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ICYMI: Join us tomorrow for a special training on how to use our new GIS-mapping tool for factory farms in Iowa ⬇️

We built an interactive map that allows Iowans to find factory farms in their own backyards — and readers across the country to see what’s happening in one of the states where much of their bacon and eggs come from. buff.ly/bjjwbk3

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We Mapped All 11,000 Factory Farms in Iowa. Here Are Five Things We Learned.

Here’s what the data reveal about the country’s factory farm hotbed.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 7h

"U.S. plant-based restaurants appear to be going through a contraction, amid the tumultuous aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and, perhaps, an anti-plant-based cultural vibe shift," writes @mbolotnikova.bsky.social for @vox.com: buff.ly/ChHYitI

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Where did all the vegan restaurants go?

And what does it mean for the plant-based movement?

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 10h

In March 2024, NEW Cooperative spilled 265,000 gallons of nitrogen fertilizer into the Nishnabotna River. The previous year, the Iowa legislature defunded the statewide water monitoring network. So, neighbors started monitoring the water themselves. Watch the full doc: buff.ly/1DdLand

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 30/09/2026

We wanted to know what the state with the most factory farms and agricultural waste really thinks about the large-scale, industrial animal agriculture operations that have come to define Iowa. So we asked. Read more in The Core: buff.ly/ZEpU3mC

The Core: We Surveyed 1,000 Iowans on Factory Farming

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 30/09/2026

Last week, Sentient released a new GIS map of all 10,830 factory farms in Iowa. This Friday, join Sentient’s Julian Nowogrodzki, John McCracken and Jenny Splitter as they explain how residents and journalists can use the map to understand the flow of manure through the state. RSVP: buff.ly/u7PM4Yt

Graphic for a Food and Farming Journalism Network event titled Mapping Factory Farms in Iowa: A New Tool for Investigative Reporting on October 2, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET, featuring John McCracken, Julian Nowogrodzki and Jenny Splitter of Sentient

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 30/09/2026

Iowans want to see more regulations for industrial agriculture in the state, according to 2026 polling. A pivotal swing state this cycle, the issue could be a deciding factor as Iowans go to the polls in November.

A chart reads: 79% of Iowa voters think industrial agriculture should be forced to cut pollution. Bars represent individual political parties' thoughts on the same.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 29/09/2026

Iowa resident Nick Schutt has witnessed the state’s cancer crisis firsthand. Now, he wonders if he’s next. Watch the full doc: buff.ly/1DdLand

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 28/09/2026

Iowa the most factory farms in the country, and is overflowing with animal waste: over 170 billion pounds a year, in fact. It’s full of nitrogen, and that runoff manure is wreaking havoc in the rivers — and the health of its residents. buff.ly/U1MUW26

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Iowa Built an Agricultural Powerhouse. What Did It Cost?

While cancer rates across the country are dropping, Iowa has the fastest growing cancer rate in the United States. Is industrial agriculture to blame? We went to Iowa to find out. The state has…

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 25/09/2026

We built an interactive map that allows Iowans to find factory farms in their own backyards. Here's what we learned: buff.ly/SDVzwZd

The Core: We Mapped All 11,000 Factory Farms in Iowa. Here Are Five Things We Learned.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 24/09/2026

In Iowa, there are more factory farms than grocery stores. Yet for most of the public, their locations and the amount of manure they may be producing is inaccessible. Until now. buff.ly/vqeKl0K

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Iowa: How much factory farm manure is in your backyard?

An interactive map of Iowa's concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs): where they are, how many animals they hold, and how much manure they produce.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 24/09/2026

When the factory farming model came to Iowa, there was wide public pushback. But today, researcher @austinfrerick.bsky.social says the worst actors continue to thrive. As water pollution in the state grows, so do Iowa’s cancer rates. Watch the full doc: buff.ly/3sdOSmL

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 23/09/2026

Forests are also being systematically destroyed by the agriculture industry, and this rampant deforestation imperils the lives of plants, animals and humans alike. buff.ly/sBRLiW3

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Agriculture Affects Deforestation Much More Than Most People Realize

Cattle farming accounts for 72 percent of all deforested land across the Amazon, and 41 percent of all tropical deforestation worldwide.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 23/09/2026

The USDA has announced a massive meat recall on more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat products that officials said were produced without federal inspection. Danielle Langenfeld reports for @thehill.com: buff.ly/GKAsEh5

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Massive meat recall affects beef, pork and more: USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a massive meat recall on more than 167,000 pounds of of raw pork, beef, and goat products that officials said were produced without the benefit of f…

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 23/09/2026

Concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, are central to Iowa’s rise as an agricultural powerhouse. As the number of CAFOs skyrocketed, the state’s cancer rates, which have been linked to nitrate pollution from these farm sites, also climbed.

