’s the difference? None, as long as you’re using AI.

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Kevin Hall @kevinh-phd.bsky.social · Apr 16

After 21 years at my dream job, I’m very sad to announce my early retirement from the National Institutes of Health. My life’s work has been to scientifically study how our food environment affects what we eat, and how what we eat affects our physiology.

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Andrew Flachs @drflachsophone.bsky.social · Apr 15

30 years on, GM crops encounter the Jevons paradox: initial efficiencies in pesticide use have led to massive increases in those pesticides: doi.org/10.1111/joac...

GM Crops and the Jevons Paradox: Induced Innovation, Systemic Effects and Net Pesticide Increases From Pesticide‐Decreasing Crops

The Jevons paradox describes how increased efficiency in the use of a resource can paradoxically increase rather than reduce its overall consumption. In agricultural systems, efficiency is confounded...

doi.org

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Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · Apr 14

I will keep posting about this because I want people to know it continues, and it is a lot more than the individual cases we see in the news. >1000 students at 170+ universities across 43 states now. Thank you @insidehighered.com and @amowreader.com www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...

Map of international Student Visas Revoked.
As of April 14, over 170 colleges and universities have identified 1,000-plus international students and recent graduates who have had their legal status changed by the State Department. Source: Inside Higher Ed analysis, Ashley Mowreader/Inside Higher Ed. Some institutions have shared publicly that students have lost visas but have yet to disclose the number of students impacted. These are documented on the map, but the number is unknown.

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Adrien Rusch @arusch.bsky.social · Apr 8

📣 We are offering 2 PhD thesis projects @inrae-save.bsky.social with Gaëtane Le Provost, Brice Giffard & my self.

1/2# Impacts of land-use change on biodiversity and ecosystem services adum.fr/as/ed/voirpr...

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Kenny Torrella @kennytorrella.bsky.social · Mar 27

Last week, Trump's USDA announced plans to significantly increase slaughter line speeds at pork and poultry plants. The meat industry celebrated the news. It was hardly covered, but has enormous implications for hundreds of thousands of workers.

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Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · Mar 26

I wrote about the free speech advocates who spent the last decade pearl clutching about the campus left while (intentionally or unintentionally) manufacturing consent for the right-wing assault on free expression.

What Happens to the Free Speech Warriors?

Pundits and activists have targeted the campus left for years. Now we're reaping what they sowed.

stringinamaze.net

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Higher Education Labor United (HELU) @higheredlabor.bsky.social · Mar 14

Columbia has expelled the president of @swcolumbia.bsky.social, a HELU member org, for participation in Palestine solidarity activism. This comes less than 24 hours before SWC's first bargaining session. We stand with SWC-UAW against this illegal interference in bargaining.
uaw.org/in-shocking-...

In Shocking Move, Columbia University Fires Union President One Day Before Contract Negotiations Begin, in Further Crackdown on Free Speech - UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implem...

In the latest assault on First Amendment rights, Columbia University has expelled and fired Grant Miner, President of UAW Local 2710, which represents thousands of Columbia student workers.

uaw.org

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Ben Iuliano @beniuliano.bsky.social · Feb 20

more of this please

Crystal Fleming クリスタル @alwaystheself.bsky.social · Feb 18

An inspiring article on courageous community college leaders who are *publicly* organizing and standing up against DEI attacks.. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Grassroots college leader group resists anti-DEI legislation

Education for All, a grassroots network of mostly community college leaders, is spreading strategies for how to resist anti-DEI bills and rhetoric.

www.insidehighered.com

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · Feb 20

The DOGE firings have nothing to do with “efficiency” or “cutting waste.” They’re a direct push to weaken federal agencies perceived as liberal. This was evident from the start, and now the data confirms it: targeted agencies overwhelmingly those seen as more left-leaning. 🧵⬇️

Scatterplot titled “Empirical Evidence of Ideological Targeting in Federal Layoffs: Agencies seen as liberal are significantly more likely to face DOGE layoffs.”
• The x-axis represents Perceived Ideological Leaning of federal agencies, ranging from -2 (Most Liberal) to +2 (Most Conservative), based on survey responses from over 1,500 federal executives.
• The y-axis shows Agency Size (Number of Staff) on a logarithmic scale from 1,000 to 1,000,000.

Each point represents a federal agency:
• Red dots indicate agencies that experienced DOGE layoffs.
• Gray dots indicate agencies with no layoffs.

Key Observations:
• Liberal-leaning agencies (left side of the plot) are disproportionately represented among red dots, indicating higher layoff rates.
• Notable targeted agencies include:
• HHS (Health & Human Services)
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
• NIH (National Institutes of Health)
• CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
• Dept. of Education
• USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development)
• The National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE), despite its conservative leaning (+1 on the scale), is an exception among targeted agencies.
• A notable outlier: the Department of Veterans Affairs (moderately conservative) also faced layoffs despite its size.

Takeaway:

The figure visually demonstrates that DOGE layoffs disproportionately targeted liberal-leaning agencies, supporting claims of ideological bias. The pattern reveals that layoffs were not driven by agency size or budget alone but were strongly associated with perceived ideology.

Source: Richardson, Clinton, & Lewis (2018). Elite Perceptions of Agency Ideology and Workforce Skill. The Journal of Politics, 80(1).

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Ben Iuliano @beniuliano.bsky.social · Jan 31

Where is this kind of response from our universities? @cuny.edu

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · Jan 31

California DOE fires back against Trump's executive order:

"It does nothing"

"It is against federal law for the White House to dictate what educators can and cannot teach"

Will not comply.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Jan 28

I am begging the national media to start taking this seriously.

