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GRAPHIC: Political party gap in agribusiness donations continues to widen
Republican candidates for federal office have long attracted more political donations from agriculture businesses than Democrats. But the gap has significantly widened over the past decade. During the 2020 election cycle, which included a presidential race, the agribusiness industry gave nearly $98 million to Republican candidates, more than double the...
As investors pay top-dollar for land, farmers are often priced out
* An Investigate Midwest analysis shows the areas with the largest increases in farmland prices have lost the most farmers. * Large investment firms are driving up farmland prices. In many cases, farmland is sold at prices multiple times the regional average. * The cost increases have hit young and...
The California-to-Arkansas farmer pipeline
This story was originally published by Ambrook Research. The thick, squelching mud means there’s no outrunning the mosquitoes, which pierce any bit of skin left un-doused by bug repellant. Still, the discomfort of slogging through flooded Arkansas rice fields in the sticky month of June is offset by visions of abundance. A few glistening inches of water lie across several paddies on Hallie Shoffner’s 2,000-acre seed farm, Delta Harvest, from which thousands of bright green stalks of specialty rice protrude. An assistant stands on a metal levee bridge perched above the wet, taking measurements — part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture partnership pilot to determine how much methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide these fields are generating. When the pilot wraps up at the end of next year, Shoffner will share the results, for free, with any producer who’s interested.
The people who feed America are going hungry
This story was produced by Grist and co-published with Modern Farmer. Standing knee-deep in an emerald expanse, a row of trees offering respite from the sweltering heat, Rosa Morales diligently relocates chipilín, a Central American legume, from one bed of soil to another. The 34-year-old has been coming to the Campesinos’ Garden run by the Farmworker Association of Florida in Apopka for the last six months, taking home a bit of produce each time she visits. The small plot that hugs a soccer field and community center is an increasingly vital source of food to feed her family.
Farm programs, USDA would shrink under Project 2025 goals for ag
This story was originally published by DTN/The Progressive Farmer. Could Project 2025 derail the farm bill? Or could it possibly accelerate efforts to get a farm bill passed if it looks like former President Donald Trump will win the White House again?. Democrats have ramped up criticism of Project 2025...
GRAPHIC: Midwest is home to less than 10% of Hispanic farmers
According to the latest Census of Agriculture, the Midwest is home to less than 10% of the country’s farmers who identify as Hispanic. This makes it the region with the second-lowest Hispanic representation among farmers, behind only the Northeast. Nationwide, Hispanic farmers total 112,379, representing only 3% of all...
Is EPA ignoring the Supreme Court decision in Sackett?
Whether or not you believe the ruling is hooey, the U.S. Supreme Court finding in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency fundamentally changed how protected wetlands are defined under Waters of the United States in the Clean Waters Act. The court replaced the controversial and heavily debated significant nexus test, established...
Upper Mississippi River flooding offers relief after ongoing drought in the south
Upstream flooding along the upper Mississippi may bring downstream benefits and alleviate summer drought, according to meteorologists. A group of mayors and forecasters along the Mississippi River basin held a press conference on Thursday about the benefits and challenges of heavy rainfall in the Midwest in June and July. Representatives of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) gave an update on how flooding in states like Iowa, Illinois and Missouri will affect downstream communities.
Exposed
Univision Noticias placed silicone wristbands on 10 farmworkers, which showed that all of them were exposed to multiple pesticides as they went about their daily lives. That’s in line with findings from multiple scientists. The voices in this story include: José Soria, Hortencia Ramírez and Carlos Candelario.
What to know about Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and his family business
For more than a year, Investigate Midwest and the Flatwater Free Press have reported on Gov. Jim Pillen and the pork empire he created, Pillen Family Farms. Here’s what we’ve found so far. Click on the arrows to read more. As he set up CAFOs in local communities...
Biden admin unveils first-ever heat protections for workers. Here’s what to know.
This story was originally published by Grist. Just a few months before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the Biden administration appears to be accelerating its timeline to finalize a regulation that could protect 36 million workers from the harmful effects of exposure to extreme heat. On Tuesday, the Occupational Safety...
How the Inflation Reduction Act is playing out in one of the ‘most biased’ states for renewables
This story was originally published by Floodlight. Solar farms and wind turbines are popping up across America as a new climate law boosts the economics of renewables through billions of dollars of incentives. But in Ohio, one of the most hostile states for renewables, developers are walking a tightrope. For...
USDA proposes another step toward making chicken farming equitable
Imagine you are the owner of a sports team. If you beat the brains out of the competition and win a title, the league can choose to reward you with additional TV appearances that result in more money in your pocket. On the other hand, if you finish dead last, the league can choose to not only drop you off the TV schedule but reduce your team’s revenue sharing.
Pillen’s promises: Economic boom and little harm for neighbors. They haven’t always panned out.
* In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Jim Pillen said the pork industry would revitalize local economies, including staunching the population loss that many rural communities across the U.S. have dealt with. Data shows that most counties with Pillen Family Farms operations have continued to lose population. * As...
GRAPHIC: Top commodity crop and CAFO states are responsible for the most nutrient pollution, USGS model shows
Excess phosphorus and nitrogen from municipal wastewater, urban runoff and agriculture contribute to a growing problem in water quality across the country. The issue is particularly bad in the Midwest, where 1.2 billion pounds of excess nutrients run off of farm fields and into the Gulf of Mexico each year, according to models created by the U.S. Geological Survey.
‘We are here with that insecurity’: Mixed-status families weigh leaving Iowa
WATERLOO, Iowa — Having spent more than half her life in Waterloo, Iowa, she has built a life here. It’s where she met her husband and where her only daughter, who wants to become a sonographer, was born. That’s why, after a day’s work at an area meatpacking...
Study: Dollar stores’ entry into rural communities adds to rural grocery challenges
The influx of dollar stores into the rural landscape can have a devastating effect on grocery stores and other small businesses in rural areas, research has found. When dollar stores move into a rural area, independent grocery stores are more likely to close, says a new study released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Employment and sales fall at grocery stores wherever a dollar store is located, the researchers found, but in rural areas the effects are more profound.
Pandemic-era broadband access is receding — rural kids are paying the price
This story was originally published by Ambrook Research. Some farmers keep livestock in their barns. Others store off-season equipment. But in Neil Mylet’s rural Indiana barn, you’ll find 10 miles of fiber-optic cable. Mylet, a corn and soybean farmer and tech entrepreneur, has long understood the importance of internet connectivity for rural ag communities — and the frustration with its absence.
Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota cope with extreme flooding after torrential rains
OMAHA (DTN) — The governors of Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota over the weekend each issued emergency declarations as heavy rains that began late last week flooded rivers throughout the region. Flood warnings remain in place Monday and areas south of those already hit are expected to see major...
Is Bayer looking for a new exit ramp in Roundup lawsuits?
Chairman of the Bayer board of management Werner Baumann was absolutely giddy the day the German pharmaceutical giant acquired St. Louis-based Monsanto back in 2018, telling whoever was paying attention, “Today is a great day: for our customers – farmers around the world whom we will be able to help secure and improve their harvests even better; for our shareholders, because this transaction has the potential to create significant value; and for consumers and broader society, because we will be even better placed to help the world’s farmers grow more healthy and affordable food in a sustainable manner.”
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