Infographic showing how the number of CAFOs in Iowa have grown since 1990. Text reads
The number of large CAFOs in Iowa has grown more than fivefold since 1990.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

Iowa has the most factory farms in the United States, but where those farms spread manure is confidential. So we decided to map them all. Here’s what we learned 🧵

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

A MAGA commentator is facing pushback on social media after suggesting Americans switch to veggie burgers to avoid higher beef costs. Giulia Carbonaro reports for @newsweek.com: buff.ly/k41ouKS

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MAGA Commentator Suggests Eating Veggie Burgers as Beef Prices Rise

Just In

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

In Iowa, there are more concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) than grocery stores. Yet for most of the public, the location of nearby CAFOs and the amount of manure they may be producing is inaccessible. Until now.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 21/09/2026

Cooke Aquaculture touts the jobs its salmon farms bring to the state, but local critics say the potential costs to their waters, livelihoods and wild Atlantic salmon outweigh the benefits. buff.ly/wTM30Wz

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Mainers Fight to Protect Wild Salmon From Fish Farms

Cooke Aquaculture touts the jobs its salmon farms bring to the state, but local critics say the potential costs to their waters, livelihoods and wild Atlantic salmon outweigh the benefits.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 21/09/2026

What was once a bipartisan slam dunk has now become a hyper-politicized game of chicken, with hunger, nutrition, and conservation programs on the line. @fridagarza.bsky.social reports for @grist.org: buff.ly/eK1LQ2R

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Has the farm bill hit a dead end?

What was once a bipartisan slam dunk has now become a hyper-politicized game of chicken, with hunger, nutrition, and conservation programs on the line.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 21/09/2026

Iowa has a cancer problem. With the most consequential election cycle in recent memory around the corner, water and cancer are on the ballot in a way they’ve never been before. Stay tuned for the full doc on Thursday, September 24.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 18/09/2026

The Trump administration’s grand plan to bring down beef prices includes importing more meat. But what does this mean for the planet? @jesslsr.bsky.social reports: buff.ly/IgNBPlx

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Trump's Beef Import Plan Could Bring Down Prices — and Drive Up Emissions

Planetary emissions are already in a dangerous phase, scientists warn.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 18/09/2026

Big news! 🚨 @ninaelkadi.com’s Sentient feature, “In the Arizona Desert, Where Your Neighbor Is an Alfalfa Farm,” is the recipient of the Food and Agriculture Multimedia Journalism Award from @coveringclimatenow.org.

A man stands in the Arizona desert. Text reads:
2026 CCNow Journalism Awards
In the Arizona Desert, Where Your Neighbor Is an Alfalfa Farm

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 17/09/2026

Iowa is in the midst of a cancer crisis. Nationally, cancer death rates have fallen for three decades. Iowa is one of only three states where new diagnoses are rising and it has the fastest-rising rate in the nation according to federal data.

A chart showing new cancer cases per 100,000 people, highlighting New Mexico, California, Texas, New York, Iowa and Kentucky. Text reads:
Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the country. It is one of only three states where rates are rising.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 17/09/2026

Brazilians will soon head to the polls to elect their next president, and the two leading candidates’ environmental policies couldn’t be more different. Read more in The Core: buff.ly/58uMVr4

Deforestation Is on the Ballot in Brazil

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 16/09/2026

To much fanfare, McDonald’s, Subway and Taco Bell all pledged to cut routine antibiotics from their beef ten years ago. None of the companies have delivered. None will even say whether they’re still trying. @byng.bsky.social reports: buff.ly/ODEW00D

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McDonald’s, Subway and Taco Bell Fail to Meet Antibiotic Reduction Commitments

The fast food giants are silent on whether they’re still pursuing targets set a decade ago.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 16/09/2026

As the Senate prepares to vote on the farm bill today, some pork industry groups are still hoping to see the controversial Save Our Bacon Act included. buff.ly/qtxPi8N

sentientmedia.org

Senate Ag Committee Farm Bill Spares Animal Welfare Law, for Now

The controversial Save Our Bacon Act has been omitted from the text of the latest Farm Bill proposal.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 15/09/2026

Livestock producers generate a mountain of plastics. Resourceful ranchers are developing solutions. @moiradonovan.bsky.social reports for Offrange: buff.ly/mzdNMJE

ambrook.com

Ranching’s Plastic Problem

Livestock producers generate a mountain of plastics. Resourceful ranchers are developing solutions.

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