It is no secret that cows produce two things in abundance in the Dairy State: milk and manure. Wisconsin’s 1.27 million dairy cows produce 3.2 billion gallons of milk and enough manure to fill almost 3,000 Olympic-size swimming pools a year, according to Steve Carpenter, director of UW-Madison’s Cen
After one of Madison’s longest, coldest winters ever, swimming season is almost here — along with toxic algal blooms, bacteria, invasive milfoil and other pestilences of the lakes. The Yahara lakes — Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa — are no clearer than they were 30 years ago, despite i
Scott Murray did not want to leave the home in rural Juneau County, Wis., where he and his family had lived for more than 20 years. But with the house surrounded on three sides by manure irrigation systems, life had become a nightmare.
For Earth Day 2014, the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting gathered a list of its past reports on environmental issues. Also included is work from Harvest Public Media, The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism.
As the global demand for food rises, farmers have to accordingly increase production. However, in some cases, that increased production can be harmful for the environment. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office provided a glimpse of the state of U.S. water bodies. Among its findings
Most Wisconsin farmers remain skeptical about climate change, although data show they have already begun adapting to shifts in weather patterns, scientists said at a University of Wisconsin-Madison conference this week. Farmers, the scientists said, are key actors in adapting to climate change or mi
A four-day hearing on the challenges surrounding the expansion of a mega-dairy in Wisconsin showcased a community's deep divisions. A handful of speakers showed support for the dairy expansion. Many others expressed their concerns over the dairy's potential environmental impact, including a resident
Water-quality advocates say Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources’ regulation of large farms, known as concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs, is too lax. DNR acknowledges low staffing levels have strained enforcement efforts, and described the program.
In a Green Bay hearing beginning Tuesday, a controversial attempt to expand a dairy farm set to become the fifth largest in Wisconsin will be challenged in a case that could have a far-reaching impact on how Wisconsin regulates industrial-size livestock farms.
Natural Resources Conservation Service officials predict that drought conditions will persist or intensify for much of the western United States. The predictions come after an unusually dry 2013 in much of the country, including California -- which experienced its driest year on record.
This month, officials from the National Agriculture Statistics Service began distributing irrigation surveys to U.S. farmers and ranchers. The surveys, administered every five years, analyze how agriculture producers use water and how they utilize irrigation. According to the most recent survey, far
Special IowaWatch/Investigative News Network report: The Iowa Department of Transportation does not track or permit vehicles carrying hazardous materials in Iowa.
