Investigate Midwest

10/09/2026

When a data center was proposed near farmland owned by Tammy Orem’s family, she said residents had only days’ notice before the first public meeting.

In our first Rooted Coffee Chat, Andy and Tammy Orem discuss the personal toll, unanswered questions and lessons from their months-long fight in Shelby County, Indiana.

Watch the conversation, presented in partnership with the UpRoot Center: https://youtu.be/bRsE3AyFIuA?si=CGEPbXxhwBPkufMG

In Shelby County, Indiana, residents are challenging a proposed 500...

10/07/2026

Last call! Register to join us this morning with UpRoot Center to talk data centers and how these projects are affecting rural communities like Shelby County, Indiana.

10 a.m. CT via Zoom.

Scan the QR code on your phone or register at the link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/data-centers-are-moving-into-farm-country-who-gets-heard-tickets-2002299695289?aff=oddtdtcreator

10/02/2026

Join us on Nov. 12 at the Trumpet Blossom Cafe!

09/30/2026

The U.S. had more than 1,900 dairy cooperatives in 1952. By 2023, just 107 remained. As co-ops grow and buy up milk processors, some farmers say the organizations created to serve them have developed competing interests.

Read our latest Data Harvest here: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/a-handful-of-cooperatives-control-the-us-milk-market/

09/29/2026

Our new website is live! We have a new look and a much better setup behind the scenes, making it easier for you to find our reporting, manage your membership and stay connected with us.

You can now:

• Catch up on past newsletters
• Sign in to manage your membership and preferences
• Gift a membership
• Become a member starting at $5/month

Our journalism is still free to read, with no sign-in required. And if you want our latest reporting delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

Take a look around:

An independent, nonprofit newsroom that serves as a watchdog over influential agricultural corporations and institutions.

09/28/2026

Data centers are moving into farm country. Who gets heard?

On Oct. 7, Investigate Midwest is hosting a live virtual conversation with Andy and Tammy Orem, who help run a fifth-generation farm in Shelby County, Indiana.

Their family has been part of the community response to a planned 500-acre data center near family farmland. Residents have spent months attending public meetings, asking questions and pushing for answers about farmland, water, energy use and local decision-making.

We’ll talk with Andy and Tammy about why their family got involved, what this fight has looked like from where they’re standing and what they’ve learned from trying to make their voices heard.

Then you’ll have a chance to ask them questions directly.

Get your ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/data-centers-are-moving-into-farm-country-who-gets-heard-tickets-2002299695289?aff=oddtdtcreator

Hosted by Investigate Midwest with help from UpRoot Center.

09/23/2026

What happens when a 500-acre data center is proposed next to family farmland?

Andy and Tammy Orem say the project caught many people in their Indiana community off guard. The proposed site borders farmland owned by Tammy’s family, prompting questions about farmland, water, energy use and who gets a voice in major development decisions.

Join us for our first Rooted Coffee Chat to hear directly from the Orems about what is happening in Shelby County and why their family decided to get involved.

Donate $5 or more to Investigate Midwest and you’re in. We’ll send you the Zoom link.

Donate at investigatemidwest.org/donate

09/21/2026

The EPA asked Bayer to choose which restrictions it wanted for dicamba, then put the company’s choices into a proposed federal rule, according to new reporting from The Guardian:

"The documents provide an unusually clear look into the process of developing pesticide regulations, which is typically done out of public view. It shows in detail how the EPA asked Bayer which regulations it wanted, received a response from Bayer, then put Bayer’s choices into a proposed federal rule."

The story also cites our major 2020 investigation into how dicamba damaged millions of acres of farmland and what Monsanto and BASF knew about the risks.

Read the latest from The Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/20/epa-bayer-regulation-pesticide-dicamba

Our 2020 investigation is in the comments.

Environmental Protection Agency asked firm to choose rules it wanted for dicamba, then put the choices in a proposed federal rule

09/20/2026

Join us for an evening of food, community and the ambiance of sunset over the gorgeous Iowa countryside. Enjoy live music and unlimited wood-fired pizza and salad along with a cash bar and s'mores by the fire at the beautiful Walker Homestead just outside of Iowa City.

The event includes a silent auction and supports Investigate Midwest and its IowaWatch newsroom. Investigate Midwest has a mission to serve the public interest by exposing dangerous and costly practices of influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism.

Buy tickets online with the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2541382053002406/?rdid=WcY2IRFodrS87y7q&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1C2WhaSFUG%2F