A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Ag & Water Desk and Wisconsin Watch reporter Bennet Goldstein at work in the field. Credit: Coburn Dukehart, Wisconsin Watch
Britny here! I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new Engagement Editor for the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk and to join this dynamic newsroom.
In this role, my biggest goal is to help make the Desk’s reporting more accessible and engaging for everyone. I’ll be working with journalists at the Desk and their newsrooms to share and promote their work across formats and platforms, through social media, newsletters and even listening sessions where communities can get to know the journalist and the work they do.
A bit about myself: I am a freelance climate solutions and environmental justice reporter, based in Oklahoma City. I have a passion for audio storytelling but want to become a well-rounded videographer and photographer as well. I’m also a poet, so a writer through and through. My work as a journalist and poet has always been driven by a passion for storytelling and a commitment to uncovering the truth. Outside of poetry and journalism, I love roller skating and anime!
As I get to know the Desk and our subscribers, I’d love to hear what topics you would like us to cover more in our newsletter and any other ideas you have for helping more people engage with our work. Please email me at britny@agwaterdesk.org.
Thank you for welcoming me into this community. I look forward to working together to amplify the voices and stories that define our region.
Midwestern states are spending millions every year to prevent a giant, goggle-eyed fish from invading rivers and lakes. But the Asian carp is firmly established in the Mississippi River basin. Now, researchers hope creating new markets for eating the invasive fish could help.
By Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator
Silver carp jump in the Fox River in Illinois. Credit: Ryan Hagerty/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service via Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee
The Army Corps of Engineers recently completed regular dredging of the river. Instead of dumping sediment near the banks of the river as usual, the corps opted to create ephemeral land near where the Mississippi and Illinois rivers converge -- providing a potential new environment for wildlife on the river and another recreation spot until the natural flows of the river washes them away.
An Investigate Midwest analysis shows the areas with the largest increases in farmland prices have lost the most farmers. The cost increases have hit young and beginning farmers the hardest.
