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Investigate Midwest

@investigatemidwest.bsky.social

490 followers 350 following 250 posts

Independently investigating agriculture, rural communities, and the policies that impact them through data, depth, and accountability. Have a tip? Contact us securely at [email protected]

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · Aug 15

Cut through the noise with Field Notes. Our independent, data-driven newsroom delivers fact-checked stories on agriculture, policy, health, immigration, tariffs & more.

Sign up for insights you can trust: investigatemidwest.org/subscription...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 19h

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 21h

Walmart’s new Kansas beef plant gives it control from pasture to plate. Ranchers warn: today’s better prices could become tomorrow’s squeeze on independent producers.

Investigation drops this week.

Keep up with Walmart’s next move in our newsletter: investigatemidwest.o...

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 1d

Small farmers are being squeezed by thin margins, rising costs & shrinking credit. A California grant program offers a rare lifeline: direct support to keep diverse, sustainable farms afloat.

Read via @grist.org here: investigatemidwest.o...

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 4d

Go to our website for the full story and more photos: investigatemidwest.o...

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 4d

In Chicago’s food warehouses, workers live under constant threat — each shift could bring an ICE raid. With DALE ended & deportation fears rising, undocumented workers say raising safety concerns feels like risking everything.

Photos & story: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 4d

ICYMI: John McCracken uncovered troubling practices in the bird flu response: underage workers killing poultry, carcasses hauled in dump trucks, & farmers scrambling under federal urgency. One contractor dominates, raising safety & accountability concerns.
investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 5d

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 5d

Want more insights like this? Get our weekly Data Harvest charts delivered straight to your inbox: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 5d

H-2B visa numbers for meatpacking are up 60% since 2016, making foreign-born workers essential to certain sectors like seafood processing, especially in coastal states. Now, proposed visa limits could threaten entire supply chains.

See the chart: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 6d

A court dismissed a lawsuit accusing EPA of failing to protect farmers from PFAS in fertilizer. Plaintiffs say sewage sludge spread on fields exposes crops & livestock to “forever chemicals.” With no federal PFAS testing, farms remain vulnerable.
@thenewlede.bsky.social
investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 6d

Listen here: www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/rive...

@iowapublicradio.org

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 6d

See Lauren's strategy in place here, in our newsletter:

Free weekly newsletter featuring the latest investigations into Big Ag. Sign up anytime, unsubscribe anytime.

investigatemidwest.org

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 6d

Meet Lauren Cross, our assistant editor & audience engagement manager. She helps strengthen the newsroom’s connection with readers. Her past reporting on East Chicago’s lead poisoning crisis earned national recognition.

Explore her work: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 7d

Dive deeper into Big Ag giants — subscribe to our newsletter: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 7d

Most U.S. corn & soybeans start with seeds owned by Bayer. Known for aspirin, it’s also a major ag giant controlling seeds, selling Roundup, and lobbying on pesticide laws — while facing cancer lawsuits.

Read more in Dave Dickey’s column: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 7d

Investigations on ICE can be found in your inbox every week with our newsletter. Sign up: investigatemidwest.o...

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 7d

Thousands of food production warehouse workers live under a threat: ICE raids could happen any shift. With protections like DALE gone, many fear speaking up about unsafe conditions risks deportation. Families who power our food system face uncertainty: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 8d

Stay up to date on the weekly ag policy changes here:

Free weekly newsletter featuring the latest investigations into Big Ag. Sign up anytime, unsubscribe anytime.

investigatemidwest.org

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 8d

At Des Moines’ 50th farmers market, vendors face rising costs from tariffs, inflation & falling crop prices. Arturo Reyes of Reyes Tamales says corn husks from Mexico are up 50% & meat prices have surged. Keeping prices steady has cut his earnings by ~20%.
investigatemidwest.o...

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 8d

Rural communities are facing growing food insecurity as residents grapple with rising costs & government cuts. Sowing Resilience, a series from the @inn.org Rural News Network and @apnews.com highlights how communities are navigating and reimagining a food system that has left them hungry.

Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 8d

In Greenbush, MN, KC’s Country Market stocks “Marty-style” ham & pickle wraps — local touches that keep neighbors like teacher Susan Lieberg coming back. But losing a rural grocer can mean 40-50 mile trips for basics & rising food insecurity.

@minnpost.bsky.social: investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 11d

ICYMI: How dangerous is a pesticide? It depends on who you ask. Our investigation shows how U.S. regulators, industry & global agencies use different rules — sometimes allowing chemicals banned elsewhere — leaving farmworkers & rural communities at risk.
investigatemidwest.o...

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 11d

We are thrilled to join @pulitzercenter.org’s
2025-26 StoryReach cohort! Investigate Midwest’s Ben Felder will work alongside six journalists partnered with local newsrooms across the Midwest.

Learn more about StoryReach: bit.ly/4nxG9qt

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Reposted by Investigate Midwest

Pulitzer Center @pulitzercenter.org · 11d

Please welcome Ben Felder to the StoryReach Midwest Fellowship!

@benfelder.bsky.social is the editor-in-chief for @investigatemidwest.bsky.social. He leads national investigations into corporate agriculture and food systems.
👉 bit.ly/StoryReach25

2025 Pulitzer Center StoryReach Midwest Fellow - Ben Felder - Investigate Midwest - Focus: cancer and pesticides

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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 11d