-
1 week ago | 
investigatemidwest.org | Sky Chadde |Investigate Midwest
During his campaign for the presidency, Donald Trump centered on the increasing price of groceries to attack Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. If elected, Trump said he would “defeat inflation” and bring food prices down. Trump has the same message now that he’s in office. In April, he posted on his Truth Social account, “groceries (even eggs!) are down.” But food prices, including those of eggs, continue to rise.
-
1 week ago | 
voiceofalexandria.com | Investigate Midwest |Ben Felder
Denver voters rejected a proposed ban on meatpacking plants within city limits, keeping open the nation's largest lamb processing facility. Denver Initiated Ordinance 309 was rejected by 64% of voters on Tuesday. The ballot initiative, if approved, would have prohibited the construction or operation of slaughterhouses and meatpacking facilities beginning in 2026.
-
1 week ago | 
iowacapitaldispatch.com | John McCracken |Investigate Midwest
by John McCracken | Investigate Midwest, Iowa Capital Dispatch May 4, 2025 When a poultry farm tests positive for bird flu, the clock starts. Within the first 72 hours, farmers start depopulating, an industry term for killing contaminated flocks. Despite the sweltering heat inside the barns, hired workers wear gloves, face masks and other protective equipment and repetitively pick up flailing, sick chickens and place them into a metal container filled with carbon dioxide.
-
1 week ago | 
southernminn.com | John McCracken |Investigate Midwest
kA DEJ=6lQ7@?E\D:K6i`aAIjQmp 4@>>6C4:2= EFC<6J 7=@4< :D <:==65 FD:?8 7@2>] W!9@E@ AC@G:565 3J s2? w@F86?E@8=6CXk^AmkAm(96? 2 A@F=ECJ 72C> E6DED A@D:E:G6 7@C 3:C5 7=F[ E96 4=@4< DE2CED]k^AmkAm(:E9:? E96 7:CDE fa 9@FCD[ 72C>6CD DE2CE 56A@AF=2E:?8[ 2?
-
1 week ago | 
messenger-inquirer.com | Investigate Midwest |Mónica Cordero
Champaign, IL (Investigate Midwest)Membership gives you sneaks peeks into major investigations and behind-the-scenes insights -- plus, you help sustain investigative journalism. While President Donald Trump's increase of tariffs -- and retaliatory tariffs from other countries -- will likely mean fewer U.S. agricultural exports, the president has consistently suggested that American farmers can make up the difference by selling more of their products at home.
-
2 weeks ago | 
investigatemidwest.org | John McCracken |Investigate Midwest
When a poultry farm tests positive for bird flu, the clock starts. Within the first 72 hours, farmers start depopulating, an industry term for killing contaminated flocks. Despite the sweltering heat inside the barns, hired workers wear gloves, face masks and other protective equipment and repetitively pick up flailing, sick chickens and place them into a metal container filled with carbon dioxide. In a few minutes, the chickens are dead.
-
2 weeks ago | 
investigatemidwest.org | Lauren Cross |Investigate Midwest
Scientists and policymakers are exploring fiber hemp’s potential to absorb toxic chemicals like PFAS or capture carbon in soil, but those potential benefits have yet to translate into a reliable, profitable market for growers. Fiber hemp production in the U.S. surged to a record high in 2024, but farmers are earning far less from the crop than they were just a few years ago, according to new USDA data released April 17.
-
2 weeks ago | 
investigatemidwest.org | Sky Chadde |Investigate Midwest
After forcing the departure of several hundred U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists and inspectors who prevent invasive pest and disease outbreaks, the Trump administration is trying to reverse course and bring some of them back, according to a Wednesday email that Investigate Midwest reviewed.
-
3 weeks ago | 
investigatemidwest.org | Juan Vassallo |Investigate Midwest
On a brisk morning in early 2017, Paula Yockel power-washed the family’s propane tank at her home in rural Oklahoma, about 15 miles from downtown Oklahoma City. As she sprayed away thick layers of grime that had built up, the water bounced off the cylindrical tank, filling the air with a fine mist. Within 36 hours, she became severely ill with stomach pain, diarrhea and debilitating aches throughout her body.
-
3 weeks ago | 
investigatemidwest.org | Sky Chadde |Investigate Midwest
Several hundred federal employees who help keep invasive pests and plant diseases out of the United States have accepted buyout offers from the Trump administration, which could leave the agricultural industry vulnerable to the destruction of valuable crops, according to two sources familiar with the matter. About 3,000 employees work in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection and Quarantine division.
