Sentient

In Iowa, there are more concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) than grocery stores. Yet for most of the public, the location of nearby CAFOs and the amount of manure they may be producing is inaccessible. Until now.

The rapid growth of chickens has sped up pathogen evolution, boosting persistence, antibiotic resistance and spillover to humans.

A large-scale study of food orders at German university cafeterias suggests that climate, health and animal welfare labels aren’t enough to produce long-term shifts in purchasing behavior.

A Democrat has not won the agriculture secretary seat in Iowa in 20 years. But while the state is in the midst of a water quality crisis, former scientist Chris Jones may have a shot.

Photos from Iowa by Danny Wilcox Frazier

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People living near factory farms are more likely to have drug-resistant bacteria in their homes, raising their risk of resistant infections, according to new research. Read more in The Core:

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Thanks to research from 1945, we have a federal standard for nitrates in drinking water. Should this be revisited? @MelinaWalling reports:

While the country’s farms tend to have high animal welfare standards, Bhutan also imports most of its meat.

A lot of climate change is beyond the control of individuals alone, but how you eat can matter more than you may think. @fffffrida reports for @grist:

Documents show how the National Cattlemen’s Association launched a long-term misinformation campaign to downplay livestock’s environmental impacts.

A survey taken this past spring shows a majority of Iowans say they have experienced negative environmental impacts from industrial animal operations. But plenty are also ambivalent, or ignorant, about their presence.

President Trump says ranchers should be able to shoot wolves that may threaten their livestock. Is this an effective way to protect cattle? @JessLReid reports:

Could animal welfare and clean water motivate American voters?

Our relentless appetite for meat puts animals through grueling journeys. @mbolotnikova reports for @voxdotcom:

Nearly a year into the process, Chris Jones says his grassroots campaign has forced other Iowa races to address the state’s water crisis and what it means for Iowans.

Egg companies that received hundreds of millions of dollars in bird flu payments are ordered to settle for a fraction of the price.

More than a decade after the EPA found that Iowa wasn’t cracking down on polluting factory farms, the state continues to hedge on enforcement. @AnikaJaneBeamer reports for @insideclimate:

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a historic fourth-term. Some of his most recent environmental efforts involved undoing Jair Bolsonaro’s policies.