Environmental Reporting at WNIJ
The Mississippi River Basin spans nearly half of the continental United States. Millions of residents rely on the river system for drinking water, commerce and recreation.
More than 90% of America’s agricultural exports are grown in the Mississippi River Basin, including more than three-quarters of the world’s exports in feed grains, and most of the country’s livestock. More than 70% of nitrate pollution in the Mississippi River comes from agriculture, which harms human health and aquatic life and contributes to the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. As the impacts of climate change become more severe, residents can expect more extreme weather, including flooding.
By making resources available on this beat, we support more complete coverage of these critical topics. As our reporters build deeper knowledge, they tap into a network of newsrooms, experts, and support that will help them tell more equitable, impactful and interconnected stories.
Harvest Public Media reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues through a collaborative network of reporters and partner stations throughout the Midwest and Plains. Our goal is to provide in-depth and unbiased reporting on complex issues for a broad, diverse audience, often connecting the Heartland to the rest of the country. Primary topics include, but are not limited to, agribusiness, biofuels, climate change, farming and ranching, food safety, rural life and public policy.
Below you will find reporting from reporters across our collaborations.
Locally, Jess Savage reports on clean air, water, and agricultural systems in northern Illinois for WNIJ, part of the Mississippi River Basin Project and Harvest Public Media. They recently graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Jess was awarded the Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium Fellowship, where they reported on landscape-scale ecological restoration in England and its effects on local farmers. They studied ecology at the University of Vermont as an undergraduate.
Jess focuses on access and policy related to clean air, water and agricultural systems for northern Illinois residents. This includes storytelling that gives voice traditionally underserved communities and the impact of climate change on local communities. The beat is a solutions driven approach to reporting related to efforts to improve the quality of rivers and groundwater, policies and processes in agricultural practices and food systems, and overall access to healthy living.
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Are you serving pumpkin or sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving? There's a lot of history and cultural ties that influence why Americans may prefer one or the other. -
The pumpkin pie Americans enjoy each Thanksgiving often comes from pumpkins grown near Morton, Illinois. The region accounts for more than 95% of canned pumpkin in the U.S. -
A national survey found the smallest business owners are feeling less confident as they close out the year. Inflation, tariffs and shifts in consumer spending are some of the reasons why. -
Federal food assistance has started to flow again after the government reopened. But the charitable food system is planning for continued need through the end of the year. -
Congress extends critical Farm Bill for a third time. It's a relief for farmers, but raises concernsThe federal funding package to reopen the government included a one-year extension of certain 2018 Farm Bill programs. Several expired Sept. 30 or would have been null by the end of the year. -
Scientists say leaving autumn leaves on the ground can add important nutrients to the soil and create needed habitat for insects. -
Coffee has gotten a lot more expensive in the U.S. as tariffs seep into the price tag. Even as the Trump administration considers offering some tariff relief, that's putting a strain on roasters, who have no choice but to pass on some of the extra cost to coffee drinkers. -
Food assistance benefits were cut off in November due to the government shutdown. That’s led a handful of state agencies to post messages blaming Republicans or Democrats for the shutdown on official websites. -
The U.S. agricultural industry depends on undocumented immigrants, but President Trump’s immigration crackdown is further depleting an already tight workforce. The labor crisis may be setting the stage for big changes to a federal program that allows foreign workers into the country legally. -
Turkey prices tend to rise closer to holidays such as Thanksgiving. But tariffs and bird flu could dramatically drive up the cost of turkeys this year.
