As news of a possible Monsanto-Syngenta merger keeps rolling out, multiple media outlets are reporting that two noteworthy figures have gotten involved with the process. Billionaire investor John Paulson of Paulson & Co. has took on a large number of shares in the Swiss chemical company Syngenta, ac
Monsanto is still gunning to acquire Syngenta even though the Swiss chemical company rejected the most recent $45 billion takeover offer. St. Louis-based Monsanto has been considering proposals to buy Syngenta since 2011. Officials from Syngenta feel the proposals undervalue their company’s worth.
The national K-12 common core education standards have drawn attention from educators, parents, and government officials. It's already become a topic in the 2016 presidential campaign. But what is it, and why are so many talking about it?
Highlights from the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting's package on GMOs and climate change. In the last 20 years, U.S. farmers have widely turned to genetically engineered seeds to help counter more prevalent pests and other climate change consequences. U.S. Department of Agriculture data o
The largest privately held company in the United States will soon become a little smaller, as Minneapolis-based Cargill plans to sell its pork business to Brazilian meat producer JBS’ USA Pork division. The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal is worth $1.45 billion and includes two meat proce
The nexus for this story came when I was searching through Department of Labor foreign labor certifications. I came across 41 certifications for H-1B workers to go to work in Harlem, Mont. Harlem is a tiny town up on the Hi-Line, an area of Montana along the Canadian border that is basically the m
Agriculture is Iowa's top business, but it's also the state's most deadly. Yet, many farmers are opposed to further government regulations that would interfere with how farmers engage in safety at their workplace.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its “technology transfer” report last week. The report highlights how agriculture research has contributed to public good through new inventions, safety measures and other innovations. Those new inventions include a grape that turns into a raisin on the vi
Iowa declined this year to give its Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship authority to inspect for animal health conditions large dog breeding facilities, particularly those suspected of having substandard conditions for animals at the facilities. Plus, link to new Horrible Hundred dog bree
Editor’s note: The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting hosted a reporting workshop on the U.S. visa system in April 2015. It was one of five specialized reporting institutes
In this tiny town on Montana's Hi-Line, a project is planned that would potentially bring 20 or more foreign high-tech workers to town, pay out more than $1 million in annual salaries, and create Internet resources for residents of the nearby Fort Belknap Indian Community. But questions remain about
The Corn Refiners Association is gearing up to take on the sugar industry. According to a June 24 Washington Post exclusive, the Corn Refiners Association plans on investing in a lobbying effort to take apart decades-old sugar subsidies and tax breaks. The Washington Post reported that the associati
