Watching Our Water | How Are Nitrates Ending Up In Drinking Water Supplies?

Contaminated drinking water isn’t just a problem for Flint, Michigan. Many towns and cities across the Midwest and Great Plains face pollution seeping into their water supplies. A big part of the problem: farming and ranching. Farmers spread nitrogen- and phosphorous-based fertilizers on their fields to help their crops grow. Excess nutrients, though, can leach…

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Watching Our Water | A Special Report

Watching Our Water title screen.

Watching Our Water is a five-part series in partnership with Harvest Public Media. Follow the entire series on Flatland through Friday, Sept. 23, and look for the half hour documentary that evening at 8 p.m. on KCPT. How does pristine water running off of snowpack high in the Rocky Mountains end up as a floating chemical…

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These Midwest Farmers Are Brewing Up Hops For Local Beer

Hops in a bucket.

With craft beer booming and local breweries springing up all over the country, Midwest farmers are testing out ways to play a role in the growing market and, in the process, make local beer truly local. Nearly all U.S. hops, which along with water, malt and yeast, comprise the base ingredients in beer, is grown…

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Missouri Farmer Enlists Bugs And Chickens In Battle Against Pests

In an effort to turn away from chemical pesticides, which have the potential to damage the environment, some farmers are looking in a new direction in the age-old, quiet struggle on farm fields of farmers versus pests. They’re warding off intruding insects and noxious weeds with bugs and chickens. Gary Wenig and his wife bought…

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Can The ‘Airbnb Of Kitchens’ Give Local Food Economies A Boost?

A woman filling jars.

The hardest part of starting a new food business should be in perfecting the secret recipe. For many entrepreneurial cooks though, the tough times come when searching for a space to legally make and sell their food. Commercial kitchen space, with stainless steel counters, industrial appliances meeting food safety regulations and appropriately-sized sinks, can be…

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