Investigate Midwest (https://investigatemidwest.org/category/agribusiness/)
The pork industry shifted dramatically over the past three decades. A USDA report tracks how the industry moved away from small operations to CAFOs, production contracts nd specialization.
Cleaning meatpacking plants overnight can be dangerous work. The U.S. Department of Labor said major maintenance company PSSI has tasked minors with the jobs.
Citing concerns about China, House Republicans ask GAO to look at foreign ownership. The 1978 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act requires holders to report ownership to the USDA. There are gaps in the data reported.
Many residents of Nebraska are unknowingly consuming nitrate, an odorless, colorless contaminant that’s widespread in the state’s groundwater. They consume it when they shower, when they cook, when they turn on the taps to get a glass of ice water to drink.
The watches continuously update safety and productivity metrics on a dashboard for supervisors.
Researchers think long-tenured farmers in the Midwest are less likely to make deals with Big Ag companies.
Technological innovation, specialization, increased farm size and policy decisions have driven down the cost of production.
Production contracts lock farmers into guaranteed prices and lower financial risk, but put meat companies in control of some aspects of the operation.
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?”
Bills introduced in the U.S. House and Senate would add lawyers in the USDA to prosecute complaints under the Packers and Stockyards Act. Experts and advocates have said the law has been weakened over the previous decades.