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How ‘ugly’ produce is reshaping the food waste conversation
A recent study at Columbia Business School has revealed how consumer preference for cosmetically-perfect fruits and vegetables contributes to billions of pounds of food waste.
An article in The Packer described this study. It reported that roughly 40 percent of produce in the U.S. goes uneaten. A significant share of that waste comes not from spoilage but from rejection based on appearance alone. “Bruised apples, spotted bananas and oddly shaped vegetables are often discarded by farmers, retailers and consumers – even when they are perfectly edible.” The article also mentions some efforts being made to change perceptions and reduce waste.
You can read “In the eye of the beholder: How ‘ugly’ produce is reshaping the food waste conversation” by open access.
Challenges in covering local trauma
We are adding to the ACDC collection a 2011 article in Journalism Studies. It explored the impact of media coverage in a rural community where a high-profile murder had occurred. In a broader sense, researchers examined the evolution of journalistic responsibility in covering local trauma and offered suggestions for journalism educators:
- Help emerging journalists develop the skill to “reflect in action” while interviewing survivors or covering news items about communities that experience trauma
- Help local residents reflect on meanings and implications in the immediate environment
- Encourage the norm of collaboration between journalism researchers and journalism professionals
You can read “Between a rock and a hard place” by open access.
Lynn Henderson honored for a distinguished career
Congratulations to Lynn Henderson, owner of Henderson Communications and publisher of Agri Marketing magazine. He recently received the 2025 Dean Floyd Andre Award from Iowa State University. This award recognizes a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumnus or friend who has made outstanding contributions to production agriculture and agricultural business.
Lynn has “left a lasting mark on American agriculture through a distinguished career in ag media and communications.”
You can read “Agri Marketing’s publisher Lynn Henderson receives…” by open access.
Investigating punitive attitudes toward crime in Australia
A 2025 article in the Journal of Rural Studies explores differences in punitive attitudes toward crime among rural and urban Australians. Researchers used survey data from a representative sample of the Australian public. Findings indicated:
- Australians hold somewhat punitive attitudes, with rural respondents being significantly more punitive.
- Increased fear of crime and a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system moderate the rural-urban difference
You can read “Punitive attitudes in Australia: investigating the rural-urban divide” by open access.
Welcome to Alinafe Nyasulu
We are delighted to welcome Alinafe Ngindo Nyasulu as a new graduate assistant in the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center. Alinafe is a second-year student in the iSchool here at the University of Illinois. She earned an undergraduate degree in Library and Information Science at Mzuzu University in Malawi, Africa. She brings information management, grant writing, archival processing, and reference experiences to this position as well as experience with the University of Illinois Archives. As a part-time ACDC associate, Alinafe will catalog/process materials and identify preservation needs, alongside a variety of specialist projects.
Communicator events approaching
Here are agricultural communicator event plans you may find helpful, including contact information you can use for details. We welcome suggestions or revisions for this calendar.
November 19-21, 2025
National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Westin Crown Center.
Information: https://nafb.com/events/nafb-convention-0
May 31-June 2, 2026
Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) Institute in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Information: https://communicators.coop/professional-development/cca-institute
Oh, no! We are losing laughs
We are sorry to learn that the tongue-in-cheek Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest sponsored by the English Department at San Jose State University in California is ending. You may recall that each year interested persons were invited to compose and submit the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels. In a spirit of melancholy, we close this issue of ACDC News with a 2024 entry related to food. It received a Dishonorable Mention in the Science Fiction category:
“To help maintain the spirit of the entire Apollo 15 crew during their lengthy and monotonous space journey, NASA scientists sent along fun snacks for everyone, including Space Food Sticks for the Lunar Astronauts and Space Food Milk-Bones for the Lunar Rover.”
ACDC is a deep and open resource for you, so please feel free to invite our help as you search for information, local to global. You are welcomed to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valued international collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, 510 ACES Library, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801) – or in electronic format sent to acdc@library.illinois.edu