Author

Allison Winter

Allison Winter

Allison Winter is a Washington D.C. correspondent for States Newsroom, a network of state-based nonprofit news outlets that includes South Dakota Searchlight.

Mike Scully harvests soybeans at Scully Family Farms in Spencer, Indiana, on Sept. 29, 2022. (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service photo by Brandon O’Connor)

The farm bill is on the verge of expiring. Congress is months away from a new version.

By: - September 26, 2023

WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set […]

Cattle graze in a field outside of North English, Iowa, on Sept. 13, 2017. (USDA photo by Preston Keres)

USDA’s climate grants for farms and forests run into Republican buzzsaw

By: - August 9, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is spending more than $3 billion to cultivate more American farmers and forest landowners as partners to mitigate climate change — even while some Republicans on Capitol Hill try to stop the program entirely. The administration launched a new farm program, Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities, this year. It is […]

Wildfire smoke clouds the skyline on June 28, 2023, in Chicago. The Chicago area was under an air quality alert as smoke from Canadian wildfires covered the city for a second straight day. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Summer wildfire threat could imperil unexpected US regions: the Northeast and Midwest

By: - June 29, 2023

WASHINGTON — In a summer of drought, smoke and haze, wildfires could flare up in unusual locations in the United States over the next few months — including New England and the Midwest, according to federal forecasters. “The predominant threat looks to be the Northeast, which is not normal,” said Jim Karels, the fire director […]

Corn grows in a farm field Aug. 12, 2008, near Belvidere, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Billions in federal farm payments flow to a select group of producers, report shows

By: - February 1, 2023

WASHINGTON — The top 10% of recipients of federal farm payments raked in more than 79% of total subsidies over the last 25 years — producing billions of dollars for a relatively small group of U.S. producers, according to a new analysis of federal data from an environmental group. In total, the federal government paid […]

A farmer harvests corn near Slater, Iowa. on Oct. 17, 2020.

Climate funding could suffer in the farm bill under GOP control of Congress

By: - November 7, 2022

WASHINGTON — Republicans who may be taking control of Congress in this week’s midterm elections have not been very specific about many policy goals—but the farm bill is an exception. Members of the GOP in the U.S. House and Senate are sending strong signals they want to strip climate funding from the massive legislation in […]

Demonstrators in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as two cases challenging affirmative action were being argued inside. Oct. 31, 2022. (Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)

U.S. Supreme Court justices cast doubt on affirmative action in college admissions

By: - October 31, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday questioned the legality of race-conscious policies in college admissions, as the justices weighed two cases that could upend the admissions process many colleges use to try to boost diversity on campus.  At issue are two cases that challenge the lawfulness of affirmative action at Harvard […]