The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "dairy" ...
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Hot Trucks
Amidst widespread reports of food safety recalls and food borne illness outbreak, WTHR's "Hot Trucks" exposed a gaping hole in the safety net of our nation's food supply. The 6-month investigation revealed tons of meat, seafood, dairy products, produce, and other perishable food items are transported to grocery stores and restaurants every day under unsafe and unsanitary conditions that pose a serious health threat to millions of Americans.
Tags: Food Safety
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Misleading Milk Marketing
"This investigative series was the first to report on the misleading health claims made by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, which spends millions of dollars annually to promote dairy products throughout Wisconsin and nationwide."
Tags: milk marketing board; health; dairy; consumer affairs
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Dairyland Diversity
Wisconsin's dairy industry has seen an influx of immigrant laborers in recent years. While the workers have contributed to growth in the industry, they have also put the farmers in potential legal peril.
Tags: farmer; dairy; immigrant; illegal; immigration; rural; Wisconsin
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"New Frontier"
In this investigation, The Denver Post reveals potential fraud, in addition to mismanagement of "deposits and loans," caused the collapse of Colorado's New Frontier Bank. Loans were issued to borrowers who "agreed to buy stock," and loan officers often "rewrote terms of delinquent loans."
Tags: New Frontier Bank; Greenley; Larry Seastrom; Weld County; Johnson Dairy; Bill Garcia; FDIC
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"The Dark Side of Daries"
Rebecca Clarren takes an in-depth look at the dangerous working conditions of migrant dairy workers in the "American West." Many have been seriously injured or killed on the job, but are scared to tell their stories for fear they will be fired.
Tags: immigrant; cows; diary; farmers; milking; daries; OSHA
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Hidden Wells, Dirty Water
An investigation into groundwater contamination in the heavily agricultural Lower Yakima Valley found that local, state and federal agencies responsible for clean drinking water and environmental health repeatedly neglected their regulatory duties. This left low-income Latino farm workers exposed to health threats.
Tags: dairy industry; water; agriculture; Latino; contamination; nitrate; wells; environment
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Toxic Fumes, Blisters and Brain Damage
This story examines a link between the toxic fumes produced by the largest dairy farm in New York state, called Willet Dairy, and the health problems suffered by its neighbors.
Tags: toxic fumes; dairy industry; New York state; dairy farms; factory farms; cows
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Are more mega-farms headed to this area? Economic benefits touted; neighbors cite environmental concerns
This three piece series examines the "mega-farm" phenomenon and the impact it could have on Hancock County, Ohio. Moser interviewed people who work on and live by mega-farms to predict the pros and cons of mega-farming in Hancock county.
Tags: farming; agriculture; commercial farms; environment; Ohio Department of Agriculture; dairy farms
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Small dairy farmers take on 'Goliath' cooperative
This investigation examines the manipulation of the dairy market by the nation's largest dairy cooperative. The stories explore how Dairy Farmers of America has used tactics such as signing exclusive supply agreements with bottling plants to force independent dairy farmers to join the cooperative or face going out of business. The Tribune also reveals how the cheese exchange on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is essentially unregulated and heavily influenced by the cooperative's CEO. Such influence determines how much dairy farmers are paid for milk, which affects consumer prices at the grocery store. A related story recounts how the cheese exchange in 1997 was moved from Green Bay to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange because of allegations of price manipulation.
Tags: Dairy Farmers of America; cheese exchange; agriculture; dairy farmers; milk; Chicago Mercantile Exchange
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Hidden Horrors: California Dairy Workers Face Danger and Abuse
Workers in California's dairy industry generally live and work in the same place, and therefore do not speak out about poor working conditions for fear of losing their homes and/or their jobs. Rose Arrieta finds that in 2001, Cal OSHA investigated the state's dairies following the deaths of two workers. Fines were handed down, but there have been no inspections since then. Arrieta discovers that these workers are "modern-day slaves." Workers who aren't working at a "satisfactory" pace are beaten, those with injuries are told to work or they won't get paid, and some are threatened by their employers if the worker complains to legal authorities about inadequate pay.
Tags: dairy industry; California OSHA; Marin County; Sonoma County; human rights abuse; civil righs abuse; Department of Food and Agriculture