Data-driven journalism is at the core of Investigate Midwest’s mission. It fuels our reporting on corporate agriculture.

In addition to our deeply reported stories, a chart or graphic can go a long way in showing how an industrial farming operation is impacting a community, or the USDA enforcement trends between two presidential administrations. 

As 2024 comes to a close, below are four data illustrations from the past year that shed more light on agribusiness across the nation. 

Simple, yet striking

Sometimes a data illustration is most effective in its simplicity. This chart shows the sizable decrease in groundwater in Oklahoma’s panhandle region. The significant drop in the mid-1990s raised questions about the role a pork processing plant operated by Seaboard Foods was having on the region’s water supply. 

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The weight of debt

Investigate Midwest has done a lot of reporting on Tyson Foods plant closures and the impact it’s had on contract poultry farmers who were left with debt. This chart shows that in Missouri and Arkansas, two states with large Tyson Foods operations and recently closed plants, poultry farmer debt and liability well exceed the national average. 

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Who farms the Midwest?

The agriculture census from USDA offered more insights into the makeup of farms and farmers. Most farmers are white, male and older, especially in the Midwest. This illustration shows that only 2% of midwestern agriculture producers are nonwhite. 

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Latest farm data a ‘wake-up call’ as Midwest farmers face ever steeper challenges

The latest Ag Census data show alarming trends in the upper Mississippi River basin, one of the most intensive agricultural areas in the country: Less diverse farmers, more and more farms are going out of business, and farmland is being consolidated, making it even more difficult to get into the industry.
by Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest, Erin Jordan, The Gazette, Brittney J. Miller, The Gazette, Chris Clayton, DTN/The Progressive Farmer and Madeline Heim, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

USDA fines in focus

With Donald Trump coming back to the White House, it’s likely USDA fines will decrease. This chart shows the amount of USDA fines during Trump’s first term, compared to the Obama and Biden administrations. 

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Type of work:

Explainer A data-driven story that provides background, definition and detail on a specific topic.

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Ben Felder is Investigate Midwest’s first editor in chief. He was hired in 2023 to cover agribusiness and the meat industry in Oklahoma. Felder previously worked for The Oklahoman as a political enterprise...