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...

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

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

The commission that hears OSHA appeals has been leaderless for 5+ months. Reviews now take 2+ years, leaving 31 cases unresolved, letting companies delay fixes and fines. Read John McCracken’s report on how leadership gaps put workers at risk: investigatemidwest.o...

Every dawn, David Huerta checks for ICE before heading to a Chicago-area warehouse. Even on the dock, he keeps watch. IM’s Jennifer Bamberg spoke w/ Huerta & others on how new immigration crackdowns are reshaping the food supply chain. Story coming soon: investigatemidwest.o...

Farmers are feeling squeezed as the DOJ joins the USDA in examining why prices for essentials such as fertilizer, seed and fuel remain high. USDA projects farm production expenses to hit $467.4 billion in 2025, up $12 billion from last year. Read more: investigatemidwest.o...

Bayer is two votes from a legal shield. Section 453 of an EPA spending bill could block states from requiring pesticide labels that differ from the EPA — potentially ending thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits & delaying new safety warnings. Read more: investigatemidwest.o...

Meet Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest’s Senior Reporter. Since joining in 2019, he’s held corporations & government accountable in agriculture, covering USDA leadership, DEI changes, and immigration/visa policies. Tips? Email [email protected]

When rural Kansas grocers closed, towns like Axtell faced a looming food desert. With local sweat equity, grants & the Kansas Healthy Foods Initiative, Axtell rebuilt its only store. Learn how the program fights grocery loss in @thebeacon.bsky.social report: investigatemidwest.o...

At the 50th season of the Des Moines Farmers Market, vendors face tariffs, inflation & falling crop prices squeezing margins. The story of eight farmers show what it really costs to feed a community today. Read what some vendors had to say: investigatemidwest.o...

In Beardstown, IL, an immigration crackdown has cost many workers their status & jobs, leaving families fearful & avoiding public life. Reporter Juan Vassallo shares their stories & his own reporting journey in Rooted, our monthly newsletter to our donors: investigatemidwest.o...

FOIA records show early in Trump’s term, EPA leaders often met with industry lobbyists — including Bayer, BASF & ExxonMobil. Many were former industry insiders now shaping regulation from within, raising questions over whose interests are being served. investigatemidwest.o... 1/2

USDA's racist, foolhardy "DEI Purge" threatens the livelihoods of all kinds of farmers building the fair food system we all deserve. @skychadde.bsky.social @investigatemidwest.bsky.social

ICYMI: Rosa Morales spent 16 years harvesting blueberries at $1/lb. As climate change cut yields & food costs soared, her family struggled to eat. She’s not alone, U.S. farmworkers are among the nation’s lowest paid. Full story via @grist: investigatemidwest.o...

USDA says farm income will rise 40% to $179.8B in 2025, but most of that boost comes from federal aid, not markets. Without disaster payments, income would drop to $139.3B. Many producers depend on that support to stay afloat. View the charts: investigatemidwest.o... 1/2

Kate Cruz of Western Illinois Dreamers Immigrant Welcome Center says tougher immigration policies have left many in small Illinois towns afraid to leave home, seeking “Know Your Rights” cards & aid after job loss tied to TPS changes or invalid permits. Full discussion: youtu.be/fbqm6J1jAEA

America’s farming counties feed the nation, yet food insecurity there rose nearly 12% in a decade. Rural towns, with closing groceries, squeezed farm incomes & cuts to SNAP, face a new crisis: those who grow our food can’t afford it. investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/24/t...

In the rural communities that have made the U.S. a global food power, residents are increasingly finding it difficult to access enough food for themselves. From @investigatemidwest.bsky.social: investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/24/t...

Investigate Midwest is a part of INN’s RNN series: Sowing Resilience. Ben Felder explains rising rural food insecurity and previews his upcoming investigation. Don’t miss it, sign up here: investigatemidwest.org/subscription...

Listen here: will.illinois.edu/21stshow/sto... @21st.show

@investigatemidwest.bsky.social's Juan Vassallo joined us on the show today to talk about how one Illinois city has been upended by President Trump's immigration policies.

Companies are being accused of misleading consumers by using “Product of USA” labels on foreign-raised and/or born animals. JBS, Tyson, Cargill & National Beef have been sued. The fight: trust, fairness & label integrity: investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/23/t...

Economist Daniel Costa warns employers are losing thousands of workers as temporary immigration protections lapse — pushing many into deportation or informal labor. Read the panel recap: investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/19/i...

ICYMI: In 2020, Monsanto and BASF pushed a weed-killer system that turned farmers into unpaid liability managers, knowing dicamba drift would damage non-resistant crops. Farmers say the fallout has been devastating. Full story: investigatemidwest.o...

llinois’ 21 farm-dependent counties have lost population in the last decade. But areas tied to meatpacking & food processing are staying afloat — mostly thanks to foreign-born workers. Trump’s push for mass deportations threatens the backbone of these rural food economies: investigatemidwest.o...

