Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Vilsack: 'I'm concerned about the state of agriculture'
Federal officials said the Census of Agriculture is a "wake-up call" — it highlights the decline in the number of farms and the consolidation of farmland. The trend raises concerns about the increasing difficulty of entering the agricultural industry.
“I’m concerned about the state of agriculture and food production in this country,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during last week's presentation of the data.
In the Midwestern states, where a significant portion of the nation's agricultural production is concentrated, Investigate Midwest's analysis of census data showed that Wisconsin has been the region most affected by this trend. In recent years, the state has experienced a 4% decline in farm numbers.
— Mónica Cordero, reporter/Report for America
Latest farm data a ‘wake-up call’ as Midwest farmers face ever steeper challenges
By Mónica Cordero, Investigate Midwest/Report for America, Brittney J. Miller and Erin Jordan, The Gazette, Chris Clayton, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, and Madeline Heim, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The latest Ag Census data show alarming trends in the upper Mississippi River basin, one of the most intensive agricultural areas in the country.
- Fewer diverse farmers.
- More farms going out of business.
- Farmland consolidation.
Oklahoma bill would shield poultry companies from lawsuits over chicken litter pollution
By Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest
As Oklahoma wraps up a nearly 20-year lawsuit against several large poultry companies over chicken litter pollution in its eastern waterways, state lawmakers have advanced a bill to remove liability from companies in the future, giving them what environmentalists have called a “license to pollute.” House Bill 4118 was authored by State Rep. David Hardin, a Republican from Stilwell, Okla.
Read more.
Almost every top hog producing state has seen an increase in the number of pigs raised on large farms in the past 20 years, according to an analysis of newly released Census of Agriculture data.
Large farms include operations with at least 1,000 inventoried animals.
See the whole graphic.
OPINION: Massachusetts’ Question 3 is Big Meat’s stand-in to kill California’s Prop 12
Columnist Dave Dickey looks at how Prop 12 in California is affecting Massachussets' Question 3. He writes: "Big Meat has put most all their eggs into trying to torpedo Massachusetts’ Question 3, which like Proposition 12, has sow confinement requirements for out-of-state producers wanting to sell pork meat in Massachusetts."
Read more.
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