harvest public media

Potato industry banks on 'Linda'

Luke Runyon — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:37:22 +0000

At a Fort Collins, Colo., grocery store, Kristin Mastre paused for a minute in front a large bin of Russet and red potatoes. She picked out a few handfuls and continued on, her two boys, Carter, 4, and Logan, 7, in tow.

Rural Reads: On post offices, Common Core and county health

Harum Helmy — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:30:12 +0000

Every week, KBIA's Health & Wealth Desk curates the week's most interesting (or so we think) articles and reports on rural health, wealth and society issues.

Rural post offices in crisis

Rural Reads: On osteopathic physicians and access to insurance

Harum Helmy — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 23:02:34 +0000

Every Friday, KBIA’s Health and Wealth Desk curates the week’s most interesting (or so we think) articles and reports on rural health, wealth and society issues.

Osteopathic Physicians: An Answer To Rural Health Care Needs?

It’s no secret the U.S. is facing a shortage of primary care physicians – especially in rural areas, which is home to some 20 percent of all Americans, but only has 9 percent of all physicians. Compared to specialized medicine such as surgery and cardiology, primary care does not pay as well – and the average student loan debt for med school graduates is $161,290. Only about 24 percent of MD graduates lean to primary care. That’s not the case with recent osteopathic medicine graduates, though.

Health insurance unknowns loom for farmers as Affordable Care Act approaches

Amy Mayer — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:09:37 +0000

Marilyn Andersen raises angora goats and llamas for wool that she spins and weaves in her studio at Two Cedars Weaving in Story City, Iowa. She also has a part-time job coordinating distribution of local produce through a service called Farm to Folk. Neither effort comes with health insurance.

Seed science pushes toward higher yields

Amy Mayer — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:24:30 +0000

At an open house at DuPont Pioneer’s Dallas Center Corn Research Center near Des Moines, Iowa, retired corn breeder Bill Ambrose marveled at the tools available today to do the job he did for nearly 40 years.

Generic seeds could have a short lifespan

Grant Gerlock — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:10:52 +0000

The patent rights on the first genetically modified seeds expire next year, but it’s not clear how the introduction of “generic” seeds fits into the science and business of GM crops.

Drought takes head start into 2013

Grant Gerlock — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 01:12:58 +0000

2012 was a drought year for the record books. It was the warmest year ever recorded in Des Moines, Iowa, Topeka, Kan., and Columbia, Mo. and the driest ever in Grand Island, Neb. The question is whether 2013 will be any different.

Checkoff beef and fiscal cliff (for now)

Kristofor Husted — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:04:00 +0000

Did you feel that pullback January 1st? That was Congress finally passing a compromise bill to prevent the country from careening off the fiscal cliff. In the early hours of 2013, the Senate passed the bill. And much later that day, the House passed it.

Beef checkoff feud exposes divide within cattle industry

Peggy Lowe and Frank Morris — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:30:00 +0000

This story on the American beef industry is part of a special reporting series from Harvest Public Media. Check out the rest of their stories at harvestpublicmedia.org.

When Allen Berry brought his 11 yearlings to the Green City Livestock Market in central Missouri last month, he paid into a fund that at first blush, seems a bargain.

Problematic US horsemeat shows up in Europe

Rehman Tungekar — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 23:50:00 +0000

On this week’s show, we’ll hear about problematic US horsemeat showing up in Europe, and hear from one researcher about ways to convince people to lead a healthier lifestyle.