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IowaWatch

Voluntary measures may not be enough: Bacteria and algae plague Iowa beaches

By Brittney J. Miller, The Gazette; Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest/Report for America; and Erin Jordan, The Gazette | 20 hours ago

The Gazette and Investigate Midwest analyzed 20 years of beach monitoring data from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Our Latest

USDA News Release

FTC and State Partners Sue Pesticide Giants Syngenta and Corteva for Using Illegal Pay-to-Block Scheme to Inflate Prices for Farmers
By Federal Trade Commission | September 30, 2022
The Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan coalition of 10 state attorneys general have filed a complaint in federal court against pesticide manufacturers Syngenta Crop Protection and Corteva, Inc. for allegedly paying distributors to block competitors from selling their cheaper generic products to farmers.
National

USDA spending only a sliver of conservation funding on climate-smart practices, a new report finds
By Eva Tesfaye, Harvest Public Media | September 28, 2022
In 2020, the agriculture industry accounted for more than 11% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
Opinion

Opinion: 2023 Farm Bill needs to address consumer-food information gap
By Dave Dickey, Columnist | September 28, 2022
In 1790, everyone knew eggs came from chickens. Today?
Agribusiness

Scaling Up: Raising hogs has gotten less expensive, especially for big farms
By Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest | September 28, 2022
Technological innovation, specialization, increased farm size and policy decisions have driven down the cost of production.
Coronavirus

She says her passion is teaching. Congress called her the meatpacking industry’s ‘go-to fixer.’
By Mary Norkol, Investigate Midwest | September 28, 2022
Mindy Brashears, the former head of the USDA's agency overseeing meatpacking plants, has been largely quiet about her agency’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in exclusive interviews, she addresses the criticism the USDA put food production over worker safety.
Government

Texas State University program will mentor Black and Latina women in ag
By Kristi Eaton, The Daily Yonder | September 21, 2022
The program will pair high school and college students in what’s called a “near peer” model to help ease the minority participants into the mentorship.
Agribusiness

Scaling Up: Use of production contracts has become the norm
By Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest | September 21, 2022
Production contracts lock farmers into guaranteed prices and lower financial risk, but put meat companies in control of some aspects of the operation.
Opinion

Column: Foreign investors are snapping up US land … but exactly how much, who knows?
By Dave Dickey, Columnist | September 21, 2022
Foreign acquisition of U.S. farmland has become big business, Dave writes.
Corn Belt

Research seeks ways to grow solar and crops together in the skeptical Corn Belt
By Sarah Bowman, Indianapolis Star; Brittney J. Miller, The Gazette; and Joshua Rosenberg, The Lens | September 20, 2022
Researchers want to know how co-locating solar and crops — a practice known as "agrivoltaics" — could benefit farmers and be a salve to a growing strain in the Corn Belt, where rural residents and towns are pushing back on solar projects that can often take farmland out of production.
Graphic of the Week

Scaling Up: Pork producers are becoming more specialized
By Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest | September 14, 2022
So-called farrow-to-finish operations have become a smaller and smaller share of the hog industry as more specialized operations have taken over, according to a recent study published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Opinion

Column: Supreme Court must allow COVID-19 state lawsuits to proceed
By Dave Dickey, Columnist | September 7, 2022
Tyson Foods is learning a hard lesson.
CAFO

Scaling Up: The weighty impact of hog farming’s evolution?
By Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest | September 7, 2022
Since the 1990s, hog farms have gotten bigger, more specialized and more productive, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Environmental Research Service.
National

EPA proposes designating two PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under Superfund law
By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter | August 31, 2022
The two chemicals are linked to a series of adverse health conditions, like increased risk of developing kidney or testicular cancer.
dave dickey

Column: Yup carbon dioxide is an air pollutant!
By Dave Dickey, Columnist | August 31, 2022
Elizabeth MacDonough isn't a household name. But her job is massively important for a functioning democracy.
Agribusiness

ADM, other Big Ag companies host top state ag officials in Midwest at private dinner before Farm Progress Show, emails show
By Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest, and Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest/Report for America | August 29, 2022
The dinner doesn't need to be disclosed to authorities, raising questions about how effective state lobbying rules are. “If someone doesn't record it,” one expert said, “how are you going to find out?”