Illegal manure pollution, and cancer, on the rise in Iowa - Investigate Midwest
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A new report from environmental watchdog group Food & Water Watch suggests that almost 2 million fish were killed from manure spills in Iowa between 2013 and 2023. The 179 spills occurred throughout the state, with a major hotspot for spills in the northwest corner of the state. Earlier this...
16h ago
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This story was produced by the Watchdog Writers Group in collaboration with Investigate Midwest. DEXTER, Missouri – On an early August morning in 2023, Shawn Hinkle received a call from one of his technicians at Tyson Foods who, through tears, told him the company’s plant in Dexter was shutting...
on Tue, 11PM
GRAPHIC: Bayer, Corteva control vast majority of GMO seed patents - Investigate Midwest
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Corn and soybeans are two of America’s most lucrative cash crops. Corn is used in soft drinks and processed snacks, but most corn is used to produce ethanol, a heavily subsidized industry. Soybeans turn into cooking oil and biofuel. Given their value and centrality to the U.S. food system, the...
on Mon, 6PM
Protection of wetlands could come down to farmers, says a new report - Investigate Midwest
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This story was originally published by Grist. This coverage is made possible through a partnership with Grist and Interlochen Public Radio in northern Michigan. Tucked about a mile offshore from Lake Michigan, in northern Michigan’s Charlevoix County, sits Norwood Centennial Farms. Besides some...
on Dec 11
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Trump’s proposed 60% tariff on goods imported from China would have a “damaging effect with permanent consequences” on U.S. soybean growers and lead to increased deforestation in South America, according to an October 2024 study commissioned by the American Soybean Association and the National...
on Dec 11
Trump’s pick for USDA secretary untested as an ag leader - Investigate Midwest
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That president-elect Donald Trump’s final cabinet nomination is for USDA secretary probably says something about his mindset concerning most things agriculture. Back burner. After all, Trump named two candidates to serve as attorney general before he got around to tapping Glen Rose, Texas-native...
on Dec 10
Risky Revival: How Michigan’s Palisades nuclear plant could impact agriculture - Investigate Midwest
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COVERT, Michigan — The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, long synonymous with safety lapses and regulatory oversight, is poised for an unprecedented comeback under Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to reopen the shuttered plant by 2025 — the first attempt of its kind in U.S. history....
on Dec 10
You get what you pay for: Customers weigh grocery sustainability, costs - Investigate Midwest
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Every Saturday, farmer Liz Graznak and her staff begin their day before dawn, loading a trailer full of organic produce, eggs and flowers. They pull out of Happy Hollow Farm in Jamestown at around 5 a.m. Upon arriving at the Columbia Farmers Market, the crew sets up the farm’s signature bright...
on Dec 9
GRAPHIC: Irrigation, water use on US farms are in decline - Investigate Midwest
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Irrigation on U.S. farms declined between 2018 and 2023, with fewer farms using irrigation methods and less water applied overall, the latest data shows. Over that five-year period, the number of irrigated farms dropped by 8%, irrigated acres decreased by 5%, and water use fell from 83.4 million...
on Dec 4
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In May, the Centers for Disease Control recommended that state public health departments, veterinarians and epidemiologists provide personal protective equipment, or PPE, for workers in direct contact with animals and their fluids, such as raw milk, that could be exposed to bird flu. As of...
on Dec 4
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On a recent Monday morning, workers began their week on a large poultry farm in Franklin County, Washington, home to over 800,000 chickens. By the end of the day, avian flu had been discovered among some of those chickens. By the end of the week, four workers came down with the illness, which...
on Dec 3
Huge organic farm in Iowa thrives without chemicals - Investigate Midwest
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WEST BEND, Iowa – Just shy of 800 residents, West Bend is barely a blip on a prairie landscape. But this small northern Iowa town has become a hub for the nation’s growing organic farming sector, challenging the notion that pesticides and other agricultural chemicals are required to feed the...
on Nov 29
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The majority of severe injuries that occur at meatpacking plants harm workers’ fingers and fingertips. Occupational Safety and Health Administration data from 2015 to 2023 shows over half of severe incidents that happened at meatpacking plants in the last decade have injured workers’ fingers...
on Nov 27
It's time to crack down on the meat market monopoly - Investigate Midwest
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Big Beef has a history of breaking the law if it means making more money for its shareholders and company executives. When just four companies — National Beef Packing Company, Cargill, JBS, and Tyson — collectively control 80% of the U.S.beef market, it’s relatively easy to collude and...
on Nov 26
GRAPHIC: Here's why mass deportation could affect the nation's food supply. - Investigate Midwest
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President-elect Donald Trump has promised to begin his second term with the largest mass deportation in history, making the jobs held by undocumented workers available to U.S. citizens. Undocumented immigrants make up only 5% of the total labor force, according to the most recent federal data...
