Katie Peikes
ReporterKatie Peikes was a reporter for Iowa Public Radio from 2018 to 2023. She joined IPR as its first-ever Western Iowa reporter, and then served as the agricultural reporter.
Before moving to Iowa, Katie worked as a science reporter and fill-in host for Delaware Public Media, where she spent two years reporting on Delaware's coast and the region’s poultry industry. She has also worked as a journalist in Utah, reporting on a wide range of topics including local government, education and the environment. She is originally from Connecticut.
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Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has hit the U.S. hard over the last year and a half — leaving 60 million chickens and turkeys dead across 47 states. The USDA is working on a vaccine, but that could create new issues. -
The EPA is proposing to clean up groundwater contamination at a superfund site in Des Moines. -
Three companies say the carbon pipelines they want to build in the Midwest would remove carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and help fight climate change. Some farmers and residents are not so sure.
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After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a California animal welfare law requiring more space for pigs, some pork producers have already complied with the requirements, while others say they won’t. -
Raw milk sales will soon be legal in Iowa, joining most of Midwest. But health experts offer cautionIowa is the latest state to legalize the sale of raw milk, which comes directly from cows without any pasteurization. While nearly every Midwestern state allows such sales, some health experts caution there are health risks to drinking it. -
Iowa State University psychology and engineering researchers have received a National Science Foundation grant to study if people who get nausea from using virtual reality headsets can adapt over time. -
The EPA is allowing gasoline with 15% ethanol to be sold at the pump for the summer months, a move to give Americans financial relief, the agency says. Iowa is the top ethanol-producing state in the U.S. -
Three companies want to capture carbon dioxide from Midwestern ethanol plants, transport it by pipeline and store it underground. Many in the ethanol industry claim it’s essential to the industry’s survival. Environmentalists and even farmers argue the pipelines are a boon for the industry — not a real solution for climate change. -
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced $40 million in grants investing in conservation efforts. -
Mexico’s plan to ban all genetically modified corn imports has upset U.S. corn farmers, trade groups and officials. The two nations are in talks and have until April 7 to resolve it before the U.S. can take action under the free trade agreement between North American countries.