Stop buying the claims that the framing of "temporary" or "pause."

They are altering the review processes of federally funded scientific research from merit-based peer review processes to political screening by ideologues.

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · Jan 27

NEW — OMB temporarily pauses all agency grants and loans programs.

Per copy of memo: "The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve."

SUBJECT:
Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs
'The American people elected Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar. In Fiscal Year 2024. of the nearly $10 trillion that the Federal Government spent, more than $3 trillion was Federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans. Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities. Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending wokeness" and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again. The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.
This memorandum requires Federal agencies to identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President's policies and requirements. For example, during the initial days of his Administration, President Donald J Trump issued a series of executive orders to protect the American people and safeguard valuable taxpayer resources, including Protecting the American People Against Invasion (Jan. 20, 2025).
Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid (Jan 20, 2025), Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements (Jan. 20, 2025). Unleashing American Energy (Jan. 20.
2025). Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (Jan. 20.

ent these orders, each agency must complete a comprehensive analysis of all jal assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that any of the President's executive orders. In the interian, to the extent applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency nay be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial
surice tot foreign nongovernmental organizations, DEL woke gender ideology, and the
pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the he temporary pause will become effective on January 28, 2025, at 5:00
rehensive analysis. Federal agencies must immediately deadlines for assistance programs arising while the les must report this information to OMB along with an directs Federal agencies to pause all activities associated
conducting merit review panels
No later than Febrar
- 10. 2025, agencies shail submit to OMB detailed information on
any programs projects or activities subject to this pause. Each agency must pause. (i) issuance of disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards, and (il) other relevant
has reviewed provided guidance to your agency with respect to the information
act
recordin
grant and ptions allowing Federal agencies to issue new awards or take other case basis.
To the extent required by law, Federal agencies may continue nistrative actions. such as closeout of Federal awards (2 CFR 200.344), or expressly required by law

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Terry McGlynn @hormiga.bsky.social · Jan 20

This is day one, and it's already exhausting. That's part of the gameplan, to make you so exhausted that you just give in.

We as biologists need to fight this harmful nonsense. You don't need to have the energy every day, but when this comes up, our organizations must get into the fray.

Kate Clancy @kateclancy.bsky.social · Jan 20

I mean really WTF is biological sex? When scientific definitions of sex, even just human sex, change depending on context and level of analysis?

Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · Jan 20

Sooooo if this whole "biological sex" EO is really happening, biologists are going to make as much noise about it as possible, right?

Professional societies, universities, individual research groups? It's really incumbent on us (that's a "biologists us" here) to make a BIG FUCKING STINK

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Dec 22

when you have anti-DEI proponents openly going after black military officers for recruiting from HBCUs and suing schools for their black and Hispanic enrollment *even after the schools ended any racial preferences* then the only honest label for these people is "segregationist"

Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · Dec 20

I genuinely think we should start calling businesses and schools falling to the anti-DEI movement “segregationists” because they are re-segregating. And earlier rounds of segregationists *also* explained their preferred policy in race-neutral terms (“state’s rights” and “freedom of association”).

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Ben Iuliano @beniuliano.bsky.social · Dec 21

I’m teaching conservation bio & sustainable development for the first time in the spring - I’m super excited, but also feeling a little out of my depth/not up to date on all the literature.

Anyone have any must-read articles or recommended resources as I refine the syllabus?

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · Dec 21

+1

I recommend Kropotkin, along with Lewontin and Levins so often to my students. The Dialectical Biologist is a great antidote to The Selfish Gene, and Lewontin’s Biology as Ideology should also be required reading.

Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · Dec 21

We'd all be better off if in addition to Darwin we were also taught Kropotkin. Darwin talked a lot about evolutionary pressures selecting for certain traits. Kropokin talked about how animals acting cooperatively allowed for survival.

Cover of the book mutual aid: a factor of evolution by kroptkin showing two humans working together

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Margarita Lopez-Uribe @mmlopezu.bsky.social · Dec 19

Fly pollinators are even more vulnerable to rising global temperatures than bees.

🌍🐝🐞 Protecting all pollinators is essential for our ecosystems and food security."

www.psu.edu/news/researc...

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows | Penn State University

Despite their reputation as buzzing nuisances, flies serve a critical role as some of the Earth’s most prolific pollinators — and new research led by Penn State scientists suggests they are increasing...

www.psu.edu

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Ben Iuliano @beniuliano.bsky.social · Nov 25

gonna be interesting to see how her pro-agribusiness bona fides square with Kennedy’s supposed FDA crackdown

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Nov 24

Here’s what to know about Brooke Rollins, President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Agriculture Department.

Trump Picks Brooke Rollins, a Conservative Lawyer, to Lead Agriculture Dept.

Ms. Rollins is the chief executive of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank created to promote President-elect Donald J. Trump’s agenda.

www.nytimes.com

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Sara Emery @saraemery.bsky.social · Nov 24

Come join our department! 🌎 🧪 👩‍🔬 🦟 🪰🐛

We are hiring for a field crops entomologist. 60% research, 40% extension based in Ithaca. Be central to helping New York farmers comply with the Birds and the Bees Act. Applications due January 2, 2025. apps.hr.cornell.edu/recruiting/f...

Academic Career Opportunities

apps.hr.cornell.edu

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