on Nov 20
Will there be movement on overdue Farm Bill during the lame duck session? - Investigate Midwest
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USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says talking about the stuck-in-the-mud farm bill negotiations “feels like ‘Groundhog Day.’ ” Congress is required to approve a new federal farm bill every five years. The 2018 farm bill expired on Sept. 30, 2023. But the Republican led House couldn’t get its version...
on Nov 19
Amish farmers’ partnership with beef giant JBS produces manure mess - Investigate Midwest
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EDON, Ohio — For 60 years, this one-stoplight Ohio town has been known as a place where time appears to stand still. With more than 400 Amish residents settled in and around the rural community that straddles the Ohio, Indiana and Michigan state lines, it is common to see large families...
on Nov 18
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Bill Gates’ Nebraska neighbors don’t know he owns the soybean field down the road. Here’s the story of his spending spree, including the massive loan he took out against his land.
on Nov 16
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Farm employers’ increasing use of guest visa farmworkers has strained federal agencies, potentially impairing workers’ rights, a federal watchdog found in a report released Thursday. The report comes days after Donald Trump was re-elected president. During his first term, Trump championed the...
on Nov 15
Trump’s victory throws new USDA framework on seed industry into question - Investigate Midwest
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Imagine two fields, side-by-side. One grows genetically modified corn, the seed bought from a major firm. The other grows organic where the farmer stresses about cross-contamination. The company that produced the neighbor’s corn seed has patented its product, restricting its use. If the grower’s...
on Nov 13
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America’s most farming-dependent counties overwhelmingly backed President-elect Donald Trump in this year’s election by an average of 77.7%. Trump has appeared on three presidential ballots, beginning in 2016. In 2020 and 2024, he increased his support nationwide, topping 50% in this year’s...
on Nov 13
Is John Deere’s day of reckoning soon at hand? - Investigate Midwest
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The walls are closing in on John Deere and Company regarding its unwillingness to completely lift repair restrictions that prevent farmers from deciding who fixes their tractors when they break down. Deere’s scam has been going on for a long, long, long time. In a nutshell: Deere embeds...
on Nov 12
Second Trump administration threatens USDA conservation and insurance programs - Investigate Midwest
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This story was originally published by Barn Raiser. In the mid 1980s, Thomas Eich’s grandparents, who farmed corn and soybeans, enrolled in the newly established Conservation Reserve Program, administered via the U.S. Department of Agriculture to incentivize farmers to cease farming on...
on Nov 12
Here's how we plan to cover the Trump administration.
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As Trump returns to the White House, we will be centered on uncovering power dynamics, industry influence and regulatory changes that impact the nation’s agricultural landscape.
on Nov 9
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Denver voters rejected a proposed ban on meatpacking plants within city limits, keeping open the nation’s largest lamb processing facility. Denver Initiated Ordinance 309 was rejected by 64% of voters on Tuesday. The ballot initiative, if approved, would have prohibited the construction or...
on Nov 7
GRAPHIC: US agricultural exports support 1.25 million jobs - Investigate Midwest
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In 2022, U.S. agricultural exports supported approximately 1.25 million full-time civilian jobs, totaling more than $197 billion. These jobs are measured in full-time equivalents (FTEs), meaning the conversion of hours worked as if they were full-time positions. This translates to roughly 6,338...
on Nov 7
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Come support our nonprofit, independent journalism while connecting with friends and new acquaintances. Investigate Midwest, featuring its IowaWatch newsroom, brings back its Live Storytelling at The Graduate Hotel in Iowa City on Thursday, November 7. Doors open with music starting at 5:30...
on Nov 6
Four ways Trump could impact the agriculture sector during second term
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In a return to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to overturn climate regulations and deregulate the agriculture industry.
on Nov 6
As solar expands in the Delta, can agrivoltaic projects grow with the boom?
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Mississippi River Delta region ripe for on-farm solar production, but must overcome hurdles.
on Nov 6
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This story was original published by The Gazette. STATE CENTER — The 8,000 Holsteins that make the feedstock for the $42 million Marshall Ridge Renewable Energy Center are barely visible — just a flash of black-and-white hide behind the screens of a confinement building in central Iowa. But the...
on Nov 4
Meet the farmers supporting Prop 12 despite pork industry pushback - Investigate Midwest
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This story was originally published by the Sentient. When Brent Hershey entered the hog business, he was told that every pork producer in America uses gestation crates on their farm. Gestation crates are metal enclosures, typically seven feet long and two feet wide, where a pregnant female pig,...
on Nov 1
Frustrated with poultry pollution, east Oklahoma candidate takes on incumbent and Tyson Foods
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By Anne Fite’s count, it was the 15th poultry truck she had passed while spending the day knocking on doors and introducing herself as the Democratic candidate for the House District 86 election in November.
on Nov 1
Helene and Milton upended a key part of the nation’s agriculture system. - Investigate Midwest
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This story was originally published by Grist. When Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida three weeks ago, Jason Madison was alone at his place, which doubled as a shrimp storefront in Keaton Beach. As the wind began to roar and the bay started to roil, Madison decided to flee. It was the...
