5@5: Meet the new dicamba, 2,4-D | Climate change may be killing off sugar maples

Last year it was dicamba, this year it’s 2,4-D

An herbicide linked to cancer and endocrine issues will likely be sprayed across millions more acres of cotton and soybeans this year. The herbicide, known as 2,4-D, is already widely used in conventional agriculture but has never been implemented on this large of a scale. Unfortunately, some glyphosate-resistant weeds are already becoming resistant to alternate, damaging chemicals such as dicamba and 2,4-D. Read more at Investigate Midwest …

What does climate change mean for Vermont’s maple sugarers?

Sugar maples have evolved to release sap when temperatures are freezing at night and above freezing during the day, but climate change has already begun both lowering the quality of the sap and destroying the centuries-old trees it comes from. Reverse-osmosis machines are one of several technological advances that may stave off the total extinction of the sugarmaker profession. Read more at Civil Eats …

An entrepreneur and his ex-cons: Meet the former gang member who created a $10 million hiring startup that hires former inmates

“Your future shouldn’t be based on your past,” says former gang meber Darrell Jobe, who at the age of 39 now operates a thriving Styrofoam-alternative business called Vericool. The company makes giving second chances to former prisoners a priority and estimates that roughly one out of every four employees has served time. Jobe, a self-taught engineer, found a cost-effective insulation method using postconsumer plant fiber that is recyclable or compostable. Read more at Forbes …

Devastating floods in the Midwest leave farmers wondering how they can continue

Catastrophic flooding in the Midwest has caused over $3 billion in damages already, and farmers are just now beginning to pick up the pieces. Quickly rising floods drowned trapped livestock and destroyed grain in silos (USDA regulations prohibit the sale of grain that has been inundated by floods) in addition to “knocking out much of the infrastructure needed for repairs, including roads, bridges, communication systems and water service.” Read more at Modern Farmer …

How Brandless’ creative chief built an anti-brand from scratch

The brain behind the brand—or rather, lack thereof—is Creative Chief Jen Tank. She jumped at the chance to help make a disruptive DTC brand that was “focused on profit and purpose” a reality and set to work on an evolving packaging design that prioritizes simplicity and sustainability. Click through to learn more about this unique brand's creative trajectory. Read more at Fast Company …