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Arkansas lawmakers on Aug. 24, 2023, authorized a one-year study of the state's sometimes confusing gun laws, starting in October. (Ron Bailey/Getty Images)

Arkansas’ concealed carry laws stir confusion, concern for uniformity, witnesses tell legislative panel

BY: - July 17, 2023

Arkansas Second Amendment activists and county sheriffs called on a legislative panel Monday to create a task force to provide guidance to firearms instructors and citizens regarding state gun law. Gary Epperson, president of Gun Owners of Arkansas, told lawmakers that qualifications for becoming a firearms instructor who can teach the course for a concealed-carry […]

The pork industry shifted dramatically over the past three decades. A USDA report tracks how the industry moved away from small operations to CAFOs, production contracts and specialization. (File photo from March 2021 by Danielle Pycior for Investigate Midwest)

Scaling up: 4 ways hog farms changed since the 1990s

BY: - November 28, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story is a compilation of the five-part series “Scaling Up” by Madison McVan published by Investigate Midwest in September and October. The story examines changes in the pork industry over the last few decades. More contracts. More specialization. More pork production, resulting in decreasing costs. A report issued in August by […]

A typical pen format for swine in many Iowa animal feeding operations. (File photo/Iowa Watch)

EPA permits cover only a third of concentrated animal feeding operations

BY: - November 22, 2022

The Environmental Protection Agency is charged with protecting important waterways from pollution, but manure from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, continues to harm waterways — and only one-third of the largest facilities have a federal permit. EPA permits require CAFO operators to tell the agency how much waste the animals will produce and how […]