Abbie Fentress Swanson
Abbie Fentress Swanson left KBIA at the end of 2013.
Abbie Fentress Swanson joined Harvest Public Media in 2012 and is based at KBIA Radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before that, she covered arts and culture for WNYC Radio in New York. There she was part of a team that won an Online News Association award in 2012 and an Associated Press award in 2010 for outstanding digital news coverage. In 2011, she won the Garden State Journalists Association "Best Radio Feature" award for "Music Therapy Helps Vets Control Symptoms of PTSD." Reporting fellowships prior to WNYC took her to Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, India, Germany, the Czech Republic and Belgium. Abbie's travels led to multimedia stories on a wide range of subjects -- from the World Cup in South Africa, to the gay rights movement in India, to San Francisco's immigration court. She's filed stories for The New York Times, The Patriot Ledger, KALW Public Radio, The World, and Virginia Quarterly Review. Abbie holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley and a bachelor's degree in Italian studies from the College of William & Mary. Check her out on twitter @dearabbie.
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A high-end Bangkok bistro has devoted its entire menu to insects, hoping to entice intrepid eaters to try what's been called "the future of food." But will haute bug cuisine catch on in other places? -
LA is the only major U.S. city where selling food on the sidewalk is illegal. President Trump's immigration policies have pushed the city council to change the law. But the devil is in the details. -
The party animals of Europe made festive, elaborate centerpieces from food from medieval times through the 18th century. Among the most notable of their table art traditions is the sugar monument. -
Many small meat producers have a hard time getting their animals processed. A group of farmers and local food advocates is trying to help by pushing for changes to federal meat inspection law. -
Biofuel producers are teaming up with farms, meatpackers and waste management companies to tap the gassy waste on farms to make renewable jet fuel and diesel for vehicles. -
Many sumo wrestlers adhere to a rigid diet centered around a traditional Japanese dish called chanko-nabe. Champions say they count on the stew's balanced nutrition paired with lots of rice to win. -
Most U.S. dairy cows are born with horns, but most farms remove them. Animal welfare groups say dehorning is cruel. Instead, they want ranchers to breed more hornless cattle into their herds. -
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has killed more than 7 million piglets in the past year. There's no cure, but a vaccine that may protect piglets has been approved even though it's still being tested. -
A dispute between Beaver State blueberry farmers and workers spurred Congress to change an obscure provision in a 1938 labor law. Some fear it will delay pickers' paychecks. -
In the past decade, half of the dairy farms in the U.S. have gone out of business, but thanks to technological advances and selective breeding, the dairy industry is more efficient than ever. It produces 20 percent more milk than it did ten years ago. Harvest Public Media's Abbie Fentress Swanson reports that economists are even predicting that U.S. farmers will export an unprecedented amount of dairy products this year. Still, this ramped-up production has made it difficult for smaller operations to compete.
