Ranchers got tired of Big Beef taking their profits. So they started their own processing plant
A crane looms above a dusty field just outside of North Platte, Nebraska, where trucks loaded with dirt criss-cross the busy site and workers set up a foundation. Two years ago, an old sewer lagoon took up this stretch of land. Cattails and marshy soil made the field a swampy mess. Today, it’s the […]
Most of the Midwest is in drought. And there’s no simple way to get out of it
This year’s particularly dry spring drove a large part of the Midwest, including Missouri and Illinois, into drought. The lack of moisture has far-reaching implications, including on agricultural production and water levels on the country’s largest rivers. “Rain is essential—it is where drought starts and ends,” said Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford. “As we were […]
Drought made Midwest and Great Plains crops look ‘like death.’ Recent rains bring some hope
Dryness in the Great Plains began spreading east this year, affecting much of the Midwest and endangering crops, livestock and river shipping. Recent rains have been a god-send, but will it be enough to loosen the years-long drought? Around the end of June, Ryan Krenk didn’t want to even look at his corn fields. Deep […]
Elderberries are a successful niche crop at a crossroads: go big or stay small
Elderberries are native to the Midwest, but the commercial cultivation of the crop is relatively recent, and saw a big increase during the coronavirus pandemic. That has the burgeoning industry wondering if its future is as a small, niche crop or something bigger.
U.S. approves ‘lab-grown meat’ for sale, but you probably won’t find it on shelves anytime soon
The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave two companies the green light last month to produce and sell their cultivated chicken meat across the country. But it could still take years before people can buy the new meat at grocery stores.
Trees climb up cities’ priority lists after getting a $1.5 billion boost in federal climate funding
Driving along the Rock River, Mitch Leatherbie, a street superintendent for the city of Rockford, Illinois, spots a pair of trees he considers survivors. “There’s two ash trees, right, they’re still standing,” said Leatherbie. “… Those were just a couple of them that we kept.” In the early 2000s, Rockford lost approximately 5,000 ash trees […]
Ancient fish, modern problem: How the pallid sturgeon could be a warning for the Missouri River
The pallid sturgeons outlasted dinosaurs, but human changes to the Missouri River nearly wiped out the prehistoric fish. Some experts think the fish’s struggle could signal larger problems on the Big Muddy, especially as climate change accelerates. Every day in the spring and fall when water temperatures are right, a team of scientists meet at […]
The high plains drought is so bad that Kansas is importing wheat from Europe
Kansas wheat farmers will reap the smallest harvest in more than 60 years. Persistent drought withered much of the crop. SYLVAN GROVE, Kansas — Kansas is “the wheat state,” the officially adopted moniker that embraces its place as the country’s breadbasket. Tall white grain elevators, some decorated with wheat murals, loom over tiny farm towns. […]
How do you find love on the farm? Dating apps, long-distance drives or maybe a reality TV show
Oklahoma rancher Landon Heaton lives alone on his 700-acre ranch near a small town called Coyle, about an hour outside of Oklahoma City. The 35-year-old said he loves caring for his animals, watching his dogs roam free and cattle thrive. But his devotion to working on the ranch took priority in his life, and he […]
Raw milk sales will soon be legal in Iowa, joining most of Midwest. But health experts offer caution
Iowa is the latest state to legalize the sale of raw milk, which comes directly from cows without any pasteurization. While nearly every Midwestern state allows such sales, some health experts caution there are health risks to drinking it. Jennifer Harvey and her family love to drink raw milk. They even use it in the […]
Going once, going twice, gone! Auctions are moving online and changing a rural tradition
Auctions — a marketplace for knick knacks, farm land and everything in between — are often also gathering events for rural communities. That’s changing as more auctions go online. Tractors, four-wheelers, a truck, a skid-loader and more are neatly parked in rows outside a northeast Nebraska farmhouse. The farmer who owns this equipment is retiring […]
Cats and dogs die from rare bird flu infections as virus spills over into mammals
In extremely rare cases, bird flu can infect and kill cats and dogs when the pets eat birds with the disease. The bird flu wave that’s left around 60 million chickens and turkeys dead nationwide can also infect and kill pets like cats and dogs, along with other mammals. Six cats have died in Nebraska, […]
The farm bill is a big deal if you produce, or eat, food — but it may face a tough time in Congres
Every five years, Congress has to renew the farm bill — a gigantic piece of legislation that supports and protects food production, natural resources and provides food benefits to low-income families. Lawmakers are in the process of shaping one of the biggest legislative packages moving through Congress this year: the 2023 Farm Bill. Few Americans […]
This spring brings worry rather than rain for some parts of the Great Plains and Midwest
Last winter’s precipitation relieved some areas of drought, yet in other places it’s deepened, making spring stressful for farmers and ranchers. Spring is the time for planting crops and turning cows out to graze — yet in parts of the central U.S., dry conditions are upending the growing season. Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois received enough […]
Milkweed — the plant that’s good for butterflies, yet still banned in many Midwestern cities
Across the Midwest, some city codes threaten people with fines for having milkweed on their property. But experts say many places have dropped those rules to support monarchs with urban and suburban butterfly gardens.
