Katie Peikes, KMUW

Katie Peikes

KMUW

Ames, IA, United States

Contact Katie

Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.

Start free trial

Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • KMUW
  • St. Louis Public Radio
  • KCUR
  • Iowa Public Radio

Past articles by Katie:

Study says crop insurance costs – subsidized by taxpayers – are rising because of climate change

Taxpayers spent nearly $40 billion on crop insurance premiums between 2001 and 2020 across a 13-state region that includes Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and South Dakota, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group. → Read More

The Midwest has lost 57 billion metric tons of topsoil over the last 160 years, new study finds

Farmers till their land to prepare soil for planting, but a new study published in the journal “Earth’s Future” found topsoil in the Midwest is eroding on average nearly 2 millimeters per year. → Read More

Bird flu is popping up in backyard and commercial flocks in the Midwest

Poultry producers and backyard flock owners are watching closely as a deadly strain of bird flu spreads across the eastern half of the U.S. → Read More

As African Swine Fever plagues other countries, the U.S. works to keep it out

A highly contagious pig disease most recently has been detected in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. → Read More

A worldwide fertilizer shortage may shape what farmers plant next spring

Surging fertilizer prices are putting pressure on farmers as they start to look to the next planting season, and altering whether the plant corn or soybeans next spring. → Read More

Iowa Lawmakers Frustrated Over Leaked Proposal Lowering Renewable Fuel Requirements For Oil Refiners

A leaked proposal for the federal biofuels mandate is getting criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. → Read More

Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Could Weaken Midwest Crops And Trees

An invasive bug recently found in Kansas could spell trouble for agriculture in the Midwest if more are confirmed. → Read More

Iowa DNR Has Found Manganese Above EPA Health Advisory In A Small Number Of Public Water Systems

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is two years into a three-year study testing the state's public water supply systems for manganese, a metal that can contaminate drinking water. So far, it has found concentrations of manganese above an EPA advisory in 26 public water systems. → Read More

Here's How One Cricket Farmer Is Trying To Get Insects Onto Your Plate

On a recent hot Saturday morning at the Des Moines Farmers Market, lots of people walked by a tent that had signs hanging from it: “dare to eat... → Read More

What Caring For Bees Teaches Inmates About Life Beyond Prison

On a hot day in July, Darrell, who is serving time at the Clarinda Correctional Facility, pulled a black carrot out of the ground from one of the prison... → Read More

New Missouri River Barge Facility Another Way For Western Iowa Farmers To Reach Export Markets

A new facility for barge traffic has opened along the Missouri River in western Iowa. → Read More

How An Iowa Town Won Its Fight For Better Flood Protection

Levees protect people, towns, and agriculture from flooding. But two years ago, parts of the Missouri River and its tributaries reached record crests,... → Read More

219 New COVID-19 Cases, 9 New Deaths Reported Wednesday

Follow the latest Iowa news in our Daily Digest, a liveblog where you can catch up on the headlines in five minutes and find more reporting from our news → Read More

355 New COVID-19 Cases, 7 New Deaths Reported Thursday

Follow the latest Iowa news in our Daily Digest, a liveblog where you can catch up on the headlines in five minutes and find more reporting from our news → Read More

392 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 More Deaths Reported Friday

Follow the latest Iowa news in our Daily Digest, a liveblog where you can catch up on the headlines in five minutes and find more reporting from our news → Read More

Liveblog: 293 New Cases Of COVID-19, 12 More Deaths Announced Wednesday

Iowa schools are closed for the rest of the school year, and many businesses remain closed, although the state did 'reopen' 77 Iowa counties on May 1. We → Read More

Sioux City School District Sends Wi-Fi Out Into Communities While Kids Are Home From School

The Sioux City Community School District has deployed Wi-Fi hotspots into some communities by school buses and vans to make internet access more equitable → Read More

Iowa Republicans Turn Out To Caucus For President Trump

President Donald Trump easily won the 2020 Iowa Republican caucuses Monday as results were called in his favor less than 30 minutes after the evening got → Read More

Missouri River Flooding Breaches Two Protective Structures In Pottawattamie County

The Missouri River’s rising water has breached two protective structures in western Iowa’s Pottawattamie County, and the water is continuing toward nearby → Read More

Congressman Steve King Not Worried About Current Fundraising

Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King currently has less money to spend on his campaign than his Republican primary challengers, but King says he isn’t → Read More