The Desk welcomes new assistant editorial director and data journalist
Two new additions to the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk bring expertise in science journalism.
Latest news (Page 3)
Invasive appetizers, high-tech tractors and river reversal: Our Executive Director's report from SEJ 2026
Executive Director Sara Shipley Hiles shares favorite moments from the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Chicago.
This herbicide is so toxic it’s been banned in over 70 countries. But plants in the South are releasing it into the air.
Paraquat has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and just a sip is fatal, but tens of thousands of pounds of it are being released in the Mississippi Basin.
In rural Wisconsin, a town pushes aside a plan to build a massive data center
Residents and town leaders have been in the dark about who would build a $1B center or where it would go. They used zoning to block the plan.
Burned before by ‘pesticide drift,’ vineyard owners enter growing season bracing for the worst
The Trump administration wants to continue the use of the herbicide dicamba. That’s despite fears it’s killing sensitive plants.
Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems?
COLUMBIA, Mo. — As a row crop farmer in St. Joseph, Mo., Joe Lau said he’s noticing more extreme weather
‘This is my ’80s’: As Trump’s tariffs upend trade, farmers endure instability
The sale of US soybeans to China may rebound this year, but a fundamental shift in US policy is needed to break farmers out of their current cycle of hardship, agricultural economy experts said during an Ag & Water Desk, Arkansas Times & Investigate Midwest panel in February.
Pest or ally? Debate over beavers in Wisconsin has wildlife advocates weighing how to coexist
Many wildlife managers see the rodent as a nuisance that harms trout. But scientists argue they’re essential to controlling floods and wildfires.
A battle over data centers heats up along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line
Elon Musk’s xAI has fired up dozens of polluting, gas-powered generators to fuel the Grok chatbot — and wants to add more
What is a Superfund site? And how does cleanup work?
There are more than 1,300 active Superfund sites across the country, including nearly 200 on tribal land
A Superfund site in Minnesota is spreading, disrupting a tribe’s way of life
Little progress has been made despite 40 years of cleanup on Leech Lake Reservation. Locals fear for the health of surrounding lakes and the Mississippi River downstream.
How long does it take to get federal assistance after a disaster? There’s no set timeline.
States need a major disaster declaration to access federal aid, but the wait time ranges from a few days to a few months
What a shrinking Delta town’s struggles tells us about failing water systems
Cotton Plant, Ark., can’t maintain water infrastructure for its residents. With an aging population and a lack of state resources, long-term solutions seem far from reach.
