Amy Mayer
Amy Mayer is a reporter based in Ames. She covers agriculture and is part of the Harvest Public Media collaboration. Amy worked as an independent producer for many years and also previously had stints as weekend news host and reporter at WFCR in Amherst, Massachusetts and as a reporter and host/producer of a weekly call-in health show at KUAC in Fairbanks, Alaska. Amy’s work has earned awards from SPJ, the Alaska Press Club and the Massachusetts/Rhode Island AP. Her stories have aired on NPR news programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition and on Only A Game, Marketplace and Living on Earth. She produced the 2011 documentary Peace Corps Voices, which aired in over 160 communities across the country and has written for The New York Times, Boston Globe, Real Simple and other print outlets. Amy served on the board of directors of the Association of Independents in Radio from 2008-2015.
Amy has a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from Wellesley College and a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.
Amy’s favorite public radio program is The World.
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Many Midwest farmers are behind in planting corn and soybeans, thanks to a cool spring and heavy rain. Now, they're getting a chill from Congress, too, as the House voted down a new farm bill last week. In Iowa, some farmers say they're disappointed and frustrated that farm policy is on hold, largely because of arguments over nutrition programs they think shouldn't even be in the farm bill.
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Pork producers looking for more financial stability than the commodity market affords are trying their luck with specialty hog breeds. These pigs, raised on small farms, with limited antibiotics, cost more to raise but fetch more at market. And many say they make for tastier pork. -
This summer's dry weather gave a great real-world test for drought-resistant corn, which seed companies are eager to promote. But many farmers worry that these drought-resistant seeds won't perform as well in regular or wet years.
