Canary In A Cornfield is a podcast from The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, that explores how the policies that shape our food and farming systems impact our health, our communities, and our future.
Canary In A Cornfield
Claim This Podcastby The Harkin Institute
4.3(6 reviews)
28 episodes
Updated Daily
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35
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
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Engagement32
Podcast Overview
Canary In A Cornfield is a podcast from The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, that explores how the policies that shape our food and farming systems impact our health, our communities, and our future.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
7/7/2025
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35
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality57
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement32
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Recent Episodes
May 17, 2026
Interlude
<p>In this special episode of Canary in a Cornfield, I take a pause from our normal programming to reflect on two years of food systems, agriculture, and public health work at the Harkin Institute. I mentino some formative academic and professional stops in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, including work connected to Oxford’s Future of Food and LEAP programs, and my discovery that global research highlighted Iowa’s outsized role in environmental and diet-related harms. I also discuss how a 2024 conference tied to Industrial Farm Animal Production led to collaboration with the Iowa Environmental Council and Iowa philanthropists to fund the Environmental Risk Factors in Cancer in Iowa project, generating media coverage, statewide listening sessions, and shifting political debate around water quality, nitrates, and cancer.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Links from the Episode:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.iaenvironment.org/our-work/cancer-and-environmental-risk-factors-in-iowa/">Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in Iowa Report</a></p><p><a href="https://harkininstitute.drake.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/103/2026/05/Iowa-Water-Quality-Crisis-Policy-Recommendations_web.pdf">Iowa’s Water Crisis - Nothing Will Change if Nothing Changes </a>report from John Norris and others</p><p><a href="https://canaryinacornfield.substack.com/p/episode-14-walter-willett-on-the">Walter Willett Interview on the EAT Lancet Report</a></p><p><a href="https://canaryinacornfield.substack.com/p/episode-12-bob-martin-on-the-pew">Bob Martin Interview on the Pew Commission Report</a></p><p><a href="https://iphprp.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Interim-Progress-Report-Cancer-Driver-Project-Feb-2026-final-.pdf">Interim Findings Report </a>funded by the General Assembly</p>
April 24, 2026
The Pain Echo Chamber: Why Animal Welfare in Confinement Operations is Even Worse Than People Realized
<p>This episode of Canary in a Cornfield focuses on an important methodological advancement in animal welfare science and it’s relevance for understanding the lives of animals in severely impoverished environments such as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), aka factory farms. I interview Dr. Cynthia Schuck, co-founder of the Welfare Footprint Institute, and we discuss how the Welfare Footprint Project translated global health-style quantitative methods to welfare assessments, which in turn has enabled comparisons across systems and cost-effectiveness analyses. Dr. Schuck described the Institute’s past and ongoing projects with industry, governments, and animal welfare organizations, with particular attention to the hog and egg laying hen operations that are prevalent in Iowa. And she explains how new research on the <strong>pain echo chamber</strong> demonstrates that barren, stressful confinement operations remove natural pain-suppressing mechanisms, amplify pain, and delay healing in animals. The unfortunate upshot of this research is that these extreme, barren environments are even worse for welfare than previously realized. </p><p>The episode also comes at a time where members of the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a Farm Bill that includes language designed to overturn the will of voters in California and Massachusetts, who overwhelmingly voted to pass laws that banned animal products that come from the most extreme confinement conditions. The new Farm Bill has a lot of objectionable features, and many <a href="https://www.bread.org/article/snap-and-wic-two-vital-u-s-nutrition-programs/">anti-hunger groups</a>, <a href="https://familyfarmers.org/?p=2722">family farm advocates</a>, <a href="https://healfoodalliance.org/new-farm-bill-falls-flat-for-farmers-and-workers/">health organizations</a>, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/bio/lucas-rhoads/four-ways-house-farm-bill-would-weaken-pesticide-protections">conservation organizations</a>, and <a href="https://www.ufcw.org/press-releases/ufcw-urging-no-vote-on-farm-bill-in-house-agriculture-committee/">labor organizations</a> have come out strongly against it. Even many MAHA and right-leaning media outlets have expressed skepticism about it, including the <a href="https://www.heritage.org/government-regulation/commentary/total-legal-immunity-dangerous-pesticides-stop-big-ags-scheme-now">Heritage Foundation</a> and the <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2026/04/20/nside-swamps-new-farm-bill/">Daily Caller.</a> On this podcast, we’ve previously discussed the plan to overturn state welfare laws in our interviews with the <a href="https://canaryinacornfield.substack.com/p/episode-9-the-battle-over-animal">ASPCA and Anna Pesek</a>, and with <a href="https://canaryinacornfield.substack.com/p/s2-e5-farm-actions-angela-huffman">Angela Huffman of Farm Action</a>, and we’ve also <a href="https://canaryinacornfield.substack.com/p/s2-e7-pesticide-immunity-bills">discussed pesticide immunity with Emma Newton</a>. And of course <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2025/06/05/joni-ernst-food-security-farm-protection-rebrands-eats-california/84034335007/">Senator Harkin wrote an op-ed</a> last summer opposing the efforts to overturn state’s abilities to set their own standards. A number of organizations, such as the <a href="https://aldf.org/article/tell-congress-oppose-the-house-farm-bill/">ALDF</a>, have calls out asking people to tell their congressional representatives to oppose the Farm Bill and/or to <a href="https://aldf.org/article/tell-congress-oppose-the-house-farm-bill/">support the bipartisan amendment to remove the language that attacks state animal welfare standards</a>. </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other relevant links mentioned in the episode:</strong></p><p>The <a href="https://faunalytics.org/public-acceptability-of-standard-u-s-animal-agriculture-practices/">Faunalytics study</a> showing extreme public opposition to intensive confinement conditions among U.S. citizens. And the Johns Hopkins University study showing that <a href="https://clf.jhsph.edu/projects/food-citizen/cafo-moratorium-poll-results-2019#:~:text=In%20Iowa%2C%2063%20percent%20of%20respondents%20think,banning%20construction%20of%20new%20and%20expanded%20CAFOs.">Iowans are in favor of banning the construction of new confinement operations</a>. </p><p>A link to the <a href="https://welfarefootprint.org/">Welfare Footprint Institute</a> page. </p><p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/animal-science/articles/10.3389/fanim.2026.1736142/full">The Pain Echo Chamber paper.</a></p>
April 10, 2026
The Importance of the IIHR Nitrate Monitoring Network for Local Communities with Tim Wagner
<p>In this episode of Canary in a Cornfield, host Adam talks with Iowa water quality advocate Tim Wagner about nitrate pollution, public health, and the University of Iowa IIHR nitrate monitoring network. Wagner, raised on a north-central Iowa farm and formerly an agricultural specialist with the Izaak Walton League, connects his advocacy to conservation policy work and to losing his sister to a rare bladder cancer. He explains Decorah’s sensitive karst geology, where contaminants can rapidly enter aquifers, and describes a recent manure spill that led to fish kills, DNR fines, and nitrate readings well above the federal standard. With the state legislature having defunded the statewide monitoring network, Decorah’s Sustainability Commission secured unanimous city council approval to spend $17,000 to fund two continuous sensors. But this funding is only for one year and only covers one region, so Wagner emphasizes the necessity of statewide action along with citizen testing and engagement.</p>
28 total episodes available
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- What is Canary In A Cornfield?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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