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Kyle Howerton, AHM Group's managing principal/partner, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in St. Louis’ Downtown West neighborhood.

Midwest builders are using wood in a new way to construct high rises. And it's climate-friendly

A wood building material can be used in high-rise structures, giving it the potential to replace materials that are bad for the climate, while also locking carbon into buildings for decades.

Charlene Gawronski waits in a tree stand in the early hours of Michigan’s opening day of the deer firearm season. When out in the field, she said she often thinks of her Uncle Bob, who taught her to hunt rabbits when she was a girl. “Sometimes, I’ll say a prayer, and instead of talking to Jesus or God, I’ll say, ‘Uncle Bob, give me a good shot. Or make sure that I take a clean, ethical shot,’” she said.

Women are a growing segment of hunters. But keeping them in the sport remains a challenge

Many Midwest states and outdoor organizations are now trying to reach groups that haven’t historically participated in hunting — including women. But while women make up about a third of new hunters, many face barriers to break into and continue with the sport.

A close-up picture of a woman holding a cooked, whole turkey in a pan.

Turkey is Thanksgiving’s iconic centerpiece. But in recent years it's started to slip from the menu

It’s been a tradition to eat turkey for Thanksgiving since the 1800s. But one economic report suggests the custom has lost footing in recent years.

Rex Cocroft, a biology professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia, looks at a group of treehoppers in his research lab. "The insect sounds that we hear are just a tiny subset of all the insect sounds out there," he said. "Many of the sounds that are traveling through grasses and trees and shrubs are very melodic and very creative – combining different elements that just sound very unusual. Sometimes very musical, sometimes rather harsh, but often very, very interesting and surprising to our ears."

Insects are making sounds the human ear can't hear. One Midwest scientist is listening

Thousands of insect species use vibrations to communicate. Now, in part because of the foundational research of a Midwestern biology professor, more researchers are exploring insect vibrational communication to ward against pests and understand climate change.

Adult monarch butterflies are large with bright orange wings, white spots, black veins and boarder.

The U.S. could protect monarch butterflies as a threatened species

The monarch butterfly population continues to shrink due to factors such as climate change. People working to help the species say proposed federal protections could boost existing efforts.

Barges float down the Mississippi River on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, on the southern edge of the St. Louis riverfront.

Mississippi River mayors launch a new push for a legal agreement to manage the waterway

Legal agreements govern the Great Lakes and some river systems in the U.S., but the Mississippi River doesn’t have a compact. Some mayors on the waterway think it’s time to change that.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Water Resources Management Specialist Scott Van Egeren tosses wild rice seed into the air for it to fan out and fall into Spur Lake. Wild rice has declined across the Upper Midwest over the last century.

Wild rice dwindled in parts of the Upper Midwest. Now efforts are underway to bring it back

Wild rice grows in shallow waterways in the Great Lakes region and parts of Canada. It’s a plant that holds important ecological and cultural significance, but it’s been on the decline since the early 1900s.

A woman named Jen Schroeder sits on a bench at Arbor Villa Park in Kansas City.

These Midwest cities are cutting pesticides from public parks with the help of a national nonprofit

Beyond Pesticides is working to help cities phase out the use of chemicals like weed killers from public outdoor spaces. Advocates and organizers hope it will make communities healthier.

A man operates a six-row corn harvester in a field.

Trump’s proposed tariffs target big U.S. trading partners. What that could mean for Midwest farmers

Incoming president Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from countries such as China, Mexico and Canada. Many economists and commodity groups say these import taxes could boomerang and harm U.S. agriculture.

A farmer harvests a soybean field, October 17, 2020. USDA/FPAC photo by Preston Keres

Farm groups say producers need a new farm bill, but many expect another extension as time runs out

The clock is ticking for Congress to address the expired farm bill. Several groups are urging lawmakers to get an updated bill to the finish line before the end of the year.

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