Come for the sunset, stay for the community
My favorite in-person event, Sunset on the Farm, is just around the corner. Held each fall on the Walker Homestead Farm and Winery, just outside Iowa City, Iowa, this gathering brings together food, fun and lively conversation.
Much of my work travel is to conferences, workshops or other news events, so this is my social time. Sure, it’s “work” and it certainly benefits our nonprofit newsroom, but really, this is about community.
We couldn’t do this without our helpers and sponsors supporting Investigate Midwest.
The heavy-lifting and on-the-ground legwork is done by students taking part in the University of Iowa’s event management workshop. From planning to securing sponsorships and silent auction items to selling tickets and making sure things are running smoothly day-of, these students are terrific and, let’s face it, a huge help for a lean operation like ours. In return, they gain experience by working with a real-world client.
Kudos and a standing ovation to these students and Heather Spangler, professor of instruction and event management certificate coordinator at the university’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
And a thank you to event sponsors Hills Bank and Alan Swanson of Blank & McCune Real Estate. Their generous support goes a long way helping this event be successful. Oh, and if you are a fan of yummy pastry with a sweet filling, you’ll love the Dutch Letters silent auction item, baked by our very own Erin Jordan. Erin, along with Lyle Muller (whose Mission Bluegrass Band will perform live) are our two Iowa board members.
Last year, one of my nieces, Amanda McGuire, came along. Out for a visit from my home state of California, Amanda made the road trip with me to the Walker Homestead. It was my pleasure to show her a bit more of the Midwest beyond my own little corner. She also met some of Investigate Midwest’s community, gathered for a good meal and good conversation set against the backdrop of rolling vineyards, flowers and, of course, a gorgeous sunset.
So join us! (Or, if you have family and friends in east-central Iowa who would enjoy it, you can snag a ticket for them, include their name and email address in the order, and send them our way.)
If you can’t make it but want to support our newsroom in other ways, you can also donate here.
— Erin Orr (and niece Amanda McGuire), executive director
DATA HARVEST: Trump drone tariffs target a technology still used unevenly across US farms
By Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest
Drone use remains limited among most U.S. farms, but larger farms have adopted the technology at a higher rate than small farm operations, federal data show.
In 2023, 12% of large-scale family farms used drones, compared with 9% of midsize farms and 2% of small family farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service report, America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2024 Edition.
Mark your calendar for annual MobileMe&You conference
Mobile Me&You, an annual journalism and technology conference focused on media, digital storytelling and emerging tools, will be held Oct. 15-16 at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
This year’s sessions will explore topics including artificial intelligence, creator-newsroom partnerships, podcasting, audience strategy, mobile reporting, journalism ethics and storytelling.
Speakers include journalists, educators and media professionals from Syracuse University, the University of Missouri, URL Media, Field Nine Group, Documented and other organizations.
Registration is free for University of Missouri journalism students and faculty and $25 for all other attendees.
ICYMI: Can American cotton make a comback?
If you haven’t read Caspar Dowdy’s recent story on the push to revive American cotton, it’s worth a read.
A new USDA plan aims to breathe life back into the industry, but it faces decades of declining U.S. textile manufacturing, growing competition from Brazil and the fallout from tariffs.
Caspar gets into everything from the MAHA movement and microplastics to trade policy and internet culture, and how all of it is colliding around one of America’s oldest crops.
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Dairy farms are dwindling across the United States for the last two decades, yet dairy milk production continues to increase. Industrialized dairy farms and better genetics have...
