Agriculture
Trump migrant deportations could threaten states’ agricultural economies
If President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to deport millions of immigrants, it could upend the economies of states where farming and other food-related industries are crucial — and where labor shortages abound. Immigrants make up about two-thirds of the nation’s crop farmworkers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and roughly 2 […]
‘Invisible’ migrant farmworkers cope with hurricane’s aftermath
LAKE PARK, Ga. — For the past month, farmworker Albertin Melo, his wife, Angelica Garcia, and their three children have taken refuge under debris. When ferocious Hurricane Helene left their south Georgia mobile home in shambles, the family improvised new shelter by patching together remnants they found sprawled across their Lake Park neighborhood: salvaged tin […]
As bird flu spreads on dairy farms, an ‘abysmal’ few workers are tested
Public health officials are concerned about bird flu, which so far has been detected in three dairy farmworkers — two in Michigan and one in Texas — as well as in cattle in a dozen states. The farmworkers’ symptoms were mild, and researchers have not found that the H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu, […]
‘Time for a reckoning.’ Kansas farmers brace for water cuts to save Ogallala Aquifer.
This story, the second in an occasional series about water challenges facing the American heartland, is a partnership between Stateline and the Kansas Reflector. Read the first story here. JETMORE, Kan. — An inch or two of corn peeks out of the dirt, just enough to reveal long rows forming over the horizon. Sprinkler engines […]
Agriculture built these High Plains towns. Now, it might run them dry.
This story, the first in an occasional series about water challenges facing the American heartland, is a partnership between Stateline and the Kansas Reflector. MOSCOW, Kan. — Brownie Wilson pulls off a remote dirt road right through a steep ditch and onto a farmer’s field. He hops out of his white Silverado pickup, mud covering nearly […]