Katie Peikes
Katie Peikes is Iowa Public Radio's agriculture reporter. She joined IPR in July 2018 as its first-ever western Iowa reporter. Before she moved to Iowa, Katie worked as a science reporter and fill-in host for Delaware Public Media, where she spent two years reporting on Delaware's coast and the region’s poultry industry. She has also worked as a journalist in Utah, where she reported on a wide range of topics including local government, education and the environment. You can contact Katie at kpeikes@iowapublicradio.org.
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Drought across the Midwest and the Plains means pastures aren’t as green as usual, leaving cattle with less to eat. Hay is in high demand and low supply.
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Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has hit the U.S. hard over the last year and a half — leaving 60 million chickens and turkeys dead across 47 states. The USDA is working on a vaccine, but that could create new issues.
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Iowa is the latest state to legalize the sale of raw milk, which comes directly from cows without any pasteurization. While many Great Plains states allows such sales, some health experts caution there are health risks to drinking it.
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Three companies want to capture carbon dioxide from Midwestern ethanol plants, transport it by pipeline and store it underground. Many in the ethanol industry claim it’s essential to the industry’s survival. Environmentalists and even farmers argue the pipelines are a boon for the industry — not a real solution for climate change.
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Mexico’s plan to ban all genetically modified corn imports has upset U.S. corn farmers, trade groups and officials. The two nations are in talks and have until April 7 to resolve it before the U.S. can take action under the free trade agreement between North American countries.
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Emergency allotments that took effect in 2020 for those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will end next month. Many expect the decrease will be especially challenging for low-income families.
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Genetically modified foods have been on supermarket shelves since the 1990s, but they’ve only required a label for the last year. The USDA says implementation and compliance with the program have been “successful,” while experts suggest consumers aren’t noticing the labels.
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States, local governments and internet providers have until Friday, Jan. 13 to challenge the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Map. The map shows where service is and isn’t across the country.
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Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are pretty common in the Midwest and the Great Plains. "Derechos," or fierce windstorms, are becoming a well-known weather phenomenon.
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Midwesterners are becoming more familiar with derechos after two major storms hit the region in as many years. Scientists are grappling with how to define the storms, gather data and predict what the future of derechos will look like.