Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 11h

American Agriculture would prefer to kill the Gulf of Mexico and recreate the Dust Bowl just to get jet fuel from 0.3% to 0.7% biofuel—rather than use land to grow food for Americans to eat.

Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 11h

And by “new markets” I don’t mean biofuels.

Though I fear we’re about to hear a chorus of voices calling for the government to manufacture yet more demand for biofuels.

Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 11h

It's dumb to start wars you can't win.

China doesn't need our beans. Other countries are happy to compete in a race to the ecological bottom to supply China.

Time to build new markets—ones that don’t depend on exporting a generic crop at the expense of our land & water.

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 11h

And by “new markets” I don’t mean biofuels.

Though I fear we’re about to hear a chorus of voices calling for the government to manufacture yet more demand for biofuels.

Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 11h

It's dumb to start wars you can't win.

China doesn't need our beans. Other countries are happy to compete in a race to the ecological bottom to supply China.

Time to build new markets—ones that don’t depend on exporting a generic crop at the expense of our land & water.

FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 16h

Illinois soybean farmer: We can't help but feel very anxious, wondering why it's taking so long to get this resolved. The farther we go into the season, the more we're going to lose. China should have been buying our beans already, and they're not. It's like crickets

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 11h

It's dumb to start wars you can't win.

China doesn't need our beans. Other countries are happy to compete in a race to the ecological bottom to supply China.

Time to build new markets—ones that don’t depend on exporting a generic crop at the expense of our land & water.

FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 16h

Illinois soybean farmer: We can't help but feel very anxious, wondering why it's taking so long to get this resolved. The farther we go into the season, the more we're going to lose. China should have been buying our beans already, and they're not. It's like crickets

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 12h

I’m quoted here on data centers and water use.

My 2 cents: Data centers are just one among many large water users.

Illinois law is totally unprepared to properly regulate water use, ensure water goes to its highest & best use, or enable serious challenges to wasteful, extractive uses.

Virtual water: Inside Illinois’ data centers, water flows quietly — and unchecked - IPM Newsroom

The steady hum inside the National Petascale Computing Facility (NPCF) is so loud that it’s hard to hear anything else inside. But beneath this noise is a hidden current of water.

ipmnewsroom.org

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 1d

This farmer bailout is great news for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who owns thousands of acres of soybean farmland in North Dakota and has been leading negotiations with China. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/u...

Trump to Unveil Farmer Aid as China Shuns U.S. Crops

www.nytimes.com

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 5d

Me, an ag retailer and/or bank:

“Yeah, just uh, just sign that check over to me please and thank you.”

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 5d

Watching democrats say we just have to remove the tariffs so our poor, beleaguered commodity crop growers can get back to overproducing corn and soybeans and selling them to China at the cost of our own land and water will make me pull out the little hair I have remaining.

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 5d

Our farmers produce a generic commodity for a competitive global market and other countries are happy to compete in a race to the ecological bottom.

This reckoning for commodity crops was coming. Trump is speedrunning it with tariffs.

Might be a good time for farmers to think about feeding the US.

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 5d

This “soybean farmer” is Caleb Ragland, President of the American Soybean Association.

He is a proud three-time Trump voter.

He’s received over half a million in subsidies over the last ten years on one of his operations alone.

He will now get more bailout money.

FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 6d

Soybean farmer: What we need more than anything is access to markets on a level playing field. With the trade war and the tariffs, we're at about a 20% price disadvantage when it comes to what the Chinese have to pay for our soybeans versus the Brazilian soybeans.

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 12d

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 12d

Can't say I like the sound of this

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 12d

Arthur, Illinois

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 14d

A new study finds over 70% of Illinois wetlands lost protection after the Supreme Court’s rollback of the Clean Water Act.

Floodplain forests—vital for flood control, water quality, and climate resilience—are most at risk.

Illinois needs to pass a state law protecting wetlands.

Study: 72% of Illinois wetlands no longer protected by federal Clean Water Act – News Bureau

news.illinois.edu

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 14d

Big Tech to Illinois: If we can't sell everyone's private biometric data without consent, we'll just build in Indiana. www.chicagobusiness.com/technology/i...

How Illinois' privacy law is costing Chicago billions in data-center deals

Chicago risks thousands of jobs and billions in investment as Amazon, Microsoft and others skip Illinois for data centers, citing liability under an obscure privacy law.

www.chicagobusiness.com

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 15d

China isn't buying our soybeans because of the trade war.

China is buying Argentina's soybeans.

The US is considering a bailout of Argentina because this administration can't let Javier Milei fail in his libertarian fantasy project.

Truly, Trump has ushered in an Agricultural Golden Showers Age!

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 15d

Me, at Farm Aid 40th Anniversary, screaming:

WE FEED THE WORLD. THE WORLD NEEDS OUR BEANS.

The world: meh

Governor Tim Walz @governorwalz.mn.gov · 16d

Our farmers are losing out on a great soybean harvest because of Trump’s trade war.

We have the best beans in the world, we need to sell them.

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 15d

"Why can't we build massive data centers, cross-country transmission lines, vast arrays of solar and wind, and million of miles of high speed rail?"

Uh, we can't even remove the lead pipes that are killing our brains.

Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 15d

"Chicago doesn’t anticipate replacing all its [lead] pipes until 2076, some 30 years after a federal deadline"

One place I'll agree with the Abundance crowd—there are systemic problems in big cities with doing basic infrastructure.

@keertigopal.bsky.social & @juanpab.bsky.social

Millions in loans to replace lead pipes pumping water into Chicago homes remain unspent

City officials on Monday said they plan to accelerate spending to replace lead service lines in 2026. The city also remains far behind telling Chicagoans of the health risks.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 15d

"Chicago doesn’t anticipate replacing all its [lead] pipes until 2076, some 30 years after a federal deadline"

One place I'll agree with the Abundance crowd—there are systemic problems in big cities with doing basic infrastructure.

@keertigopal.bsky.social & @juanpab.bsky.social

Millions in loans to replace lead pipes pumping water into Chicago homes remain unspent

City officials on Monday said they plan to accelerate spending to replace lead service lines in 2026. The city also remains far behind telling Chicagoans of the health risks.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 16d

I can tell you’re a 21st century naturalist!

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 17d

Habitat

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 26d

This is why I only drink vintage.

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · 29d

This is the Illinois state flag we deserve, @govpritzker.illinois.gov!

Share if you agree!

Dr. Reinheitsgebot @malzliebchen.bsky.social · Sep 2

Hey @blagojevism.bsky.social it now exists in the flesh

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · Sep 8

For some reason, I imagined a more adult-looking naked woman drawn by Trump for Epstein.

In retrospect that was a foolish assumption. Hand up, that's on me.

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · Sep 8

"relentless unregulated agricultural pollution still being allowed to contaminate Ohio’s streams"

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Robert Hirschfeld @rfhirschfeld.bsky.social · Sep 8

Who is most at risk?

The American taxpayers who will be footing the bill of the bailout.

HEYOOO!

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