GRAPHIC: Chicken prices continue to rise, costing U.S. consumers …
Oct 12, 2023 · The price of chicken products on grocery store shelves continues to rise, even as major producers close plants across the country. The cost-per-pound of a whole chicken has increased by roughly 34% from August 2021 to August 2023, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. This translates to an additional 50 cents per […]
GRAPHIC: Foreign-owned land growing across the United States
Nov 29, 2023 · Foreign-owned land nationwide remained steady at around 15 million acres during the 1980s and 1990s, according to USDA records. But foreign-owned acres have increased significantly over the last decade, topping 40 million in 2021. Some states, like Oklahoma, and members of Congress have highlighted land owned by Chinese companies.
About Investigate Midwest
Investigate Midwest (previously The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting) is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public as a watchdog over influential corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism. Started in 2009 by journalist Mike Sherry, Investigate Midwest provides training and education for students, professional ...
What you need to know about Tyson’s former contract growers
May 8, 2024 · Former Tyson contract growers who spoke to Investigate Midwest said they have had to take out upwards of $2 million loans to become Tyson contract growers. These loans are used to build or purchase chicken barns to grow chickens under contract for Tyson, a common practice across the poultry industry. The cost of raising chickens increased 35% ...
How clean is the upper Mississippi River? New report finds signs of ...
Jan 9, 2024 · A new report released Tuesday from the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association found that although water quality has generally improved in the upper river in past decades, new threats, such as road salt and lead, are emerging.. The report tracked 19 indicators of water quality — including phosphorus, nitrogen, chloride, heavy metals and total suspended solids — over 30 years across the ...
Slaughterhouses across the country: A collaborative map
Nov 27, 2013 · Here’s the result, using the list Vestal ended up laboriously assembling herself. The zoomed-out version shows you how the biggest slaughterhouses are spread mostly throughout the Midwest (including two in Wisconsin) and the South. Zooming in, using the tools on the map’s top left, you can see how the slaughterhouses tend to be in tiny ...
Despite hundreds of millions in tax dollars, ADM’s carbon capture ...
Nov 19, 2020 · This project was funded by The Lumpkin Foundation.Join us in December for a panel discussion on carbon capture in the Midwest. Click here to sign up.. Archer Daniels Midland, one of the world’s largest agribusiness companies, has received $281 million in federal tax dollars since 2009 for carbon capture and storage projects to combat climate change. ...
Large animal feeding operations on the rise - Investigate Midwest
Jun 7, 2018 · From 2011 to 2017, the United States saw more than 1,400 new large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) established. That’s up 7.6 percent. A CAFO is defined as an “agricultural enterprises where animals are kept and raised in confined situations,” and most commonly contain hogs, poultry for meat and eggs, dairy and beef ...
Federal drought relief policies leave some farmers out to dry
Oct 5, 2024 · Under the LFP, livestock producers are eligible for some relief if a part of their county reaches at least D3, or “extreme” drought, on the monitor for any amount of time or is classified as being in D2, or “severe” drought, for eight consecutive weeks. Because this bout of severe drought began so late in the year for many Midwest ...
Ag Secretary Vilsack deflects on future career plans, regulatory ...
Oct 8, 2024 · Previous Investigate Midwest reporting found that the “revolving door” between regulatory agencies and the agriculture industry is common practice for USDA employees.. Jeff Hauser, founder of the nonprofit Revolving Door Project, said the USDA has a history of promoting the interests of corporations in charge of the …