Harvest Public Media

An old metal windmill stands in a field of brown grass. The sky is cloudy and there is a slight rainbow in it.

Regional Climate Centers shut down abruptly this week. Here's why it matters

The closure of four of the six Regional Climate Centers across the U.S. occurred after funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ran out. A recent report stated that the Trump administration plans to propose a 25% cut to NOAA's budget next fiscal year.

A close up image of a utility power meter.

With no staff left at LIHEAP, the federal utility assistance program, advocates worry about funding

Héctor Alejandro Arzate

About $378 million of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding remains to be distributed. Without federal staff, some experts and advocates worry that low-income customers won’t be able to pay for cooling as the months get hotter.

Colorful bonbons at Cocoa Tree Confectionery.

Easter chocolate is expensive this season. Here’s why

Anna Pope

A shortage of cocoa beans is driving up the cost to make chocolate — especially for small chocolatiers. That means people buying chocolate for Easter can expect high prices.

A woman in a ponytail and pink gloves places an apple on top of a machine to slice it into wedges.

USDA ended its local food programs. A look at how farmers, schools and food banks are coping

Rachel Cramer

Thousands of schools, farmers and food pantries in the Midwest and Great Plains planned on federal dollars over the next year to support local food purchases. And then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut the programs.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, center, speaks about radioactive poisoning with U.S. Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, right, near Coldwater Creek on Monday, March 17, 2025, in Florissant.

EPA chief hopes a change to what's protected under the Clean Water Act can win over farmers

Kate Grumke

The Trump administration wants to rewrite the definition for what counts as protected ‘waters of the United States.' The rule has caused frustration among farmers, but environmental attorneys worry a change could lead to more pollution.

A woman in a blue suit jacket speaks at a podium in front of a crowd seated at round tables. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins gave a keynote speech at the Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner in Ankeny March 31. It was part of her first official visit to Iowa as a cabinet member.

Agriculture Secretary Rollins talks about tariffs and ethanol during a visit to Iowa

Rachel Cramer

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins assured an audience of agriculture leaders that the president would remember farmers in the midst of imposing tariffs.

The National Weather Service's Omaha office pictured on March 28, 2025. Weather balloon launches were suspended at the office due to a staffing crisis.

‘Unprecedented’ cuts to Midwest weather balloon launches could make it harder to forecast storms

National Weather Service offices across the country are suspending or reducing weather balloon flights due to low staffing. Meteorologists say the loss of data could lead to forecasting challenges and less accurate long-term outlooks.

These are some of the approximately 1,000 birds that slammed into McCormick Place in Chicago on Oct. 5, 2023. That was a night and morning when especially high numbers of birds were migrating along Lake Michigan. The building's windows have since been treated with a film that makes them visible to birds. Very few birds have hit the windows since then.

Midwest light pollution kills migrating birds, but scientists know how you can help

Celia Llopis-Jepsen

An ornithologist spent four decades tracking 40,000 bird deaths at a single building. His records paved the way to better scientific and public understanding.

Jenna Batchelder feeds a buffalo on the other side of a steel fence as her dog looks on

Rural communities rely on this USDA agency. Trump’s cuts threaten that

Frank Morris

The USDA's Rural Development agency has provided billions of dollars each year to small towns, farmers and businesses. Now staffing upheaval and budget cuts brought on by the Trump administration may be eating into the agency’s effectiveness.

Scientists expect more drought this year in parts of the Midwest and Great Plains

Héctor Alejandro Arzate

Another year of dry conditions could hurt production for farmers growing crops and raising livestock in the region.