Feature
A Scientist Was Pushed Out for Studying Iowa’s Water. Now He’s Running To Regulate It.
How water, cancer and factory farming are fueling a grassroots political campaign in Iowa for Chris Jones.
Elections•15 min read
Politics
Feature
What the History of Blue Baby Syndrome Tells Us About Today’s Fight for Clean Water
Research from over 75 years ago set today’s federal standard for nitrates in drinking water.
Factory Farms•14 min read
Feature
We Asked 1,000 Iowans About Factory Farming. Here’s What We Learned.
A survey taken this past spring shows a majority of Iowans say they have experienced negative environmental impacts from industrial animal operations. But plenty are also ambivalent, or ignorant, about…
Elections•11 min read
Investigation
How Corporate Agriculture Is Funding Both Sides of the Iowa Governor’s Race
Executives in the ethanol, egg, and meat and dairy byproduct industries have spent millions of dollars on the ongoing race.
Elections•9 min read
News
Iowa Senate Approves Bill Making it Harder to Sue Factory Farms For Polluting
If passed by the governor, the bill would protect farms from lawsuits surrounding their greenhouse gas emissions.
Factory Farms•4 min read
News
Iowa Counties Keep Water Quality Monitoring Afloat After State Funding Cuts
The network offers key information for a state struggling with water pollution from agricultural runoff.
Climate•5 min read
Solutions
Iowa’s Clean Water Advocates Are Reclaiming the Past to Protect the Future
Through stories, memories and community engagement, a new grassroots effort is building public support for restoring the state’s polluted lakes.
Climate•6 min read
Donate
You have read 0 articles.
Independent Journalism Relies on You
As a fiercely independent, reader-supported news outlet, we’re unswayed by advertisers and profit margins. Your support funds investigative journalism, fact-checked explainers, resources for journalists and partnerships with publishers to boost reporting on the most pressing issues of our time. Read more
Most Read Today
•- Mark Bittman’s Community Kitchen Is Redefining ‘Good Food’
- Lab-Grown Meat Bans Are Spreading, but Some Ranchers Are Speaking Out Against Them
- Trump Wants to Let Ranchers Shoot Wolves. Science Suggests That’s the Wrong Fix.
- The Save Our Bacon Act Is Republicans’ Latest Attack on Prop 12
- A Brief History of Milk Ads Reveals Big Dairy Has Always Struggled
- Inside Big Beef’s ‘90s Campaign to Rewrite Its Climate Story
- We Mapped All 11,000 Factory Farms in Iowa. Here Are Five Things We Learned.
- Illegal Manure Pollution in Water — and Cancer — on the Rise in Iowa
Topics
Sentient investigates and explains factory farms and their effect on climate, the environment, animals, health, politics and rural communities.