A Wisconsin bill wants to give money to small dairy farms. Industry groups say otherwise.
Records requests reveal how industry groups and legislators approach plans to alleviate rising costs to operate dairy farms.
Fact-checking claims made about Oklahoma’s lawsuit against Tyson Foods
As a judge issued a final order, the state’s attorney general and governor have criticized one another.
‘Could have been a hell of a lot worse’: At Nebraska plant, ADM allowed dangerous dust to build up beyond safe levels, recordings show
In late 2022, Archer Daniels Midland’s Fremont, Nebraska, facility experienced a dust explosion. Days later, federal safety inspectors found some areas inside with about an inch of combustible dust — about eight times the acceptable limit.
New screwworm threat halts cattle imports from Mexico, fueling beef supply worries
With US cattle numbers down for the sixth straight year and prices already up 53% since 2019, experts warn the screwworm-related import halt could drive further price hikes.
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Pesticide use and cancer risk rise together across America’s heartland
America’s farmers and farmworkers, their families and neighbors, are being diagnosed with cancer at rates higher than the national average. A growing body of research indicates that pesticides are partly to blame.
pesticides and cancer
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Join us Feb. 19 to explore how tariffs and China’s global investment are reshaping U.S. farming
Investigate Midwest, the Arkansas Times, and the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk will host a live virtual panel examining the impacts on U.S. farmers.
The best images from Investigate Midwest in 2025
These photos document the year’s most defining agriculture and labor stories, from wind farm projects and rising land values near Walmart’s headquarters to poultry farm expansion, Chicago’s food manufacturing sector, and the corporate reach of Jack Link’s.
Corn’s clean-energy promise is clashing with its climate footprint
Corn dominates US farmland and fuels the ethanol industry. But the fertilizer it relies on drives emissions and fouls drinking water.
Oklahoma officials clash over Tyson pollution case
Attorney General Gentner Drummond is seeking more than $100 million from poultry companies over water pollution from chicken farm. Gov. Kevin Stitt, who passed a 2024 law shielding those same companies, has asked for more time to settle.
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data harvest
US farmland continues folding to foreign-owned interests
Nearly every state in the country has seen an increase in foreign interests owning farmland since 2014, according to USDA…
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‘We are here with that insecurity’: Mixed-status families weigh leaving Iowa
Immigrants are a major component of Iowa’s agriculture labor force. But the state’s new immigration law allows law enforcement to arrest and charge noncitizens with a crime if they are found in the state after previously being deported or blocked from entering the U.S.
An Iowa farm county seeks answers to cancer rate 50% higher than national average
‘We need to find out what’s going on’: Palo Alto County has the second highest cancer incidence among all US counties.
Iowa AG asked to pursue penalties against co-op that caused massive fertilizer spill
Release of 265,000 gallons of fertilizer killed 750,000 fish in East Nishnabotna.
FTC Chair Lina Khan listens to Iowa farmers’ concerns about fertilizer plant deal
The Federal Trade Commission, a bipartisan federal agency, can investigate or file suit to block deals, such as the proposed one between Koch Industries and Iowa Fertilizer Co.