Author

Madison McVan

Madison McVan is a Report for America corps member who covers economic mobility for Minnesota Reformer. She previously covered agriculture for Investigate Midwest after graduating from the University of Missouri in 2020 with degrees in Journalism and Latin American studies.

American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture.’ Others beg to differ

By: Madison McVan - February 15, 2022

This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]

COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield plant in Missouri likely larger than originally known

By: Madison McVan - May 17, 2021

This story was originally published on The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. The COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield Foods’ northern Missouri plant — the focus of a worker safety lawsuit that garnered national attention last year — resulted in two worker deaths and was worse than previously thought, according to newly obtained federal documents. Early on […]

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