Harvest Public Media

Quick-growing blooms of bacteria and algae have long been a hazard in lakes and rivers, because of the toxins they produce. Fueled in part by agricultural runoff, these blooms are also threatening public water systems, making water temporarily unusable, and forcing some cities and towns to take costly preventive measures.

Settlement payments from chemical companies are helping cities pay for expensive PFAS removal technology. But local leaders say the dollars often fall short of covering the full costs to clean up drinking water.

As part of the "Food Routes" series, Harvest Public Media explores three big factors that affect produce prices in the Midwest and Great Plains.

Weeds are a challenge for every farmer. The annual Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day showcases solutions beyond herbicides.

Several planned projects would have brought solar to communities in the Midwest and Great Plains for the first time. Others would have expanded existing efforts. Now, the projects are on hold after the Environmental Protection Agency abruptly terminated $7 billion in funding.

Grocery stores accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in 12 states will soon have to accommodate new exclusions to the program. Industry advocates say the changes will be expensive, especially for smaller retailers.

Summer afternoon temperatures have cooled off in the middle of the country in recent decades. But hotter nights and winters are still driving more overall warmth in the region.

Farmers who were promised funding through the federal Regional Food Business Centers have been left in limbo after the Trump administration shut down the program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will honor grants the program already approved, but it's unclear when.

Years of drought conditions in the Midwest and Great Plains have opened the door for pests and diseases that are killing trees. Now people working in parks and forests are planting new species they hope can survive the changing conditions.

The massive legislation extends tax cuts and increases safety nets for farmers who grow commodities, like corn, wheat and rice. But deep cuts to federal food assistance spending could hurt specialty growers who benefit from programs like Double Up Food Bucks.