Investigate Midwest

...learning new tools for data reporting, and talking about the stories we’re working on.

Two members of our team are also presenting sessions at the conference. Stay tuned!

Our team is in Indianapolis this week for the
@ire.org NICAR conference, connecting with investigative and data journalists from across the country! As a remote newsroom, conferences like this also give us a chance to spend some face-to-face time with each other while sharing ideas ...

Farmers were promised a streamlined H-2A visa process. Behind the scenes, Labor Department emails show uncertainty about structure, leadership changes, and how the office would actually function. See the documents yourself, and our latest investigation: investigatemidwest.o...

Ramirez referenced Investigate Midwest’s finding that the number of H-2A workers in Iowa increased 91% between 2018 and 2025, arguing that the change could create barriers for legal agricultural workers who need to drive for their jobs. The bill passed and heads to the Senate.

Iowa lawmaker cites Investigate Midwest data during debate on English-only driver’s license exams YouTube video by Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

During floor debate on HF 2102, Cedar Rapids Rep. Angel Ramirez cited Investigate Midwest’s reporting and data on Iowa’s growing reliance on H-2A visa holders in agricultural work.

The bill would make Iowa’s written driver’s license exams English-only: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK49...

Investigate Midwest reporter @skychadde.bsky.social joined Dave Miller on @opb.org's "Think Out Loud" to discuss his latest reporting on federal immigration raids targeting farmworkers — including arrests of individuals with no criminal record. Listen to the full convo at www.opb.org/article/2026...

Join our free live panel at noon CT (today!) on how tariffs and China’s global investment are reshaping U.S. agriculture with a focus on soybean farmers and export markets. Register free:
www.eventbrite.com/e...

New investigation: Investigate Midwest analyzed national data and extensive reporting across rural America and found that counties with the highest pesticide use often overlap with higher cancer rates.
investigatemidwest.o...

Cattle Raised for Beef Are Heavier Than Ever, Raising New Concerns in the Industry About Animal Health and Welfare A retired Cargill meat scientist urged the industry to take seriously a growing list of health concerns, including lameness, heat stress, congestive heart failure and late-term deaths in feedyards.

A retired Cargill meat scientist urged the industry to take seriously a growing list of health concerns, including lameness, heat stress, congestive heart failure and late-term deaths in feedyards. @juanvassallo.bsky.social reports via @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:

Sign up now to our weekly newsletter, Field Notes, to stay up to date on the latest in agriculture: investigatemidwest.o...

Do you live in or around Chicago — and count on Investigate Midwest to report on the truth about agriculture? We want to hear from you! Take our survey: medill.az1.qualtrics...

#chicagoland #chicagosurvey #chicagonews #survey

Cattle raised for beef are heavier than ever, raising new concerns in the industry about animal health and welfare As the average weight of cattle raised for beef reaches an all-time high, industry members bring forward concerns.

The average weight of cattle raised for beef has reached an all-time high, raising concerns for those in the industry. Story via @investigatemidwest.bsky.social

Mónica Cordero honored for investigative reporting at Iowa newspaper awards Investigate Midwest received multiple honors at the 2026 Iowa Newspaper Association Awards, recognizing both investigative reporting and newsroom-wide excellence in agricultural coverage and visual storytelling. Mónica Cordero, our Iowa-based reporter, won second place for the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting for her multi-story submission:Iowa’s polluted waterways rarely see improvement. Lawmakers still resist efforts to regulate industrial ag — …

Mónica Cordero honored for investigative reporting at Iowa newspaper awards

Investigate Midwest received multiple honors at the 2026 Iowa Newspaper Association Awards, recognizing both investigative reporting and newsroom-wide excellence in agricultural coverage and visual storytelling. Mónica…

Our latest report looks at why some Iowa waters show signs of recovery, only to deteriorate later. The data points to a deeper challenge: pollution that changes with runoff, rainfall and upstream land use.

