Skip to content Skip to navigation

Rural News

Five Years of Population Loss in Rural and Small-Town America May Be Ending

USDA - Amber Waves | Posted on June 16, 2016

The population in U.S. nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) counties stood at 46.2 million in July 2015—14 percent of U.S. residents spread across 72 percent of the Nation's land area. Nonmetro population declined by just 4,000 from July 2014 to July 2015 after 4 years of population losses averaging 33,000 yearly, according to the latest county population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2014-15 improvement in nonmetro population change coincides with rural economic recovery and suggests that this first-ever period of overall population decline (from 2010 to 2015) may be ending.


Rural Mainstreet Economy Remains Weak for May

Creighton University Economic Outlook | Posted on June 16, 2016

Job Losses for First Time in Five Years. Survey Results at a Glance: • For a ninth straight month, the Rural Mainstreet Index fell below growth neutral. • Almost one-third of bank CEOs see slow or negative rural growth as the biggest economic threat to their bank over the next five years. • Approximately nine of ten bankers see low agriculture commodity prices as the greatest challenge to the rural economy for 2016. Farmland prices remained below growth neutral for the 30th straight month. • From their peak levels in 2011, agricultural commodity prices are down by 17 percent, and grain prices are off by 49 percent.


Forgotten Farms Video Trailer

You Tube | Posted on June 15, 2016

New England’s dairy farmers remain the backbone of the region's agriculture but fight for survival in an age of baby greens and artisan cheese.
Forgotten Farms examines class divisions and cultural divides in New England's farm and food communities. In some circles, farm-to-table restaurants, farmer's markets and CSAs are booming and the new farmers are celebrated. But there is another farmer who is left out of the local food celebration.  New England has lost over 10,000 conventional dairy farms in the past 50 years; 2000 farms remain. Collectively, they tend 1.2 million acres of farmland and produce almost all of the milk consumed in New England. In our enthusiasm for the new food movement, many of us have forgotten that 75 years ago these farmers were at the center of a thriving local food economy. Through conversations with dairy farmers and policy experts, we reconsider the role of these fascinating but forgotten farmers. Climate change will demand that more of our food is grown closer to where we live. Forgotten Farms gives us a glimpse into the past and a vision of an expanded local agriculture for all of New England’s population. A truly sustainable local food system for everyone will rely on all of our farmers.


Owner of loose bull in fatal crash charged with manslaughter

Capital Press | Posted on June 15, 2016

A man whose loose bull wandered onto a road and was hit by a car, killing the driver, is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge, the prosecutor said, and farmers are worried about the harm a conviction could do to the state’s agriculture economy.  Farmers and friends packed a legal proceeding at a courthouse Monday in support of bull owner Craig Mosher, whose lawyer has called the car crash “a horrible accident.”

Some farmers fear Mosher’s prosecution could set a precedent that stands to hurt the state’s economy, whose staples include dairy farming, artisanal foods and forestry. They would like to see the charge, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison upon conviction, dropped.


N.Y. bill proposes burials with pets

Trib Live | Posted on June 15, 2016

New York state may soon allow pet owners to spend eternity with their furry companions.  The state Legislature has passed a bill allowing cemeteries, except for religious ones, to offer people the option of being buried with the cremated remains of a dog, cat or other tame domesticated animal.  Cemeteries wouldn't be required to allow pet remains.

Supporters say they expect many pet owners will embrace the idea. They say cemeteries should be free to offer the option.  The proposal is the latest in a series of measures honoring the bond between human and beast. Last year, New York lawmakers passed a law allowing dogs on restaurant patios. They are considering a ban on cat declawing.


Rancher lassos bike thief outside Oregon Wal-Mart

ABC13 | Posted on June 15, 2016

A rancher jumped on his horse and lassoed a man who was trying to steal a bicycle in the parking lot of an Oregon Wal-Mart.  Robert Borba was at the Eagle Point store loading dog food and a camping tent into his truck when he heard a woman screaming that someone was trying to steal her bike. The 28-year-old said he quickly got his horse, Long John, out of its trailer. He grabbed a rope, rode over to the man who was reportedly struggling with the bike gears and attempting to flee on foot. Borba lassoed the man around the legs and when he dropped, Borba dragged him to one end of the parking lot.


Technology is improving – why is rural broadband access still a problem?

The Conversation | Posted on June 13, 2016

Specifically, 85 percent of U.S. wireline connections meet the current 25 mbps download threshold, while only 14 percent of wireless connections do so. Satellite connections typically max out at about 15 mbps. In addition, wireless coverage is sometimes spotty and can vary by provider and geography.


New Ohio laws allow breaking into cars to save kids and pets; first responders to treat pets

Cleveland.com | Posted on June 9, 2016

Bills that allow people to break into vehicles to save children and animals have been signed into law by Gov. John Kasich and a third will likely become law. The first law protects people from civil liability and damages. Protection from civil liability would only apply if the person also calls the police or 9-1-1 and believes leaving the child or animal in the vehicle would lead to injury or death.  The law's supporters said it would reduce the number of heatstroke-related deaths among children by allowing good Samaritans to act without hesitation. On a 78- degree day, the inside of a parked car can reach 100 or more degrees in minutes. The second law allows paramedics, EMTs and firefighters to provide aid to dogs and cats when responding to a human emergency. First responders could open and maintain an airway, give mouth to snout ventilation, administer oxygen, control hemorrhage, stabilize fractures, bandage wounds and administer naloxone hydrochloride, also known as Narcan. Goddard's Law, which increases the penalties for intentionally harming or killing a pet, was passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate but has yet to be sent to Kasich's desk.


As Young Depart, State Looks For Strategies to Keep Them

Hartford Courant | Posted on June 9, 2016

Though young graduates moving out of the state isn't a new phenomenon, it's an issue that has become increasingly important as some of Connecticut's biggest businesses begin pondering whether to leave. Many companies say attracting and retaining young talent, with the technological skills the baby boomer generation lacks, is vital to their economic future.


An All-In Response to the Opioid Crisis

Pew Charitable Trust | Posted on June 9, 2016

By its own calculations, this city of 50,000 on the Ohio River has the highest drug overdose death rate in a state ranked No 1 in the nation for overdose deaths. The city’s overdose death rate, at 119 per 100,000 last year, is nearly 10 times the national rate. It’s not a statistic that Huntington advertises in tourist brochures or welcome packages for students attending the local college, Marshall University. But Mayor Steve Williams said the worsening heroin problem was becoming so plain to everyone that “we had to define it, before it defined us.”

And so, with some state and federal lawmakers backing him up, the city’s law enforcement and public health leaders, along with education, business and religious groups, joined forces in 2014 to attack the problem. The Police Department started trying to divert drug users to treatment rather than jail. The city launched an innovative program for babies born to women who used opioids during pregnancy, and opened a drug court for women charged with prostitution. There’s also a new school-based program for kids whose parents are arrested for drug crimes. But Kilkenny and others say there is a dire shortage of treatment in Huntington and surrounding Cabell County, particularly medication assisted addiction treatment using one of the three federally approved medicines — methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone.


Pages