Ants have survived for so long because they have evolved a system that allows for the division of labor. The next-largest ants forage for leaves and bring them back for the smaller ants to slice into pieces. The largest ants stand guard as soldiers and protect the nest. They feed the mush to a fungus, which is tended and feasted on. A colony of leafcutter ants operates like an assembly line. They're the ultimate team players. No ant species has members who live solitary lives. The queen is...

Beekeepers say their industrious workers have been vanishing mysteriously from their hives since last fall -- leaving behind well-stocked food stores, their developing offspring and a forlorn queen and her attendants. Bees are also vital to forage crops - the alfalfa, clover and other pasture grasses that grazing animals require. Pollination fees are already increasing sharply because of rising demand, and significant bee losses could reduce crop yields and increase food prices. Bigger...

SLO County s dry land isn t producing the grasses ranchers need to feed their herds, so they re getting rid of them early and losing money in the process. Cattle and calves are the second most valuable agricultural product in the county, valued at more than $59 million last year. Cows and their calves are being sold nearly two months earlier than usual and at lower weights because ranchers say they d rather sell than pay for expensive feed. San Luis Obispo County cattle ranchers are...

At the heart of the problem, according to food safety experts, is a longtime practice among some overseas food product companies. A month after tainted pet food sickened thousands of animals, officials say a nation of panicked pet owners can breathe easier. Otis, like so many other pets around the country this spring, had eaten food laced with a chemical slipped into ingredients overseas. When the first list of recalled food included his favorite brand, the couple switched Otis to a...

But once hay gets past June 5, it is often blooming, and the resulting drop in quality means growers are harvesting feeder-quality hay, but more of it. Last year, a lack of moisture led to a short crop and forced livestock producers to import hay from southern Idaho and Oregon. With temperatures fluctuating widely and moisture short in southern Idaho, trying to forecast hay production right now is a bit difficult. Thaemert said warm temperatures early in the spring pushed the crop to break...