Abby Wendle
Abby Wendle is the Agriculture Correspondent for Tri States Public Radio. She reports in partnership with Harvest Public Media. Abby's job includes reading about the history of anhydrous ammonia, following crop futures from her desk in Macomb, wandering through corn fields with farmers, and gazing into the eyes of cows, pigs, and goats. Abby comes to TSPR from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she produced radio for This Land Press. During her time at This Land, Abby developed an hour long radio show, published a poetry anthology with a complimentary podcast, and partnered with public radio programs, The Story, State of the Re:Union, and The CBC’s Day 6. Her work has earned awards from The Third Coast International Audio Festival, KCRW's Radio Race, The Missouri Review, and The National Association of Black Journalists. She has worked as an assistant producer for The Takeaway, interned at Radiolab, and announced the news for WFUV, an NPR affiliate in the Bronx.
Abby has a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fl. and a master's degree from The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, where it's really cold. Now that she's back in the Midwest, Abby's stockpiling snow scrapers, hot chocolate, and wool socks.
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Driving down a two-lane highway in rural Missouri, Matt Plenge squinted at a patch of gray clouds hanging low over his farm fields in the distance.“Does… -
Implanting cows with the embryos of genetically superior heifers is big business these days. It's helping elite cattle breeders and beef and dairy producers spread U.S. cow genetics around the globe. -
Panda, standing six feet tall and weighing almost a ton, is everything a show cow should be: broad-backed and round-rumped, with sturdy legs holding up… -
Western Illinois University has a national reputation for being good to student veterans and service members. Military Times ranks Western in the top 20...
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An environmental sustainability group assessed how 37 U.S. food companies are responding to escalating water risks. It found most have a long way to go to improve water efficiency and other practices. -
Some farmers won't break even this planting season, and may have to tap into their savings. Many Corn Belt towns depend largely on these farmers and businesses linked to farming. -
Sara Creech's nursing career fell apart after she returned from Iraq with PTSD. She found purpose — and a new path — on the farm. Now, the USDA is giving veterans like her more financial support. -
Selling unpasteurized milk across state lines is illegal because it poses a threat to public health. But raw milk sales are growing nonetheless. Legalization would let states regulate a risky market. -
Recent years were a good time to invest for beginning farmers, who run a quarter of U.S. farms. But with some crop prices crashing, paying back debts may require hard conversations and delayed dreams. -
Farmers across the Midwest harvest billions of bushels of corn nowadays using giant machines called combines. But a contest keeps a more primitive corn-picking technique alive: human hands.