on Oct 31
More farms are turning to automation amid labor shortages - Investigate Midwest
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This story was originally published by Grist. Jeremy Ford hates wasting water. As a mist of rain sprinkled the fields around him in Homestead, Florida, Ford bemoaned how expensive it had been running a fossil fuel-powered irrigation system on his 5-acre farm — and how bad it was for the...
on Oct 31
Michigan’s new rules to protect water from manure attacked by lawmakers - Investigate Midwest
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This story was originally published by Circle of Blue. FREMONT, Michigan — Anticipating a surge of funding for building manure biodigesters, which capture methane for electricity and transportation fuels from millions of tons of farm animal waste, Michigan’s environmental agency last year...
on Oct 30
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In May, a CBS News reporter asked the Illinois Department of Agriculture if there were bird flu-positive dairy herds in Kane County, only to be told the department “doesn’t have any role in this testing” and was directed to the state’s health department. But an internal email from Connie Austin,...
on Oct 30
‘Climate-smart’ beef is an oxymoron - Investigate Midwest
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Last year, Tyson Foods unveiled Brazen Beef, a new line of meat the company claims produces 10% less greenhouse gas emissions from pasture to production when compared to traditionally produced cattle. The Tyson brass say the Brazen brand comes from cattle produced under the company’s...
on Oct 29
As ag consolidation grows, Harris and Trump pitch different approaches - Investigate Midwest
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In 1994, Greg Gunthorp’s father warned him and his wife against buying the family sow herd and breeding stock. The market was basically over for the independent producers, his father told him. The price of a pig sold on the commodities market in the mid-1990s went for less than what Gunthorp’s...
on Oct 29
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Tyson Foods is being investigated by the Department of Labor for employing minors at two of its Arkansas poultry processing plants. This investigation comes at the height of child labor law violations in the past 10 years, according to DOL data. The number of child labor law violations has...
on Oct 28
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Our collaborative series with the Flatwater Free Press on Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen’s global hog enterprise, water quality issues surrounding his operations, and his political influence over agricultural policy has won first place in Explanatory Reporting from the Society of Environmental...
on Oct 28
Meatpacking plants mostly pollute low-income, communities of color, EPA data shows
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In March, officials in Postville shut down its water treatment facility for two days as city employees worked to prevent polluted water from a meatpacking plant from entering the water supply. Agri Star Meat and Poultry had discharged more than 250,000 gallons of untreated food processing waste...
on Oct 26
Regenerative farming practices require unlearning past advice - Investigate Midwest
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Early on a cool September morning, farmer Josh Payne tends to his flock in Concordia, just east of Kansas City, Missouri. As Payne opens the gate, about a thousand sheep round the corner and bound into fresh grass. The pasture the flock grazes was once corn and soybeans, along with the rest of...
on Oct 25
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The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation has gotten it totally wrong on why agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have fallen in the EPA’s most recent annual emissions inventory report. The EPA report showed agricultural emissions nationwide dropped an admirable 1.8% from 2021 to...
on Oct 23
Unsealed: Syngenta spent decades attempting to quiet health concerns about its profitable herbicide.
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A former Florida rancher battling Parkinson’s disease reflects on years of using paraquat, as thousands of lawsuits claim the herbicide contributed to their illness and new documents shed light on the ongoing legal fight.
on Oct 23
ADM sued by man severely injured in 2023 explosion - Investigate Midwest
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A man injured in a 2023 explosion at Archer Daniels Midland’s facility in Decatur, Illinois, has sued the company, alleging the agriculture giant’s actions leading up to the explosion “displayed actual intent to harm its employees,” according to the complaint filed in county court Oct. 15. ADM...
on Oct 22
Rare, but deadly: Listeria outbreaks through the years
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The listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats is the deadliest since 2011. At least 10 people have died after consuming diseased deli meat produced by Boar’s Head, according to the CDC.
on Oct 22
Midwest farmers advocate for steady policies amid trade challenges - Investigate Midwest
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Just as he did in 2016 and 2020, Iowa farmer and rancher Lance Lillibridge plans to vote for Donald Trump this November. However, this self-described conservative said his vote for the former president will come with concerns. “His policies didn’t do us any good; his tariffs didn’t do us any...
on Oct 17
Meatpacking plants mostly pollute low-income communities of color, analysis shows
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EPA data shows meatpacking plants disproportionately pollute low-income, communities of color. Postville, Iowa, has long dealt with the fallout.
on Oct 17
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided over $889 million in financial assistance to poultry farmers affected by bird flu infections between January 2023 and September 2024. The vast majority has gone to large companies. To contain the spread of the highly contagious bird flu,...
on Oct 17
GRAPHIC: Kansas farmers lead Midwest in smartphone, computer use - Investigate Midwest
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Kansas leads the Midwest in farmers’ use of computers and smartphones, according to the latest technology use and ownership report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In Kansas, 85% of farmers own or use a laptop or desktop computer, and 92% have a cellphone. Ohio has the lowest computer...
on Oct 10