Investigate Midwest (https://investigatemidwest.org/)
Vernon Bowman's challenge to Monsanto Co.'s patent on its Roundup Ready soybean seeds was billed as a David v. Goliath contest. Goliath won and won big.
The immigration bill that the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee took up Thursday includes a provision for farmworkers that shortens their waiting period for legal residency. Continue Reading →
The Federal Food Safety System has come under criticism once again under the US Government Accountability Office’s High Risk List for its confusing nature and overlapping responsibilities among federal agencies. Continue Reading →
Taxpayers are contributing billions more than necessary for farmers’ crop insurance, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The study, which examined the 2012 crop year, argues that big subsidies channel farmers into lavish policies that in some cases paid drought-afflicted farmers last year more than they would have earned with a good harvest. Continue Reading →
Imagine Upton Sinclair with an iPhone. Sinclair went undercover in 1904 to document squalid conditions in Chicago's meatpacking plants, leading to his muckraking novel The Jungle. His reporting led to new public health laws two years later. In today's social media world, Upton's expose would have gone viral. Sure, we would have lost a classic book, but just consider the retweets. Continue Reading →
In the spirit of Sunshine Week, the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting looked at the laws in place or under consideration that impact reporting on the agriculture industry. A Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting analysis found that there are nearly 40 laws now under consideration - more than double from the 16 laws that are in place today. Continue Reading →
The push by the agriculture industry to restrict free speech and access to information is increasing, with at least seven more states considering farm protection laws – also, known as “ag-gag” laws. Continue Reading →
The latest salvo in the agriculture industry’s fight against media coverage has been fired at the use of drones. The drones are now being used and considered for use by law enforcement, precision agriculture and by journalists, but those worried about overall privacy are questioning the widespread use of drones. Continue Reading →
The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and co-sponsor Investigative Reporters and Editors are seeking applications for an all-expense paid workshop on covering agribusiness Continue Reading →
From IowaWatch.org - More than half of what Iowans dump into landfills could have been recycled or composted. In some areas, that amount is as high as 75 percent, landfill operators said. An IowaWatch investigation revealed that the gap between tons dumped into the ground and tons recycled at Iowa’s top five waste agencies is widening. Continue Reading →
Critics of Monsanto – and they are legion – demonize the company for seizing control of food production technology and undermining the tradition of seed-saving in agriculture. Monsanto’s agents – called the “seed police” by some farmers – arrive on a farmer’s doorstep when they get a tip about cheating or when their figures show that a farmer hasn’t bought enough seed to account for all of the crop he is harvesting. That’s how the lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court involving Monsanto patent rights began. Vernon Hugh Bowman says the Monsanto agents who arrive at his southwest Indiana farm seven years ago were polite and inquisitive. But Bowman was insistent he was doing nothing wrong. Continue Reading →