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Sentient

@sentientmedia.org

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Stories + solutions for a changing world. Nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet investigating factory farms and their effect on climate, animals, health, politics and more. Send tips to [email protected]

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 6d

In La Paz County Arizona, like 80% of the state, there are few restrictions on groundwater use.

We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to profit.

Meet the residents who fear that without change, the area will become unlivable.
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In the Arizona Desert, Where Your Neighbor Is an Alfalfa Farm

Meet the residents of La Paz County Arizona. Here, like 80% of the state, there are few restrictions on groundwater use. We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to…

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

Read the full investigation by @greymoran.bsky.social:

Police Bodycams Reveal Pattern of Deference to Meat Industry

State troopers cited concerns about animal rights activists as justification for blocking journalists from livestock crash sites.

sentientmedia.org

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

In videos from three livestock crashes reviewed by Sentient, police deliberately block the media’s access to crash sites beyond what is reasonable to protect public safety, citing concerns about animal rights activists.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

This is part of a broader pattern of police deference to the meat industry in preventing media access.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

When a semi-truck hauling 1,900 piglets crashed, a livestock farmer approached the Ohio State Highway Patrol to ask a favor: direct the media to stop filming before the emergency crew unloads the dead piglets from the trailer.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

Water demand is spiking from both agriculture and data centers. Without intervention, the Great Lakes could be strained past their limit.

How Agriculture and Data Centers Compete for the Great Lakes’ Most Precious Resource

Water demand is spiking from both agriculture and data centers. Without intervention, the Great Lakes could be strained past their limit.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

“The message it says to polluters across Iowa is it’s okay to pollute, and the consequences for doing so are so light that most of the operations like this can just see it as a cost of doing business,” Chris Jones, president of Driftless Water Defenders, says.

‘Sweetheart Deal’ Reached for Polluting Slaughterhouse

Agri Star was fined just $50,000 for violating its water pollution discharge permit 60 times.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

Saudi Arabia banned alfalfa growing in the country due to water scarcity concerns and have been outsourcing since then. Since there are no limits on groundwater extraction in much of Arizona, farms are able to take advantage.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

Contract farming may sound like a good economic model, but many farmers say it’s left them debt-ridden.

How Contract Farming Makes Big Corporations Rich And Family Farmers Broke

90 percent of all chicken farmed in the U.S. is the product of contract farming.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

Thank you for reading! We appreciate the support ❤️

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to profit. Meet the residents who fear that without change, the area will become unlivable:
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In the Arizona Desert, Where Your Neighbor Is an Alfalfa Farm

Meet the residents of La Paz County Arizona. Here, like 80% of the state, there are few restrictions on groundwater use. We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to…

youtu.be

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

Arizona’s lax water laws let corporate farms pump unlimited groundwater to grow alfalfa for cattle overseas, even as local families spend their savings drilling new wells.

Sentient's @ninaelkadi.com in @floodlightnews.org ⬇️
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Saudi-owned corporate farms are draining Arizona’s desert dry

Arizona’s lax water laws let corporate farms pump unlimited groundwater to grow alfalfa for cattle overseas, even as local families spend their savings drilling new wells.

floodlightnews.org

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

As Mark Hertsgaard of @coveringclimatenow.org points out, the United Nations climate change summit didn't have a dedicated agriculture focus until 2015. This shows how neglected this topic is in general, which may contribute to this oversight in the media.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 2d

In deference to the meat industry, police deliberately block the media’s access to livestock crash sites beyond what is reasonable to protect public safety, citing concerns about animal rights activists. @greymoran.bsky.social reports:
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Police Bodycams Reveal Pattern of Deference to Meat Industry

State troopers cited concerns about animal rights activists as justification for blocking journalists from livestock crash sites.

sentientmedia.org

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 3d

Learn more about our analysis:
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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 3d

Meat is a leading emissions source, but how often do climate news stories mention animal agriculture?

Not very.

Sentient analyzed 940 of the most recent climate news stories across 11 outlets, and found that only 36 – or 3.8% – mentioned animal agriculture or meat production.

Group of cows. Text reads:
96.2% of climate news does not mention meat or livestock production as a cause of climate change.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 3d

The proposed Biden-era rule aimed to tighten how slaughterhouse pollution is regulated.

EPA Drops Proposed Rules to Limit Slaughterhouse Waste Pollution

Trump’s EPA cites “unleashing prosperity” as it withdraws rules meant to curb pollution from slaughterhouse blood in the water supply.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 3d

Factory farm dust can spread E. coli and could have sparked a large food poisoning outbreak in 2018, a new study shows.

How Factory Farm Air Pollution Can Spread Dangerous Bacteria

Factory farm dust can spread E. coli and could have sparked a large food poisoning outbreak in 2018, a new study shows.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 3d

One of the clearest takeaways from the study is that beef, and red meat in general, is a major obstacle to achieving sustainable diets within planetary boundaries.

How Much Meat Can You Eat and Still Be ‘Climate-Friendly?’

Here’s what the latest research says.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 3d

In covering everything from federal science funding to rewilding efforts, sources who, just last year, would have been eager to discuss their work are now far more reluctant since Trump returned to the White House. @gracehussain.bsky.social reports:
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Journalism Has Become More Challenging, for Reporters and Sources

Researchers are more reluctant to give interviews since Trump returned to the White House.

sentientmedia.org

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 4d

Readers, we want to hear from you!

Help us get to know you better by taking our audience survey.

Four lucky readers will win a $100 gift card ➡️ buff.ly/IyU7DWi

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 4d

In 2020, with the help of documentaries like What the Health and The Game Changers, being vegan was framed as cool. Now, headlines in @theatlantic.com, @theguardian.com and @financialtimes.com suggest the opposite.

A Postmortem on Veganism Is Premature

The massive scale and influence of the meat industry shouldn’t be underestimated.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 4d

To win over conservative lawmakers, some animal rights advocates are stressing spending cuts in their pitch.

Could the Fight Against Animal Testing Help Farm Animals? Some Advocates Are Shifting Tactics

To win over conservative lawmakers, some animal rights advocates are stressing spending cuts in their pitch.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 4d

Beef’s high price is a result of supply-and-demand: The overall supply of beef in the U.S. has gone down, but consumer demand has stayed the same.

Why Higher Beef Prices Aren’t Actually Good News for the Environment

Beef prices are at a record high, but that doesn’t mean less meat production.

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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 4d

Thank you for sharing, Michael!

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 4d

“Every choice we make has a footprint, and people often misjudge which ones are bigger and smaller,” Danielle Goldwert, one of the study’s authors, tells Sentient. “We want people to make informed choices and prioritize the biggest impacts wherever they can.”

People Dramatically Misjudge the Climate Impacts of Their Actions, Research Shows

Recycling is easier than going vegan, but it’s also a lot less effective.

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