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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Vertical farms stack rows of plants on top of each other. Those indoor farms control the lighting, water and temperature to create ideal conditions to grow fresh produce year-round close to customers. But the industry relies on artificial lighting and has a large carbon footprint.
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced funding for pilot projects geared toward curbing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.
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A group of scientists used chemistry to convert the powerful greenhouse gas methane into safer chemicals that serve as the base for some plastics.
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From Iowa to Oklahoma to Kansas, universities are working more closely with agribusiness in search of ways to pay for projects where tax dollars have become more scarce. Critics worry that agriculture schools might focus more on industry than the public interest.
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Surging fertilizer prices are putting pressure on farmers as they start to look to the next planting season, and altering whether the plant corn or soybeans next spring.
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Meat processors and agriculture officials are making sure they’re prepared against a highly contagious swine disease.
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Even in America’s breadbasket, most children know more about TikTok than livestock. But some schools are making farm work into classwork. They’ve built chicken coops and sheep pens near their playgrounds in ways that seem to pay off in the classroom.
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An invasive bug recently found in Kansas could spell trouble for agricultural states in the Midwest if more are confirmed.
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Food pantries have been a big help to many families during the pandemic. But after the Biden administration increased benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food pantries are anticipating less traffic.
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Insects have long been a big part of peoples’ diets. But in the United States, edible bugs like crickets and mealworms are a niche industry. Some insect enthusiasts are focused on getting people over the perceived 'ick' factor.