See what we found: investigatemidwest.o...

... and back on that list over time.

Read our story here: investigatemidwest.org/2026/02/02/i...

today, @foodandwater.bsky.social + @iaenvironment.bsky.social announced a notice of intent to sue Trump’s EPA over the agency’s decision to reverse its earlier move to list nitrate-impaired waterways in Iowa. Monica Cordero recently examined Iowa’s impaired waters list and how waterways move off...

Cattle raised for beef are heavier than ever, raising new concerns in the industry about animal health and welfare - Investigate Midwest   In 1975, the average cattle carcass weight — the combined average for steers and heifers after slaughter — was 615 pounds. By 2024, it had risen to 890 pounds, an increase of about 45%, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Advances in genetics, growth-promoting hormones, pharmaceuticals and high-energy diets have largely led to […]

Read the full story here:

Beef cattle in the U.S. are far heavier than they were a generation ago. Federal data shows a steady rise in average carcass weights over the past 50 years — driven by changes in breeding, feed, and feedlot practices.

Swipe through the data.

Thanks for the kind words, @jts1958.bsky.social!

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Consolidation in ag, higher input prices, land access issues and other obstacles are making it hard for young farmers to gain a foothold in U.S.…

https://investigatemidwest.org/2026/02/10/novice-farmers-face-big-challenges-making-it-in-todays-ag-sector/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Puerto Rico helped fuel America’s corn boom. Some locals see an unfair arrangement. - Investigate Midwest More than a third of the world’s corn supply comes from America’s Corn Belt, a region of sprawling grain fields stretching from Nebraska to Ohio.  But most of the seed varieties planted in those midwestern fields were first tested and researched in Puerto Rico, the small Caribbean island that has sacrificed much of its own […]

As the U.S. Corn Belt thrives, many on the island are asking: Who really benefits?

Read the full investigation here: investigatemidwest.o...


#PuertoRico #Agriculture #CornBelt #Syngenta #Environment #Agribusiness

But Puerto Rican farmers say the trade-off has been steep: loss of farmland, polluted water, and little economic return. Despite tax breaks and corporate incentives, the island imports 85% of its food and faces poverty rates twice as high as Mississippi’s.

For decades, major seed companies like Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta and BASF have used the island’s farmland to breed and test high-yield, pest-resistant seeds. In fact, 85% of all seeds used in the global seed chain pass through Puerto Rico at some point.

More than a third of the world’s corn comes from America’s Corn Belt — but much of it was first developed and tested in Puerto Rico.

Some recent places @investigatemidwest.bsky.social reporting has appeared. We appreciate the news organizations that have carried and cited this work, and the care they bring to reporting on agriculture, labor, and the food system.

Ag Tariffs and Trade Wars: What China's Investment Means for U.S. Farmers China’s trade shift is reshaping U.S. agriculture. Join a live panel on tariffs, soybeans, and what it means for farmers.

The panel, co-hosted by @ArkTimes and @agwaterdesk, is virtual and free to attend. Hope to see you there! Thursday, Feb. 19; Noon CST via Zoom; Register:

Dr. Joana Colussi (@JoanaColussi) is an ag economist at Purdue U who studies global crop markets and international agriculture. Raised in Brazil, her work closely tracks how South American production trends shape global soybean markets and what that means for U.S. farmers.

This week, we’ll be spotlighting the panelists joining our Feb. 19 live discussion on trade, soybeans, and what China’s global investments mean for U.S. agriculture.

Decades of mergers have reshaped the seed industry. This chart by our senior reporter Sky Chadde shows which companies hold most GMO seed patents across major crops.

Read about the data here: investigatemidwest.o...

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From Sentient Media: Residents of Early, Iowa (population 587) say they often find out their water is unsafe to drink by reading about it on Facebook.

https://investigatemidwest.org/2026/02/02/what-does-a-small-town-do-when-the-water-in-undrinkable/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social