Harvest Public Media

Certain brands of carrots were removed from shelves due to E. Coli risks. The recall was one of several large ones in recent months

E. coli and listeria have forced multiple large food recalls. Here’s what to know

Anna Pope

Deli meats, carrots and fast food onions are some of the products that were recently recalled across the U.S. Experts say improved detection strategies means regulators are able to catch more health risks.

A painted turtle is held up close to the camera.

Drought delivers a big blow to wildlife already grappling with disease and habitat loss

Elizabeth Rembert

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.

Phil Hallstedt picks cherries on his orchard in Michigan. Hallstedt has transitioned his cherry orchard to a U-Pick model, where people pay for the experience of harvesting their own cherries. He said the new business model was necessary to stay afloat.

To stay on the farm, more and more farmers are working second and even third jobs

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.

For some Midwest beekeepers, trying to keep honeybees alive has proven ‘devastating’

Héctor Alejandro Arzate

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.

A white water tower with an orange pumpkin covers the word Morton. Morton, Illinois prides itself on producing tons of pumpkins each year. Most of them are pureed and canned at the Libby's plant, which has been in the town for nearly 100 years.

Welcome to Morton, Illinois — the bite-sized town that produces a whole lot of canned pumpkin

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.

A farmer checks the moisture levels of his corn crop, stored in bins while they wait to be sold, on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

In an effort to reduce deadly grain bin accidents, OSHA expands safety emphasis program

Jim Meadows

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.

A woman in a brown sweater moves a box of seed packets in a facility with rolling shelves and boxes.

This year's World Food Prize underscores the value of seed banks and their stewards

Rachel Cramer

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.

An American Burying Beetle walks around on a wet paper towel on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024, at the St. Louis Zoo.

A Midwest beetle that needs corpses to survive is dying out. But there’s still hope

Kate Grumke

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.

Barges navigate through a maze of forested islands in the Upper Mississippi River.

Upper Mississippi River refuge celebrates 100 years of protection for fish, wildlife and habitat

Rachel Cramer

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.

A field of vegetables at a farm in Ashland, Missouri.

Some farmers left in limbo after Missouri's state budget limits funding for a USDA grant

Skyler Rossi

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.