Luke Runyon
As KUNC’s reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, I dig into stories that show how water issues can both unite and divide communities throughout the Western U.S. I produce feature stories for KUNC and a network of public media stations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.
I love public radio because I know the power of hearing someone’s story in their own words, using their own voice. You can get a much better sense of who someone is and what their motivations are just by listening to how they speak, and that’s a big part of why I love public radio reporting.
Before covering water at KUNC I covered the agriculture and food beat for five years as the station’s Harvest Public Media reporter. I’ve also reported for Aspen Public Radio in Aspen, Colo. and Illinois Public Radio in Springfield, Ill. My reports have been featured on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here & Now and APM's Marketplace. I’m a proud graduate of the University of Illinois’ Public Affairs Reporting program.
My work has been recognized by the Society of Environmental Journalists, Radio Television Digital News Association, the Colorado Broadcasters Association and the Public Media Journalists Association.
When I’m not at the station you can usually find me out exploring the Rocky Mountains with either a pack on my back or skis on my feet (sometimes both at the same time).
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Cutting meat is hard, hazardous work, and it still takes thousands of workers to run a modern beef plant. But protein powerhouse JBS is looking for ways to automate the art of butchery. -
Slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants throughout the country employ a lot of people. About a quarter of a million Americans prepare the beef, pork and chicken that ends up on dinner tables. But some of those jobs could eventually be replaced by robots. The world's largest meatpacking company is looking at ways to automate the art of butchery.
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A judge ruled Monday that an Idaho law criminalizing undercover investigations of farms is unconstitutional. Seven other states have similar laws, but legal experts say they may not stand much longer. -
Executives at JBS, the world's largest meat producer, know consumers want to know more about how their food is sourced. But the very nature of their business is grisly and sometimes unpalatable. -
Regulators in the 23 states where medical or recreational marijuana is allowed are having a tough time making sure pot buyers don't ingest harmful pesticides. -
Today, the average American eats about a half pound of lamb per year. Now lamb producers are setting their sights on Muslim consumers. But first they'll have to learn how to market to them. -
The fast-growing organic sector has no succinct motto like "Got milk?" A trade group wants growers to help pay for one, but the idea is splitting farmers, processors and marketers into factions. -
Colorado's food and ag industries have been growing two to four times faster than the state's economy overall. The state's economists are ever more hopeful about cornering the market on ag innovation. -
At farm shows across the country, drones have become as ubiquitous as tractors. Drone flights are mostly banned in the U.S., but on Sunday the FAA released long-awaited draft rules. -
Over the last 20 years, the number of sheep in the U.S. has been cut in half. Today, the domestic sheep herd is one-tenth the size it was during World War II. Consumers are eating less lamb and wearing less wool these days. Those trends have left ranchers to wonder: When are we going to hit bottom?
