Harvest Public Media

Drought has scorched much of the Midwest and Great Plains for the last four years. It has destroyed crops and sparked wildfires. Wildlife is also reckoning with the dry conditions – which can change animal behavior and even push species out of some regions.

Beekeepers say it can be especially challenging to raise honeybees in the Midwest. Parasites, pesticides and extreme weather like drought are contributing to colony loss.

Farmers are increasingly relying on off-farm jobs to supplement their farm income. Today about 84% of farm families rely on another part-time or even full-time job to stay in business.

There were at least 27 cases of grain entrapment in the U.S. last year. OSHA recently added Missouri to the list of states where it’s emphasizing grain handling safety.

The pumpkin pie Americans enjoy each Thanksgiving often comes from pumpkins grown near Morton, Illinois. The region accounts for more than 95% of canned pumpkin in the U.S.

Often described as the Nobel of food and agriculture, the $500,000 prize this year shines a light on the role of seed banks and their stewards, including some in the Midwest.

American burying beetles bring dead animals underground, turn them into preserved meatballs and feed them to their babies. The St. Louis Zoo is working to save the threatened beetle.

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the core of a major flyway for migrating birds and one of the most visited refuges in the U.S. Anglers and outdoor enthusiasts saved it from being drained 100 years ago, but the next century brings new challenges.

Cultivated meat — meat grown from animal cells — is touted as a way to meet growing global demand with far fewer climate impacts. Yet two states banned the sale of cultivated meat earlier this year, and there are proposals in several Midwestern states to do the same.

Missouri's 2025 state budget includes less than a third of the federal funding the state received for Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program grants. More than a dozen producers with selected projects are without funding for now.