In the nation’s leading pork-producing state, animal waste fuels crop growth but impairs water quality in a leaky circular system.By Anika Jane BeamerDuring planting season in Iowa, Landon Plagge’s fields reek. Sour and earthy, almost like rotten eggs and fermenting hay, the scent repels the unacquainted nose. But Plagge is unbothered.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: August 18, 2025 04:13 PM
Atmospheric CO₂
425.4 ppm
+18.4
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1934.91 ppb
+9.11
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year