Nebraska

Last October, wildfire sparked by an ATV consumed roughly a quarter of this living landmark in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills. But in a man-made forest, officials say, there’s no roadmap for recovery.

Legislation and programs in states like Nebraska are paving the way to welcome large livestock operations by limiting local control over the facilities. Some rural residents worry about the potential pollution and decreased quality of life that will bring.

High prices for products like eggs and grain are expected to lead to a record windfall for farmers this year, overcoming drought, bird flu and costly inputs. But the profit margin is thinner for small producers and those hit hard by dry conditions.

There are few staff to monitor Nebraska’s vast swaths of farmland, thousands of cattle feedlots, large hog operations and chicken farms. And the agencies’ own regulations don’t give the staff many tools to combat malpractice.

Think of this year’s drought as a sort of dress rehearsal to consider the drier, hotter future that scientists predict climate change has in store. Long-lasting droughts could alter the way we live.

American farming increasingly relies on software to keep the U.S. the world’s top food producer. But all that reliance on code-driven machinery has drawn ransomware attacks that could prove particularly devastating during harvest.

The U.S. Department of Labor said a company hired to clean meatpacking plants may have used children to work potentially dangerous jobs at facilities in Nebraska and Missouri.

Once an expectation for anyone seeking state or national office, many candidates are finding that there’s little downside to skipping debates. The Midwest Newsroom reviewed 2022 debate participation for Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa.

An Indigenous-led effort is returning buffalo to tribal lands across the Midwest. Some of the animals come from The Nature Conservancy’s buffalo herds.

The national battle against abortion has reached small local governments. Towns in Nebraska and Texas have banned abortion within their borders, even if they don’t have a clinic. But in one community, that effort could interrupt abortion access for the entire region.