Early morning calls. Barren chicken barns. Millions in debt.
Tyson Foods says recent plant closures ‘drove out waste from the business.’ Contract chicken farmers are now stuck with uncertainty and massive loans.
What you need to know about Tyson’s former contract growers
Investigate Midwest spent months investigating how the company’s decision to close plants across the country affected contract growers.
GRAPHIC: USDA has received almost 1,000 complaints about operations selling ‘organic’ products without certification in recent years
More than half of the investigations resulted in compliance or a civil penalty, according to newly released data.
Tyson Foods released 371 million pounds of pollution into U.S. waterways: report
Meat processing company Tyson Foods released at least 371.7 million pounds of pollution into U.S. waterways between 2018 and 2022, according to a report released this week from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
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‘It’s getting worse’: US failing to stem tide of harmful farm pollutants
The EPA has called fertilizer runoff the “single greatest challenge” to water quality.
FTC Chair Lina Khan listens to Iowa farmers’ concerns about fertilizer plant deal
The Federal Trade Commission, a bipartisan federal agency, can investigate or file suit to block deals, such as the proposed one between Koch Industries and Iowa Fertilizer Co.
Iowa environmental groups ask EPA to protect drinking water from agricultural runoff
Inspired by a successful campaign in Minnesota, the groups are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to step in and protect drinking water in northeast Iowa from agricultural runoff.
Cancer in Iowa: What role does agriculture play in Iowa’s high cancer rates?
In a state where college sports arenas blaze with fertilizer logos, the phrase “corn grows Iowa” is common on TV and radio and nearly 15% of lawmakers are farmers, there’s reluctance to pinpoint agriculture as a possible reason for Iowa’s rising cancer rate without conclusive evidence.
Midwest maple syrup producers adapt to record-warm winter, uncertainty in face of changing climate
This year’s record-warm winter caused sap in some places to flow early, bringing challenges for syrup producers.
‘We can’t sit back’: Amid polluted water and climbing cancer rates, Iowa eyes farm chemicals
Health authorities react to rampant fertilizer and pesticide contamination in water.
More Stories
Illinois bills seek to regulate carbon dioxide pipelines and sequestration
Many Illinois residents and pipeline opponents are hoping both bills pass.
How tribes are reversing years of consolidation within the cattle industry with their own meat processing plants
Three Oklahoma tribes have opened facilities since 2000.
GRAPHIC: China returns as one of top poultry export destinations
End of ban on U.S. poultry, plus the popularity of chicken feet, drives industry’s growth in China.
GRAPHIC: More than a third of the food produced in the US is wasted
With food insecurity soaring, the EPA says solutions must include efforts to redistribute surplus food where possible.
GRAPHIC: Farms owned by African Americans are much smaller than those owned by all other racial groups
Smaller farms — and the type of commodities Black farmers produce — lead to wide disparities in farm production and value, according to USDA research.
Extreme heat drives up food prices. Just how bad will it get?
New research shows that climate change is already fueling heatflation, with worse to come.
Opinion
Money talks and ‘no antibiotics ever’ pledges walk
Many in the chicken industry and fast-food chains reverse course on pledge, citing lack of consistency, Dave writes.