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.
Just one year away from a 2025 deadline to reduce the farm runoff washing down the Mississippi River into Gulf of Mexico by 20%, success seems unlikely. (Photos: Darrell Hoemann, Investigate Midwest; ROSCOSMOS/NASA)
Flowing down the Mississippi River, the excess fertilizer that washes off vast swaths of farmland fuels a persistent “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico and puts water supplies upstream at risk of contamination.
Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted (and we reported) that this summer's dead zone will cover more than 5,800 square miles – an area bigger than the state of Connecticut that threatens marine wildlife and fisheries.
Yet despite more than a quarter-century of federal effort and billions spent on potential solutions, experts say the nation's largest watershed is “not even close” to its targets for fixing the runoff problem. What more can be done to stem the flow?
That's the focus of Farm to Trouble – our latest collaborative project, nearly a year in the making.
It includes reporting by more than half a dozen local news outlets, data analysis of long-term runoff trends and views from three new flyovers of the Gulf, upper Midwest and Chesapeake Bay, and was edited by our own Tegan Wendland, Iowa investigative reporter Erin Jordan, and NPR Embedded host Kelly McEvers.
Like all our work, this series is free to republish (spread the word!). We'd love for you to reply to this email and let us know what you think. Thanks so much for reading.
Farmland lines the Missouri River near Washington, Missouri, April 24, 2024. Aerial support provided by LightHawk. Credit: Eric Lee, St. Louis Public Radio
One year away from a federal deadline to reduce nutrient runoff into the Gulf of Mexico by 20%, increases in tile drainage, livestock and fertilizer use have made success unlikely.
🌱 “We are way, way behind. Not even close.” –Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa
Murky, sediment-rich Mississippi River water mixes with fresh saltwater in the Gulf of Mexico on June 7, 2024. Nutrient runoff from 41% of the United States flows down the Mississippi, creating a “dead zone.” Aerial support provided by SouthWings. Credit: La’Shance Perry, The Lens
This summer’s “dead zone,” a low-oxygen area where the river empties into the sea, could span 5,827 square miles across the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana has the power to call for change.
🌱 “We’re doing exactly what we hope and wish everyone north of us would be doing.” –Joey Breaux, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
Jeff Broberg examines water from a spring on April 11, 2024, near Altura, Minnesota. The retired geologist says, “I wouldn’t drink this water,” because of the nitrates and pesticides in it. Credit: Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Worsening local effects on health and recreation in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin are spurring action on problems that also cause the Gulf of Mexico’s chronic “dead zone.”
🌱 “To draw that connection to the Gulf is just extremely hard to do. But when you’re talking about contaminated drinking water, it’s a different story.” –Paul Wotzka, Minnesota Well Owners Organization
Runoff creates a visible line in the Appomattox River, a major tributary of the James River, which flows into southern Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Credit: Kenny Fletcher, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Sluggish progress on reducing nutrient runoff into the Bay marks an inconvenient truth, but offers lessons for others seeking to clean their watersheds.
🌱 “At the rate we're going it's going to take about 150 years. We better learn how to do it better.” –Denice Wardrop, Chesapeake Bay Program
Doug Doughty stands in his field on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Livingston County, Mo. Doughty and his wife, Barb, own roughly 1,200 acres of land, some of which is property that has been in Doughty’s family for over 185 years. Credit: Maya Bell for the Ag & Water Desk
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting the size of this low-oxygen area will be 5,827 square miles, 5% larger than the long-term average. The prediction is based on water quality monitoring by the U.S. Geological Survey along the Mississippi River.
