Thursday, March 21, 2024 Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Cancer rates in Iowa rank second in the country. Why?
Iowa has the second-highest and fastest-growing rate of cancer in the United States, the Iowa Cancer Registry reported in February.
The report tied the rate to binge drinking.
But the assessment is drawing questions and sparking doubts from state leaders and health and environment researchers, who have been calling for a probe into how the state’s agricultural industry may be contributing to the spread of disease.
Large-scale farming relies heavily on the use of fertilizers and chemicals, and produces vast amounts of manure. All of which could be environmental and health risk factors.
— Suzanne Behnke, digital editor
New report sparks questions and controversy over possible causes for Iowa ‘cancer crisis’
By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue
Amid increasing scrutiny of a potential link between agricultural chemicals and cancer, a new report is generating controversy as it blames rising rates not on the toxins used widely throughout the state, but on something else entirely: binge alcohol consumption.
The Iowa Cancer Registry, a health research group housed at the University of Iowa, reported on Feb. 20 that Iowa has the second-highest and fastest-rising incidence of cancer among all states.
Read more.
GRAPHIC: Ports in New Orleans and the Northwest account for most agricultural export traffic
By Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest
Around 20% of U.S. agriculture products are exported to other countries, making the nation’s seaports a critical part of the crop and meat industries.
Assistant editor Sky Chadde honored with SABEW award
Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest senior reporter and assistant editor, and Yanqi Xu, a reporter with Flatwater Free Press, won a Best in Business award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. They investigated the conflict of interest of Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, who built one of the country's biggest hog enterprises and now oversees the state agency that sets agricultural policy. A second piece looked at water quality near Pillen hog operations.
THREE WEEKS until our Iowa City storytelling event
WHAT: You are invited to enjoy stories from the careers of five longtime journalists.
WHEN: Friday, April 12, at 6 p.m. at Poindexter Coffee inside The Graduate hotel in Iowa City.
WHY: This event supports reporting by the IowaWatch newsroom of Investigate Midwest.
HOW: Get tickets here.
MORE DETAILS: Read all about the event here.
News from our partners
How AI and satellites can detect illegal manure spreading By Wisconsin Watch
Investigate Midwest 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.
