April 17, 2025 The Midwest Center For Investigative Reporting
A new bill seeks to help young farmers access funding and support
In 2022, Jess Bray achieved her dream of owning a farm. After an exhaustive search, her family found a 21-acre property in eastern Oklahoma, where they now raise pigs, dairy cows and various vegetables.
I visited Bray last year, who, at the age of 39, told me about the challenges she faced in trying to find a property as a new farmer. In addition to rising costs and investors quickly snatching up land, she struggled to navigate the lengthy government-backed lending programs designed to help farmers.
“Not only did we have to finance, but we were kind of forced into a commercial funding route instead of the state program route because the government programs take too long,” Bray said.
A bill recently filed in Congress wants to help young farmers like Bray.
The bipartisan-backed New Producer Economic Security Act would increase access to low- and no-interest loans for new farmers, support state and Tribal governments in purchasing land to be made available to young producers, and fund access to legal services related to land acquisition.
Last year, Investigate Midwest published a story examining the challenges many young farmers face when entering the agriculture industry. The story also explored where America is losing the most producers as land costs and corporate consolidation squeeze many farmers out of production.
This week, we have a story highlighting the new effort in Congress to help young farmers.
“If we are going to revitalize and strengthen American agriculture for generations to come, we need to take steps now to ensure young farmers can succeed,” said U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski of Illinois, a Democrat and sponsor of H.R. 2536.
— Ben Felder, editor in chief
Data Harvest: Why climate change is a big worry for farmers in this Colorado county
By Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest
Less than half of residents in farming-dependent counties say they are worried about climate change, well below the 63% national average.
However, in Costilla County in south-central Colorado, more than 70% of residents said they are either somewhat or very worried about climate change, according to the 2024 Climate Opinion survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
Farming-dependent counties, as well as those with economies centered around mining and manufacturing, reported lower levels of concern for climate change in the survey compared to counties with economies tied to recreation and government agencies.
Navigate the map here.
Student and two Investigate Midwest journalists receive honors for investigative work
By Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
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,” 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.
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,” 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,” which explored the fallout for farmers left behind by poultry plant closures.
Read more here.
Reader survey results are in! Here's what you shared.
By Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
In February, we launched our first audience survey and kept it open for five weeks – and your feedback is already shaping what comes next.
While the sample size (124) is not enough to be fully representative of our readership base, these responses reflect some of our most engaged readers – many with deep roots in agriculture, rural communities and food systems.
Read more here.
The tariff landscape keeps changing. Our tracker helps you keep up.
By Investigate Midwest Staff
Trump’s trade moves are already shaking global agriculture.
Our updated Tariff Tracker breaks down what’s happening from soybean shifts to equipment price hikes and what it means for farmers. As the situation evolves, we’ll continue updating the news briefs tracker and FAQs to provide clear context and keep you informed.
ICYMI: How corporate land grabs reshaped the farm economy
By Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV and Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest
Before we revealed that investor activity is pricing out farmers across the country, our December 2023 joint report with InvestigateTV, “Secret Acres,” laid the groundwork. The story exposed how billionaires, hedge funds and even religious institutions were fueling a surge in farmland prices.
Our July 2024 follow-up confirmed the impact: fewer farmers, steeper prices and growing pressure for policy solutions — like the bill featured in this week’s newsletter.
Read more.
Stories from our media partners
One Iowa landowner fights to farm a designated wetland. Others could face consequences downstream., The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette and Mississippi Free Press
Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public as a watchdog over influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism.
