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
Federal agencies are required to buy products made from materials that were once living. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 mandated that if the products are reasonably priced and available, federal agencies have to buy them. A U.S. Department of Agriculture report released on June 1
Taxpayer money funding the federal crop insurance program, a main safety net for farmers, has more than doubled in just over a decade. As the country's budgetary problems grow, critics continue to label the insurance program as inefficient and expensive.
A series of IowaWatch stories in late 2014 and early 2015 dug into concerns about how dog breeding facilities are inspected in Iowa. Animal rights advocates say not enough is being done to protect animals while breeders who talked with IowaWatch said inspections sometimes are unfair and aimed at the
In February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a forward-looking reporting on the state of U.S. agriculture. The department's Economic Research Service took the lead on the report, which outlines U.S. agricultural production and trade through 2024. Here are the highlights in one graphic.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released its agriculture projections, which run through 2024. The projections bring good news for those in the livestock industry, as U.S. meat exports are expected to grow.
The Farm Bill passed by Congress a year ago will have far reaching effects on federal conservation efforts throughout the Midwest. The bill slashed conservation funding by $4 billion and reduced the number of acres allowed into the Conservation Reserve Program by millions.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service deregulated Monsanto GM soybean and cotton varieties in January. Organic farmers and environmental advocates say they are concerned the seeds may prompt an increase in costly herbicide drift.
To help farmers win the war on herbicide-resistant weeds, Monsanto is working on new varieties of genetically engineered soybean and cotton. Many farmers look forward to the GMOs, but some critics argue the varieties are shortsighted solutions to a long-term problem.
Months after a handful of senators called for better food-safety regulations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed new standards for cut up poultry. Currently, agencies only monitor whole poultry carcasses for pathogens.
Federal inspectors say they have increased their dog breeding facility inspections after a critical 2010 review that said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was not doing enough. But the inspection service had only 120 inspectors to check some 10,000 lice
When Congress approved a nearly $1 trillion spending bill late last week, it also approved increased funding to federal food-safety programs. Under the new 2015 appropriations bill, two U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies will receive an estimated $40 million in funding.
