Investigate Midwest
Early Morning Calls. Barren Chicken Barns. Millions in Debt.
After Tyson Foods closed four meatpacking plants in the Midwest, some contract chicken farmers faced business ruin. Here are their stories.
Droughts, Climate Change, Drive US Beef Herd to Historic Low
Persistent drought, complicated by climate change, have helped drive the nation’s inventory of beef cattle to a 61–year low.
Poor Regulatory Safeguards Leave Farmworkers Suffocating in the Face of Increasing Heat Waves
A fifth of reported heat-related deaths are agricultural workers. Advocates are calling attention to the impact of climate change on this group from heat waves.
With Corn Belt Inching North, Farm Diversification Gains Momentum
Climate change is redrawing the agricultural map of the United States. As corn becomes less economically viable with changing Midwestern weather patterns, farmers look to a more diverse future.
Foreign Investment in US Cropland Nearly Triples in Past Decade, USDA Data Shows
Foreign investment in U.S. cropland has nearly tripled in the past decade, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Opening This Spring in Kansas: A High-Tech Lab Researching Livestock Diseases
Construction is wrapping up at a new biological research lab in Manhattan, Kansas, where researchers will study vaccines and treatments for highly contagious diseases that affect livestock and humans.
American Farm Bureau Federation Claims it’s the ‘Voice of Agriculture.’ Others Beg to Differ
While the best-known, best-funded “voice” of farmers, the American Farm Bureau is far from the only one.
Fertilizer Washes off Midwest Farm Fields and Taints Communities’ Drinking Water, Poisons Gulf of Mexico
As rainfall events become more intense and frequent, fertilizers applied to Midwestern farmland wash away, contaminating waterways near and far.
As Regulations Vanish, One Missouri County is Ground Zero for Factory Farming Debate
The state eliminated local control over large animal feeding operations. Some rural residents want that power back.
‘Buy it or else’: Inside Monsanto and BASF’s Moves to Force Dicamba on Farmers
Monsanto and BASF knew about dicamba’s propensity to harm farmers’ livelihoods and the environment before releasing the weed killer.