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).
-
Instead of letting food rot, some entrepreneurs want to use it to feed insects, which can then nourish livestock. But federal regulations have been slow to catch up to the growth of insect farms. -
They're known by many names: lamb fries, bull fries, huevos de toro. There's a rich tapestry of Western lore built around this food, which is, well, fried testicles. Our reporter bites into this tale. -
Becky Ravenkamp is a farmer who's taken on many roles to keep her Colorado farm town afloat. She thinks candidates this election year have largely overlooked rural America.
-
Slaughterhouses, while safer than decades ago, are some of the country's most hazardous workplaces. They are fined by the government for safety violations, but those fines may not be big enough. -
Some of the chickens perform tricks — one pale-feathered rooster named Bruce pretends to sleep on command — while others, like Buff Brahma hen Miss Felicia Fancy Feet, don dapper costumes. -
Conservationists have long blamed farmers' use of pesticides for decimating the milkweed that monarch caterpillars like to eat. But scientists say simply planting more milkweed isn't the answer.
-
Leprino's is the largest mozzarella manufacturer in the world. Now that the company is expanding, Colorado dairy farmers are beefing up their operations. The changes don't come without costs. -
At the Heartland Biogas Project, spoiled milk, old pet food and vats of grease combine with helpful bacteria in massive tanks to generate gas. It's all thanks to anaerobic digestion. -
Cows are being bred to be larger, hungrier, and more productive. But this drive to raise ever-larger, hulking Holsteins has some prominent livestock advocates ringing alarm bells. -
The conversation about religious accommodation in the workplace is playing out in a rural Colorado meatpacking town where Muslim workers at a Cargill plant were fired over prayer breaks.
