Oakland, NE — Combating the effects of climate change, from severe floods to drought, a Nebraska farmer is combining new regenerative practices with lessons from the past to become more sustainable. As Graham Christensen and his brother harvest their fields in Oakland, there is already another crop waiting to take its place. "See this? This would be rye grass. So it's just starting to peak up," Christensen said. About a month ago, Christensen used drones to drop seed in his corn and bean fields. "As soon as they come out and that sun hits the ground, more and more you see that cover crop flourish," Christensen said. It's all part of regenerative farming practices, including not tilling fields after harvest and using cover crops. View the KETV news segment here.

Oakland, NE — You don’t notice anything really different about Christensen Farms as you drive to the farm entrance.  Thick stands of corn, powered by abundant rains in this corner of northeast Nebraska, have resulted in stalks 8 feet tall, swaying in a late summer breeze. No different than cornfields down the road. But a closer look reveals the innovative practices employed by Graham and Max Christensen to reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizer and to build up the soil naturally on these rolling hills.   The Christensens say such practices can reduce nitrate pollution in groundwater and rivers, resulting in healthier soil for future generations. Read the full Nebaska Examiner article here.

Dakota City, NE - Tyson’s five largest plants in Nebraska dumped more than 111m lb of pollutants into waterways between 2018 and 2022, accounting for a third of the nationwide total. This included 4m lb of nitrates – a chemical that can contaminate drinking water, cause blood disorders and neurological defects in infants, as well as cancers and thyroid disease in adults. Tyson’s largest plant is located in Dakota City on the Missouri River – America’s longest waterway which stretches 2,300 miles across eight states before joining the Mississippi. It’s a sprawling beef facility, which generates a nauseating stench that wafts over neighboring South Sioux city, known locally as sewer city, where many plant workers live. (Another beef processing plant is located next to Tyson.) The Dakota City plant is a major local employer and Tyson’s single largest polluter, dumping 60m lb of contaminants into waterways between 2018 and 2022, according to UCS analysis.  A few miles south of the Dakota City Tyson plant, the Winnebago tribe is slowly recuperating and reforesting their land, as well as transitioning to organic farming. Read entire Guardian article here.