It’s Fourth of July week, which means we’ve officially entered the second half of the year.
At Investigate Midwest, we began 2025 with a renewed focus on covering the incoming Trump administration, including his appointments that have the greatest impact on the nation’s food system.
One story investigated efforts by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump's pick for Health and Human Services secretary, to reduce pesticide use. Big Ag has pushed back on that effort, but pesticide critics who see a connection with growing health problems are hopeful.
Another story focused on Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and her confirmation hearing when she said she believed concerns that the nation’s food system would be disrupted by mass deportations were “hypothetical.”
We’ve also covered massive funding cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture — “It’s really crippling the agency,” one former employee said.
Last month, immigration raids appeared to intensify at farms and meatpacking plants. We investigated one raid at a South Omaha meatpacking plant and examined how immigrant workers had contributed to the community's continued status as a top meat-processing region.
But for all the strong work our team has produced over the past six months, I’m even more excited about what’s to come.
Investigate Midwest will have a deep dive into Rollins' first five months as agriculture secretary and how she is shaping the nation’s food system at such a critical time.
We will also have more coverage on the impact that Trump’s immigration policies are having on agricultural communities.
And the growing health concerns over pesticides and industrial farm pollution have long been a focus for us. However, we have a special project in the works for later this year that will help deepen our understanding of these issues.
Investigative reporting has never been more crucial, particularly in the agricultural sector. While we’ve tried to rise to that challenge in the past six months, we have even more in store over the next six.
