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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Surveys say the price of Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey, is up this year. Economists attribute the price increase largely to inflation. While experts say there’s no shortage of turkeys, 8 million birds have died or been culled this year because of a viral disease.
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Across the Midwest, farmland prices more than doubled over the past two years — making it difficult for young farmers to grow their businesses.
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Farmers explore and demo the latest technology in agriculture at the Farm Progress Show each year. But challenges like high input prices this year weigh into the decisions farmers are making about buying new things.
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Across the Midwest, farmland prices have risen sharply from last year, in part because of high commodity prices and a global food shortage. The highly competitive market, which often includes investors, can make it difficult for young farmers to grow their businesses.
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Nearly 5.5 million chickens and turkeys have died or had to be destroyed in Buena Vista County, Iowa, during the latest bird flu outbreak — more than in any other county in the nation. That’s impacted producers, as well as workers and their families.
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Farmers in the Midwest are gearing up for a fight over whether pipelines can cut through their land. Many look to the experience other farmers had with the Dakota Access Pipeline a few years ago.
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State officials and scientists are cautioning backyard flock owners to be on high alert for bird flu. The highly contagious disease has reached small flocks in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.
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Bird flu is an increasing threat to poultry producers and backyard chicken owners. They're preparing for the worst as wild birds' spring migration peaks in a few weeks.
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Poultry producers and backyard flock owners are watching closely as a deadly strain of bird flu spreads across the eastern half of the U.S.
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A highly contagious pig disease has been found in the Caribbean. If African Swine Fever spreads to the Midwest, it could have a devastating impact on pork producers.