We’re wrapping up the panel! Join now to hear the final insights and closing thoughts from our experts on raids, reform, and the future of farm labor: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Raids, Reform and the Future of Farm Labor is moderated by Ben Felder of Investigate Midwest — bringing questions about tariffs, deportations, and the food system to our expert panel: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Farmworkers help keep America’s food system alive, but immigration raids & stalled reforms are reshaping their lives and our supply chains. Investigate Midwest is having this conversation right now. Join live to ask your questions: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Happening now: Reform, Raids and the future of Farm Labor Schedule: Questions for panelists Audience Q&A We’re talking today about the Trump administration’s workplace raids, stalled reforms and the impact on farm labor: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Investigate Midwest is hosting their first live virtual panel NOW. Click the link to join the conversation: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Dig into the news every Thursday. Sign up here: investigatemidwest.org/subscription...

Diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer at 52, William Caplinger quit using chemicals on his 200-acre farm. He and his wife now grow all their food organically, believing that farm chemicals cost lives. Read more about Caplinger’s experience here: investigatemidwest.org/2025/08/18/a...

Farmworkers keep America’s food system alive, but immigration raids & stalled reforms are reshaping their lives and our supply chains. Join Investigate Midwest tomorrow, Sept. 18 at noon CST for a free virtual panel on the future of farm labor. RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

THREAD: USDA cut $148M in DEI funding — hitting communities hard. A Vicksburg garden lost its grant, and Ike Leslie a queer, trans farmer, saw critical funding frozen, setting years of work back. Read more: investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/16/u...

The USDA's DEI purge has resulted in a loss of funding for programs increasing access to fruits and vegetables, and some creating pathways for more Americans to enter an industry with rapidly aging farmers. @skychadde.bsky.social reports via @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:

Raids & indiscriminate immigration enforcement are disrupting farm labor & America’s food system This Thursday, EPI's @dcosta.bsky.social will speak at an @investigatemidwest.bsky.social panel on raids, reform, & the future of farm labor 9/18 @1pm ET. Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Meet Mónica Cordero, investigative journalist from Costa Rica & based in Iowa. She covers rural America – tariffs, trade, & the intersection of agriculture & the environment. Her May 2025 Iowa water pollution story revealed 8/10 rivers impaired for a decade: investigatemidwest.org/2025/03/19/i...

Dicamba drift lawsuits may surge again. EPA plans to unconditionally register three dicamba-based pesticides for over-the-top use on soybean & cotton. Unconditional labels are good for 15 years unless it’s vacated by court ruling. Dave Dickey breaks it down: investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/15/a...

Thank you all! We hope to see you again next year. Couldn’t make it? That’s okay, you can still show your support here: investigatemidwest.org/donate-3/

THREAD: Midwest farmers are testing food-grade oats that could replace imports from Canada. The shift could cut freight costs & tariff risks, but without Big Ag support the revival may stall. What it will take to bring oats back: investigatemidwest.org/2025/08/26/m...

ICYMI: U.S. farm exports to China plunged 39% between June 2024 and June 2025 amid tariff battles and rising South American competition. China slipped to America’s 3rd-largest ag market as a truce holds until Nov. 10. Chart + details: investigatemidwest.org/2025/08/25/t...

Enjoy an evening of support and celebration this Sunday at Walker Homestead. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/sunset-on-...

Rural towns like Mexico, Missouri, are losing nearby hospitals — forcing patients to drive 40+ miles for care, eroding decades of trust, and turning quick checkups into day-long ordeals. Closures aren’t just gaps in service. They’re vanishing lifelines. investigatemidwest.org/2025/08/18/l...

Raids & indiscriminate immigration enforcement are disrupting farm labor & America’s food system. Next week, EPI's @dcosta.bsky.social will speak at a @investigatemidwest.bsky.social panel on raids, reform, & the future of farm labor. Thurs, 9/18. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Policy changes have left many immigrants in the Midwest at risk of deportation. That doesn’t just break up families, it also disrupts production at food processing facilities that rely on immigrants — which could raise prices on food nationwide. More from @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:

Listen here: www.mprnews.org/episode/2025... @mprnews.org

Weekly news in your inbox. Sign up here: investigatemidwest.org/subscription...

THREAD: U.S. corn & soybean farmers are slipping into the red. After costs spiked to $928/acre in 2022, 2024 margins showed a $131 loss/acre. Production costs forecast to rise again. Rural economies could face deepening strain. Full report: investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/09/u...

THREAD: Sept. 18 | 12 PM CST Investigate Midwest is hosting a free virtual panel on immigration raids, reform & the future of farm labor. As enforcement ramps up and reforms stall, what does this mean for farmworkers, supply chains & rural communities? Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

Immigrants helped revive Beardstown, IL – working slaughterhouse jobs, opening shops & sustaining schools. Now Trump’s rollback of parole programs leaves hundreds without permits, threatening families & the town’s economy. Read about the impact in Beardstown: investigatemidwest.org/2025/09/03/i...