A closer look at how farmers are using aid
Federal payments are flowing to farmers this spring, but nearly half of producers say they plan to use the money to pay down debt rather than expand operations or purchase equipment.
That’s according to a recent Purdue University and the CME Group survey highlighted by Mónica Cordero in this week’s Data Harvest.
Announced in late December, the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program provides $11 billion in one-time payments to row crop farmers facing trade disruptions and rising costs. The federal government says the goal is to help offset market instability, higher input prices, inflation and losses.
The survey results come as the American Farm Bureau Federation, along with more than 50 ag groups, recently sent a letter to President Trump seeking additional support for growers, particularly for specialty crops.
In this story, Cordero examines how farmers are using the funds and what it reveals about the broader financial outlook heading into planting season.
— Lauren Cross, assistant editor & audience engagement manager
Investigate Midwest’s Juan Vassallo first place in NAAJ contest
By Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
Investigate Midwest’s Oklahoma reporter Juan Vassallo has won first place in the Next Generation category of the North American Agricultural Journalists 2026 Writing Contest, recognizing early-career excellence in agricultural reporting.
The NAAJ judge praised the reporting for its depth, use of sources, and ability to connect policy decisions to real-world impacts.
“All three of these stories shine a light on important issues with facts and quotes that elevate the impact of change,” the judge wrote.
- Why Oklahoma farmers are leery of the energy storage facility next door
- Oklahoma’s loophole: How Tyson’s water use goes uncheckedImmigrants helped save this
- Illinois meatpacking town. Trump cut hundreds from its workforce.
An evening of stories about belonging, identity, and place
Join us the evening of April 15 for Not From Here, a live storytelling in Iowa City featuring personal narratives about place, identity, and navigating unfamiliar spaces.
The heart of the program includes live storytelling featuring speakers sharing personal, off-script narratives. Storytellers will offer intimate, 10-minute stories exploring experiences of movement, transition, and what it means to navigate spaces and communities where one may feel like an outsider. The event welcomes a wide range of perspectives, encouraging meaningful conversation and shared understanding through the power of storytelling.
In addition to the storytelling program, the event includes interactive engagement, trivia, and a silent auction.
Events like this help fund our reporting, expand community engagement, and create space for the conversations that shape our coverage.
Trumpet Blossom Cafe
310 East Prentiss St.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. | Program starts 6:30 p.m.
ICYMI: What unchecked water usage looks like
By Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
As lawmakers across the country debate whether to pass moratoriums or greenlight new data centers driven by AI demand amid water usage concerns, rural Oklahoma has already had to confront those same questions.
In this June 2025 investigation, reporter Juan Vassallo reported how a legal loophole allows industrial poultry operations tied to Tyson Foods to pump groundwater with little oversight.
It’s a case study in what happens when big industry outpaces regulation.
