Farm & Field
In The Face Of An Uncertain Future, Ag Industry Titans Pair Up
Like most farmers, Mark Nelson, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat near Louisburg, Kansas, is getting squeezed. He’s paying three times more for seed than he used to, while his corn sells for less than half what it brought four years ago. “It’s a – that’s a challenge,” Nelson says. “You’re not going to be…
Watching Our Water | Researching New Ways Farmers Can Fight Gulf’s ‘Dead Zone’
Farming in the fertile Midwest is tied to an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But scientists are studying new ways to lessen the Midwest’s environmental impact and improve water quality. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts the so-called “dead zone,” an area of sea without enough oxygen to support most marine…
Watching Our Water | Cities Cope with Polluted Ag Runoff, Create Their Own Pollution, Too
Standing on a platform above the eastern bank of the Missouri River at the Kansas City, Missouri, Water Services’ intake plant is like being on the deck of a large ship. Electric turbines create a vibration along the blue railing, where David Greene, laboratory manager for Kansas City Water Services, looks out across the river….
Watching Our Water | Farmers Dabble in Voluntary Measures to Stop Harmful Runoff
On a gray day, just as the rain begins to fall, Roger Zylstra stops his red GMC Sierra pick-up truck on the side of the road and hops down into a ditch in Jasper County, Iowa. It takes two such stops before he unearths amid the tall weeds and grasses what he’s looking for. “Here…
Watching Our Water | Farmers Feel Pressure to Fight Agriculture Water Pollution
Living in the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska means understanding that the water in your well may contain high levels of nitrates and may not be safe to drink. “When our first son was born in 1980, we actually put a distiller in for our drinking water here in the house,” says Ken Seim,…
Watching Our Water | How Are Nitrates Ending Up In Drinking Water Supplies?
Contaminated drinking water isn’t just a problem for Flint, Michigan. Many towns and cities across the Midwest and Great Plains face pollution seeping into their water supplies. A big part of the problem: farming and ranching. Farmers spread nitrogen- and phosphorous-based fertilizers on their fields to help their crops grow. Excess nutrients, though, can leach…
Watching Our Water | A Special Report
Watching Our Water is a five-part series in partnership with Harvest Public Media. Follow the entire series on Flatland through Friday, Sept. 23, and look for the half hour documentary that evening at 8 p.m. on KCPT. How does pristine water running off of snowpack high in the Rocky Mountains end up as a floating chemical…
These Midwest Farmers Are Brewing Up Hops For Local Beer
With craft beer booming and local breweries springing up all over the country, Midwest farmers are testing out ways to play a role in the growing market and, in the process, make local beer truly local. Nearly all U.S. hops, which along with water, malt and yeast, comprise the base ingredients in beer, is grown…
Missouri Farmer Enlists Bugs And Chickens In Battle Against Pests
In an effort to turn away from chemical pesticides, which have the potential to damage the environment, some farmers are looking in a new direction in the age-old, quiet struggle on farm fields of farmers versus pests. They’re warding off intruding insects and noxious weeds with bugs and chickens. Gary Wenig and his wife bought…
When Water Is More Valuable Than Crops, Farms Struggle To Compete With Thirsty Cities
Few things are more valuable to a farmer in the arid West than irrigation water. Without it, the land turns back into its natural state: dry, dusty plains. If a fast-growing city is your neighbor, then your water holds even more value. Farm families in Western states like California and Colorado are increasingly under pressure…