Harvest Public Media

American burying beetles bring dead animals underground, turn them into preserved meatballs and feed them to their babies. The St. Louis Zoo is working to save the threatened beetle.

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the core of a major flyway for migrating birds and one of the most visited refuges in the U.S. Anglers and outdoor enthusiasts saved it from being drained 100 years ago, but the next century brings new challenges.

Missouri's 2025 state budget includes less than a third of the federal funding the state received for Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program grants. More than a dozen producers with selected projects are without funding for now.

Cultivated meat — meat grown from animal cells — is touted as a way to meet growing global demand with far fewer climate impacts. Yet two states banned the sale of cultivated meat earlier this year, and there are proposals in several Midwestern states to do the same.

New research suggests silage has been overlooked as a substantial producer of nitrous oxide. A team at Kansas State University figured out why – and a potential way to tackle the problem.

The extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expired in September. Pressure is mounting for Congress to pass new legislation, as tough weather and low crop prices challenge farm budgets.

Kernza is a perennial grain that can produce an annual crop, even as it stays in the ground for up to four years. Its deep root system make it a sustainable crop, but the grain doesn't have many markets.

Fall is typically a drier time of the year for the Great Plains and Midwest. But drought is once again rearing its head in much of the region, and experts are not seeing relief anytime soon.

Crop prices have returned to more normal levels this year — down from record highs. As farmers expect less income this year, that's likely to send ripples through the larger agricultural economy.

Midwest states are spending millions to manage invasive carp in rivers and lakes. If left unchecked, conservation experts say the fish could wreak havoc on local ecosystems and fishing industries.