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# Student journalist wins University of Illinois award for livestock investigation
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/student-journalist-wins-university-of-illinois-award-for-livestock-investigation/
- Published: 2025-04-11T16:59:27.000Z
- Updated: 2025-04-11T16:59:27.000Z
- Description: 2 Investigate Midwest journalists were also honored by NAAJ for investigative stories on groundwater loss in the plains and poultry farmers left behind after Tyson plant closures.
- Author: Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
- Tags: Investigate Midwest News, agriculture, animal welfare, Brody Award, groundwater depletion, investigative reporting, livestock transport, Madison Holcomb, naaj, national association of agricultural journalists, TP::News Article, student journalism, Tyson Foods, University of Illinois, USDA, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cd/d3/cdd3c059-8898-40b1-bcf7-cb2d3aa89775/content/images/investigatemidwest-org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1727193003040.jpg)

University of Illinois journalism student Madison Holcomb has been awarded first place in the school’s top feature writing competition for her investigation into livestock deaths during transit, published by Investigate Midwest.

Her story, *"[Millions of livestock die each year while being transported. Those cases are rarely investigated by the USDA](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/millions-of-livestock-die-each-year-while-being-transported-those-cases-are-rarely-investigated-by-the-usda/),"* was recognized in the Marian and Barney Brody Creative Feature Article Writing Awards, which honor the top student-written feature stories each year.

Holcomb’s story, published in January, explored how outdated federal laws and limited oversight contribute to the deaths of millions of animals during transport — and why enforcement is so rare.

The Brody Awards are presented annually by the University’s Department of Journalism to recognize the best feature stories written by students in journalism classes over the past year. Articles are judged on reporting depth, use of detail, narrative flow, scene creation, and overall style and tone. Three students are selected each year, with cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

The Brody Awards were established in 1996 through an endowment from Marian Boruck Brody, a 1937 journalism graduate.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cd/d3/cdd3c059-8898-40b1-bcf7-cb2d3aa89775/content/images/investigatemidwest-org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/cropped-felder-headshot-scaled-1.jpg)

Ben Felder

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cd/d3/cdd3c059-8898-40b1-bcf7-cb2d3aa89775/content/images/investigatemidwest-org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cropped-img_8303-scaled-1.jpg)

John McCracken

Two Investigate Midwest journalists also recently received Honorable Mentions in this year’s North American Agricultural Journalists (NAAJ) writing contest. Editor-in-Chief Ben Felder was recognized in the Special Projects category for *“[Parched in the Panhandle](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/parched-in-the-panhandle/),”* reported while he was a staff reporter. John McCracken earned Honorable Mention in the Features category for *“[Early morning calls. Barren chicken barns. Millions in debt](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/early-morning-calls-barren-chicken-barns-millions-in-debt/),”* which explored the fallout for farmers left behind by poultry plant closures.