Rachel Cramer

Under a 40-year-old law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture can withhold subsidies, like crop insurance and disaster payments, from farmers who clear, drain or convert wetlands. A company that owns farmland in Iowa says it’s unconstitutional.

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.

While corn and soybeans dominate the Midwestern landscape today, some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields. This conservation practice has expanded to more than a dozen states.

Over the last two years, several large pork packers have closed plants in California, Minnesota and most recently Iowa. For some pork producers, this means additional miles and more money to deliver hogs on top of tough economic times.

Hospitals in Montana are straining. The state racked up hundreds of COVID-19 cases in September. New restrictions could be imposed as Governor Steve Bullock tries to unseat a Republican U.S. senator.

Brewery waste, fed at the right time at the right dosage to a wastewater treatment plant's bacteria, can be used to treat water. One Montana town is doing just that.

Snow plow drivers spend long, dangerous hours behind the wheel. Justin Horak recently sang about his travails on YouTube, and the video has gone viral.