iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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

buff.ly

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.

264

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 11h

"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

buff.ly

Where did all the vegan restaurants go?

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

161

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 14h

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

2118

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

251

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 30/09/2026

This session is open to all interested journalists and storytellers searching for ripe data-led stories.

000

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

152

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 30/09/2026

For more on how Iowa’s pollution crisis may affect the 2026 election, check out our Inside Iowa series: buff.ly/BMsSHK7

buff.ly

Inside Iowa - Sentient

Inside Iowa Inside Iowa

010

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 30/09/2026

Across party lines, voters say they are more likely to support an elected official who makes protecting clean water a top priority. That includes the nitrate pollution coming straight from the state’s factory farms.

143

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.

256

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 29/09/2026

Created in partnership with the documentary organization SingleStone Media: buff.ly/BSR94oV

buff.ly

SingleStone Media

000

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

143

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

buff.ly

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…

0109

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 25/09/2026

We're investigating the hidden costs of factory farming across Iowa. Check out more reporting, explore our interactive map and sign up for our biweekly Inside Iowa newsletter: buff.ly/BMsSHK7

buff.ly

Inside Iowa - Sentient

Inside Iowa Inside Iowa

020

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.

181

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

buff.ly

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.

1119

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

1147

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

buff.ly

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.

0112

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

buff.ly

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…

21112

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.

252

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

5. The @iowadnr.bsky.social issued more violation notices last year. The Iowa DNR is responsible for issuing citations for operations that spill manure into waterways or mishandle waste on their farms. They issued 522 violation notices in 2025, more than any year in the previous decade.

110

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

4. Northwest Iowa is packed with manure. Sioux County, Iowa, one of the farthest corners of the state, has an estimated 20 billion pounds of manure within its borders. That’s about one-eighth of the total for the entire state.

221

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

3. Rural Iowa is packed with factory farms. Iowa hosts a whopping 10,830 factory farms. That’s eight times the amount of grocery stores in the state. This means many towns are full of CAFOs, some with over 150 within their town limits, and hog farms dominate.

121

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

2. Despite being known for its hogs, most of the state’s top 10 manure producers are dairy operations. In Iowa, hogs outnumber people by more than 7 to 1. Yet some of the state’s largest factory farms by manure output house dairy and beef cattle.

110

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

1. Livestock on Iowa factory farms produce nearly 170 billion pounds of manure each year. Last December, the @iowadnr.bsky.social told Sentient and @insideclimatenews.org that factory farms produced an estimated 110 billion pounds of waste. After looking at the data ourselves, we found more.

210

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 🧵

574

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

buff.ly

MAGA Commentator Suggests Eating Veggie Burgers as Beef Prices Rise

Just In

263

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 22/09/2026

Just type in your zip code, and see exactly how many facilities are near you — and how much manure they’re producing. Zoom in on any farm to go deep — each one is tied to official state department of natural resource records: buff.ly/FBdJkZM

041