Iowa continues to dominate the US hog farming market — slaughtering more than 39 million hogs last year, roughly 30% of the nationwide market, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual livestock slaughter report released this week.
More than 60 million Americans get their water from sources contaminated with elevated levels of nitrate pollution, which is most likely coming from agricultural manure or fertilizer runoff, according to a new analysis.
A proposal to build a mega-manure digester in a small Washington state community is sparking uproar among citizens who say the project to convert waste from dairy cows into fuel will add to the region’s already significant pollution problems.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended its moratorium on loans for anaerobic digesters — many of which are issued for large-scale farms that turn animal waste into gas — through the end of 2026 due to “persistent and escalating concerns.”
A Wisconsin biogas facility billed as climate-friendly is emitting nearly 5,000 metric tons of methane a year — equal to 30,000 gas cars. Such digesters are meant to cut emissions, but critics say leaks, pollution and hidden costs raise serious concerns.
A Wisconsin project dubbed the “world’s largest manure biogas project” emits nearly 5,000 metric tons of climate-warming methane annually, roughly equivalent to emissions from 30,000 gasoline-powered vehicles, according to state data that adds to concerns about the impacts of large-scale manure digesters.
After days of debate and disagreements, the House Committee on Agriculture on Thursday passed its version of the 2026 Farm Bill, which includes controversial provisions critics say will hamper the ability of states to put in place strict rules for pesticides and animal welfare.
Farmers across the US are leaving potential energy lying on their fields, and have the ability to reap billions of dollars in revenue by turning animal manure, crop and food waste into natural gas, according to two industry reports released this month.
Five years after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) guaranteed more than $100 million to what’s billed as the “world’s largest manure biogas project”, the loans are in delinquency, which, along with operational failures and underperformance at such plants, has seemingly prompted an agency-wide pause on loan guarantees for such projects, according to The New Lede’s analysis of federal data.
Colorado officials are failing to require legally mandated water quality monitoring near concentrated animal feeding operations, allowing for widespread water contamination with animal waste, conservation groups allege in a new legal challenge to the state.