ICN Sunday Morning: Where Does 110 Billion Pounds of Manure Go?

Go behind the scenes with managing editor Jamie Smith Hopkins and reporter Anika Jane Beamer as they explain why no one knows what happens to 110 billion pounds of manure produced in Iowa every year.Iowa raises about 23 million hogs each year. That many animals produce a lot of manure — some 110 billion pounds of it — but no one keeps track of where it goes.That’s a problem. Most manure from Iowa’s concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) gets spread as fertilizer across the state’s cropland, but if it isn’t handled well, the manure ends up in waterways, triggering algal blooms, polluting drinking water and endangering public health. Anika Jane, ICN’s Iowa reporter, explains how the state’s tracking system is failing, practical steps to solve the problem, and why Iowa’s manure problem matters to residents both in and outside the state.This story is a collaboration between Inside Climate News and Sentient Media.