Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

U.S. food buys offer little relief from trade war

Six months after the U.S. Department of Agriculture promised to buy $1.2 billion worth of food from American pork, beef, and produce farmers, many producers are still waiting for signs of relief.

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 8 Mar 2019

USDA rural broadband investment tops $200 million in 2018

The USDA has announced plans for a pilot program to bring broadband internet to all of rural America. The plan, which Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue calls a “proof of concept,” will provide $600 million dollars in grants and loans to internet service providers to bring connection to parts of

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 9 Jan 2019

USDA rural broadband investment tops $200 million in 2018

Lawsuit challenges rule easing environmental reviews for animal confinements

A dozen grassroots organizations have challenged a USDA rule change that would make medium-sized animal confinements exempt from environmental review before receiving government-backed loans from the Farm Services Agency.

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 26 Dec 2018

Lawsuit challenges rule easing environmental reviews for animal confinements

USDA to reduce work exemptions for some SNAP recipients

The USDA wants to tighten work requirements for 2.8 million Americans receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps. The proposed rule change was announced Thursday, the morning President Donald Trump signed a Farm Bill that notably left out

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 22 Dec 2018

USDA to reduce work exemptions for some SNAP recipients

Poultry growers, caught between strict rules and financial risk, lean heavily on government-backed loans

Since 2010, poultry growers have taken out more than 3,000 loans backed by the SBA, totaling $2.9 billion, according to analysis of Small Business Administration loan data by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. In March, the Inspector General released a report looking into the relationsh

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 11 Dec 2018

Poultry growers, caught between strict rules and financial risk, lean heavily on government-backed loans

Business, Education, Healthcare Top Of Mind As Rural Broadband Expansion Inches Forward

When nearly 300 Americans submitted comments this summer on the USDA's pilot plan to bring high speed broadband internet to rural America, they mentioned the great opportunities reliable internet connectivity could bring. But they also voiced skepticism over the agency's proposed plans for the proje

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 21 Nov 2018

Business, Education, Healthcare Top Of Mind As Rural Broadband Expansion Inches Forward

USDA's Rural broadband plan met with citizen criticism and concerns

Slow speeds, bad coverage and expensive service. These are just some of the concerns contained in nearly 300 public comments on Rural Broadband Pilot Program proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a review by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found.

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 21 Nov 2018

USDA's Rural broadband plan met with citizen criticism and concerns

Business, education, healthcare top of mind as rural broadband expansion inches forward

When nearly 300 Americans submitted comments this summer on the USDA's pilot plan to bring high speed broadband internet to rural America, they mentioned the great opportunities reliable internet connectivity could bring. But they also voiced skepticism over the agency's proposed plans for the proje

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 21 Nov 2018

Disappearing Farmland: Despite Value, Little Protection Exists For Midwest Farmland

America has lost millions of acres of farmland over the nearly three decades to urban and rural development. Despite conservation efforts by state and local governments and increased financial incentives for farmers, urban development and the expansion of rural residential real estate over the last

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 14 Nov 2018

Disappearing Farmland: Despite Value, Little Protection Exists For Midwest Farmland

Midwest businesses, farmers rally to oppose Trump’s trade war

Midwest farmers and businesses rallied Tuesday to oppose the escalating U.S.-China trade war. Here's why.

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 21 Sep 2018

Database: Disappearing Farmland

Use this database to see how many farmland acres your state has lost or gained between 1997 and 2012

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 18 Sep 2018

Disappearing farmland

Urban sprawl began in the 1950s and has been a concern of city planners and the agricultural community since the early 1990s. But a new study from American Farmland Trust shows development around small towns across the Midwest has contributed nearly as much to the loss of agricultural land since 199

By Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 18 Sep 2018

Christopher Walljasper, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

U.S. food buys offer little relief from trade war

USDA rural broadband investment tops $200 million in 2018

Lawsuit challenges rule easing environmental reviews for animal confinements

USDA to reduce work exemptions for some SNAP recipients

Poultry growers, caught between strict rules and financial risk, lean heavily on government-backed loans

Business, Education, Healthcare Top Of Mind As Rural Broadband Expansion Inches Forward

USDA's Rural broadband plan met with citizen criticism and concerns

Business, education, healthcare top of mind as rural broadband expansion inches forward

Disappearing Farmland: Despite Value, Little Protection Exists For Midwest Farmland

Midwest businesses, farmers rally to oppose Trump’s trade war

Database: Disappearing Farmland

Disappearing farmland

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