If you’ve visited our website in the past few days, you may have noticed things look a little different. Behind the scenes, the change is much bigger.
We’ve moved investigatemidwest.org to a new platform designed to make it easier to read our work, subscribe to our newsletters and support our journalism.
For the first time, our newsletters have a home on the website, so you can go back and catch up on editions you may have missed. Free members receive our weekly newsletter, while supporting members help fund our journalism and receive additional benefits. Both can sign in to manage their membership and newsletter preferences in one place.
Our reporting remains free and available to everyone, with no sign-in required.
But if you choose to sign in, it gives us a better way to understand what our readers are interested in and which parts of our work they’re engaging with. It also helps us stay better connected with members and offer things like special invitations, events and other benefits to the people who support our reporting.
That matters to us.
There’s an immediate perk, too: become a supporting member today and you can attend our first Rooted Coffee Chat on Oct. 7. We’ll be joined by Andy and Tammy Orem, a fifth-generation Indiana farm family whose relatives own land next to a proposed 500-acre data center site.
There may still be a few things we’re adjusting as we settle into the new system. If you spot a broken link, missing image or anything else that doesn’t look quite right, please let us know. We’d love for you to take a look around.
Thank you,
DATA HARVEST: A handful of cooperatives control the US milk market
by Juan Vassallo, Investigate Midwest
Three of the largest dairy co-ops market the vast majority of milk sales; some have expanded into milk processing and other parts of the dairy industry. Farmers say these organizations — created to serve them — have developed interests of their own.
Have USDA staffing cuts affected you?
Investigate Midwest is covering the fallout of the Trump administration’s decision to cut local USDA staff. Have you had trouble getting in touch with FSA officers or folks who handled other kinds of grants? Reach our team here or share a message with us securely.
ICYMI: Soybean tariffs spell trouble
China announced this week that it plans to lower tariffs on several U.S. farm products, including soybean oil and meal. But whole soybeans themselves were left off the list and still face an additional 10% tariff.
In this 2025 story, we reported on why China is such an important market for U.S. soybean farmers and why selling more beans at home cannot easily replace it.
