It’s pumpkin season – from spiced lattes to Halloween decorations on the porch – and chances are it was grown in Illinois. Just over a third of all pumpkins in the United States – 485 million pounds – come from Illinois, according to annual USDA surveys. Much of that production centers on Morton, a village […] The post Where do your pumpkins come from? Illinois keeps the crown appeared first on Investigate Midwest.| Investigate Midwest
What began in 1952 as a stopgap for seasonal labor has become a test case for U.S. immigration policy under President Trump. The H-2B visa program has become a backbone of seafood processing and meatpacking, particularly in coastal states. The number of H-2B visa holders working in meatpacking has increased 60% since 2016, according to […] The post H-2B visa holders keep the nation’s seafood industry afloat appeared first on Investigate Midwest.| Investigate Midwest
With the U.S. farm economy under strain from rising costs and weaker crop prices, the Justice Department is joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture to examine why the costs of farming essentials like fertilizer, seed and fuel remain high even as crop values weaken. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced in Kansas City recently that the […]| Investigate Midwest
U.S. farmers are likely staring down another year in the red, faced with a familiar cycle: rising costs and weakening markets. After years of strong grain prices between 2021 and 2023, growing corn and soybeans is no longer profitable — a trend likely to continue and one that farm groups warn could spark a financial […]| Investigate Midwest
After the Civil War, the U.S. government promised 40 acres, either from abandoned plantations or unused land, to formerly enslaved Black people. But then President Andrew Johnson intervened. He pardoned Confederates, returning their land. It became a common theme. In the following decades, some Black farmers gained land through deals with white landowners: After being […]| Investigate Midwest
The tariff wars waged by President Trump’s two administrations have reshaped U.S. agricultural trade with China. The first trade war, in 2018 and 2019, opened the door for South American countries to gain market share in soybean and corn sales to China. Unlike the first, this second trade war is global in scope. Its full […]| Investigate Midwest
If you live in Champaign County, odds are you’re close to soybean fields – and to the weed killers sprayed on them. A new analysis by Tufts University researchers found that 45% of the county’s residents lived near heavy 2,4-D use in 2023, nearly double the share in 2017. Statewide, farmers applied more than 2 […]| Investigate Midwest
Over 500,000 immigrants lost work authorization, causing labor shortages and a projected 14.5% rise in food prices by 2028.| Investigate Midwest
Nothing beats ice cream on a hot summer afternoon. But while you’re savoring that frozen treat, it’s worth asking: how much of what you paid actually reaches the farmer who produced the milk? The answer might surprise you: Dairy farmers earn a far smaller share from ice cream than from butter. That’s because milk undergoes […]| Investigate Midwest
Most U.S. states have experienced a decline in the number of households using the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, over the last decade. Only 14 states have seen an increase in the number of households using the food assistance program, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data for fiscal years 2015 to […]| Investigate Midwest
