Should the U.S. keep old trees around to store carbon or cut them down? It’s a heated debate
Deep in northern Michigan’s Huron-Manistee National Forest, the air reverberates with the sound of a tree harvester picking up fully grown jack-pines out of the ground like toothpicks. Once the trees are lifted, the machine, known as a forwarder, slices the tree into logs in less than a minute. “It cuts the trees to a […]
Are the Midwest’s rural areas finally seeing population growth after a decade of decline?
A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the population in rural areas is on the rise after a decade of decline. Parts of the Midwest and Great Plains saw increases, but not as much as in some other U.S. regions. Brad Gabel, a native of California, came up with the perfect […]
Weather experts in Midwest say climate change reporting brings burnout and threats
Chris Gloninger was excited to start his new job as chief meteorologist at KCCI, a TV station in Des Moines, when he moved to Iowa from Boston in 2021. Gloninger had extensive experience — more than 15 years in TV meteorology, which included a regional Emmy-award winning weekly series on climate change. He looked forward […]
A USDA program gives a second chance to food that stores won’t sell — but is perfectly good to eat
Over 100 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm to Food Bank is trying to cut down on that waste by connecting local farmers and food pantries, but it’s future depends on how much funding is included for the program in the next farm bill. Volunteers […]
Here’s how much money farmers make when you buy your Thanksgiving meal
Farmers got a slightly smaller percentage of what consumers spent on food last year than the year before, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In most cases, Thanksgiving staples return cents on the dollar to farmers. Farmers received less than 15 cents for every dollar spent on food in […]
Which Thanksgiving pie do you serve: pumpkin or sweet potato? There’s a rich history behind both
Are you serving pumpkin or sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving? A look at the history and cultural ties that influence why Americans may prefer one or the other.
A ‘magnificent harvest’ for the pumpkin crop in some areas — despite dry conditions
Drought has affected several pumpkin-producing states, including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. But rain arrived at the right time to produce a bumper crop in parts of the Midwest. John Ackerman says his pumpkin crop was a good one this year, despite the fact his fields saw no measurable rainfall for weeks in the late spring […]
After no clean drinking water for 4 years, this Native American tribe wants more than sympathy
Over the hills of northern Nebraska and along the banks of the Missouri River lies the village of Santee on the Santee Sioux Nation Reservation. Home to fewer than 1,000 residents, it’s isolated from Nebraska’s major population centers and almost an hour from the nearest Walmart in Yankton, South Dakota. For the past four years, […]
Plans for carbon dioxide pipelines raise safety concerns for small town responders in the Midwest
This story is a part of a Harvest Public Media series on carbon capture projects. Read about CO2 pipeline projects being proposed throughout the Midwest and how federal tax credits are helping launch the projects. When Andy Alexander moved into his grandparents’ farmhouse a few years ago, he knew he was moving in next to […]
Composting businesses are sprouting across the Midwest — but many cities are unprepared
Food waste takes up space in landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Composting that waste can reduce climate impacts and save municipalities money on landfill fees, but concerns about bad smells and pests sometimes get in the way. In the middle of an urban farm, tucked behind houses […]
Serving farm fresh food in schools is getting big federal support — but will ‘farm to school’ stick?
It’s a hot, buggy morning and Derrick Hoffman is poking around a densely packed row of bushy cherry tomato plants. Behind him, rows of peppers, eggplant, kale and broccoli are still soaking up the sun, while just a few country roads away, bok choy and butter lettuce sprout under hoop house protection. But in the […]
Midwest farmworkers struggle with extreme heat — and almost no regulatory safeguards
Juan Peña, 28, has worked in the fields since childhood, often exposing his body to extreme heat like the wave that hit the Midwest last week. The heat can cause such deep pain in his whole body that he just wants to lie down, he said, as his body tells him he can’t take another […]
Peaches are in short supply this year after weather pitfalls in the Midwest and South
Despite the chatter and hustle of a dozen or so workers, the production line at Flamm Orchards in deep southern Illinois sits mostly quiet this summer. A cold spell in late December knocked out a vast majority of the 300-acre farm’s peach crop. “To have a loss as bad as we’ve had this year, it’s […]
Shrimp in Missouri? These farmers are raising fresh seafood far from the ocean
A group of Midwestern shrimp farmers are on a mission to provide Americans with better-tasting, sustainable shrimp. The industry struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but farmers remain hopeful that indoor shrimp farming will come back stronger than ever. Triple J Farms in Foristell, Missouri, looks like a typical Midwestern farm — a red barn sits […]
The EPA plans to retool its pesticide program in an effort to protect endangered animals
The EPA has completed less than 5% of its Endangered Species Act caseload in reviewing pesticides. Now the agency is proposing a new strategy for scrutinizing agricultural chemicals’ effects on listed species.
