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Government

USDA’s Rural broadband plan met with citizen criticism and concerns

By Christopher Walljasper/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting | November 21, 2018

Slow speeds, bad coverage and expensive service.

These are just some of the concerns contained in nearly 300 public comments on Rural Broadband Pilot Program proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a review by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found.

Database: Tracking Covid-19’s impact on meatpacking workers and industry

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) meat inspectors and graders perform their mission.

We’re Hiring!

Apply now for the USA TODAY Network Agriculture Data Fellowship

We are seeking applicants for the USA TODAY Network Agriculture Data Fellowship at the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting in Champaign, Ill. Deadline to apply is Nov.

Opinion

Opinion: COVID-19 exposes weakness in U.S. food system

As COVID-19 unrelentingly spread across the U.S. this summer it has become abundantly clear that our agricultural system – from farm to fork – can't handle a pandemic. The novel corona-virus exposed huge cracks in food processing and delivery that must be addressed by Congress.

Our Latest

After #MeToo, This Group Has Nearly Erased Sexual Harassment in Farm Fields

This story was originally published by Civil Eats. Nely Rodríguez stands in front of 43 farmworkers and supervisors who sit side by side at picnic tables wearing various protective workwear—hats, ski masks, bandanas, socks as sleeves.
Homegrown relief: Farming communities tackle rise in suicides

This story was originally published by the Christian Science Monitor LIME RIDGE, WIS. One humid afternoon this past July, on the gravel driveway of Lime Ridge Ag Supply in the rolling green heart of America’s dairy land, a small group of masked volunteers delivered sugar cones and goody bags to farmers in big trucks.
Empleados de la industria cárnica aseguran que la política de asistencia los obliga a trabajar con posibles síntomas de Covid-19

Read in English Este reportaje es parte de una iniciativa de colaboración entre el Centro de Reporte Investigativo del Medio Oeste y la Red USA TODAY y es apoyado por el Centro Pulitzer para el reporte de crisis. En abril, a pesar de su fiebre, un trabajador de la industria de las empacadoras de carne continuó extrayendo los huesos del cuello de los cerdos en una planta de la compañía JBS en Iowa.

Rural America

Minnesota has figured out a way to help stressed farmers. Can it be replicated?

This story is part of a yearlong project exploring the ways farmers and farming communities tackle mental health and is supported with a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network. When Pam Uhlenkamp separated from her husband earlier this year, she knew the person to call. As a farm business management instructor, Uhlenkamp mentors farmers one-on-one.

From the USDA

Trump Administration Invests $72 Million in Distance Learning and Telemedicine Infrastructure in 40 States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Distance Learning and Telemedicine Investments will Benefit More Than 12 Million Rural Residents WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2020 - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $72 million in grants to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities.

SEEDS OF DESPAIR: Isolated, and with limited access to mental-health care, hundreds are dying by suicide.

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The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit, online newsroom offering investigative and enterprise coverage of agribusiness,big ag and related issues through data analysis, visualizations, in-depth reports and interactive web tools. Learn More »

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