Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

Iowa Sen. Catelin Drey knows her state's cancer crisis. She's living it.

Drey’s diagnosis comes amid national attention on Iowa’s cancer crisis, which experts believe could be tied to a “toxic mix” of environmental and health risk factors.

By Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 19 May 2026

Iowa Sen. Catelin Drey knows her state's cancer crisis. She's living it.

Iowa’s high cancer rate linked to nitrate, pesticides, PFAS and radon, new report finds

The new analysis combines science on environmental risk factors with the lived experiences of Iowans battling cancer.

By Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 31 Mar 2026

Iowa’s high cancer rate linked to nitrate, pesticides, PFAS and radon, new report finds

What does a small town do when the water in undrinkable?

Residents of Early, Iowa (population 587) say they often find out their water is unsafe to drink by reading about it on Facebook.

By Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 2 Feb 2026

What does a small town do when the water in undrinkable?

Factory farms in Iowa generate 110 billion pounds of manure per year. No one tracks where it's going.

Manure management planning could prevent fertilizer pollution. But an antiquated system isn’t doing enough to track manure, a former state employee says.

By Anika Jane Beamer, Inside Climate News and Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 4 Dec 2025

Factory farms in Iowa generate 110 billion pounds of manure per year. No one tracks where it's going.

Iowa officials quietly fast-tracked legal settlement with major meatpacker, environmental group alleges

An email from the Iowa assistant attorney general revealed plans to file the settlement with the court later in the day to avoid media scrutiny.

By Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 24 Oct 2025

Iowa officials quietly fast-tracked legal settlement with major meatpacker, environmental group alleges

Recruited with the promise of a US cultural exchange, graduates ended up trapped in a factory farm.

A lawsuit alleges that three Guatemalan citizens, who came to the U.S. on J-1 visas, worked dangerous jobs under false pretenses.

By Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 21 May 2025

Recruited with the promise of a US cultural exchange, graduates ended up trapped in a factory farm.

Illegal manure pollution, and cancer, on the rise in Iowa

A new report maps manure spills in Iowa, where factory farms produce 109 billion pounds of manure per year.

By Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 17 Dec 2024

Illegal manure pollution, and cancer, on the rise in Iowa

Meet the farmers supporting Prop 12 despite pork industry pushback

Contrary to what ag industry groups say, these small farmers have embraced the new animal welfare law.

By Nina Elkadi, Sentient Media

/ 1 Nov 2024

Iowa Sen. Catelin Drey knows her state's cancer crisis. She's living it.

Iowa’s high cancer rate linked to nitrate, pesticides, PFAS and radon, new report finds

What does a small town do when the water in undrinkable?

Factory farms in Iowa generate 110 billion pounds of manure per year. No one tracks where it's going.

Iowa officials quietly fast-tracked legal settlement with major meatpacker, environmental group alleges

Recruited with the promise of a US cultural exchange, graduates ended up trapped in a factory farm.

Illegal manure pollution, and cancer, on the rise in Iowa

Meet the farmers supporting Prop 12 despite pork industry pushback

THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS

MEMBER OF