Fund used to buffer U.S. farmers from tariff wars is dwindling; rural America could face an 'immense fallout'
The Rural Blog
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2d ago
Rural America could bear the brunt of possible trade wars with China, Mexico and Canada. (Adobe Stock photo) As U.S. farmers prepare for spring planting season, federal tariffs and trade wars are among their top income worries. Their concerns are shared by lawmakers who "fear they’ll have to enact billions of dollars in new aid to rescue farmers harmed by President Donald Trump’s escalating trade wars with China, Canada, and Mexico, reports Meredith Lee Hill of Politico. "The fund Trump tapped to send farmers $28 billion in 2018 is now dwindling." During Trump's first-term tariff due ..read more
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The battle for egg farmers is stressful and riddled with uncertainty. They are 'begging for a new approach.'
The Rural Blog
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2d ago
Egg farmers and their employees suffer when flocks of their hens have to be culled. (Adobe Stock photo) When bird flu sweeps through a chicken farm, its aftermath is sadness, stress and death. The extreme losses have some U.S. egg farmers wondering if they will ever recover. "Greg Herbruck knew 6.5 million of his birds needed to die, and fast," reports Kate Wells of NPR. "The CEO of Herbruck's Poultry Ranch wasn't sure how the third-generation family egg producer (one of the largest in the U.S.) was going to get through this round of avian flu, financially or emotionally." As a prev ..read more
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U.S. has about 60 venison donation programs in 42 states that help to feed hungry Americans
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2d ago
Kip Padgelek loads 828 pounds of packaged venison for a local food bank. (Photo by Randy Ferguson/HSH via the Yonder) Ending hunger for many rural Americans can begin with connecting hunters with those in need. "Deer venison donation programs provide food-insecure Americans with tens of millions of pounds of meat every year," reports Katie Hill of The Daily Yonder. "And it’s their relationship with hunters, butchers, and food banks that make it possible." For smaller communities with residents who often struggle with food insecurity, deer meat is a solution that provides sustenance a ..read more
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Beachcombers find their treasure in washed-up items from the sea. Items include rubber ducks and diamond rings.
The Rural Blog
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2d ago
Man looks out over the shoreline. (Unsplash photo) One man's trash is another's treasure and John Anderson’s trove is filled with items he has found along the Washington coastline. Beachcombing for the majority of his life, “[Anderson] has curated 46 years’ of pickings in John’s Beachcombing Museum, a two-level warehouse on his Forks property (open summers only) that memorializes a family pastime he has taken to the extreme,” reports Elliott Almond at The Seattle Times. Every time a ship goes down or a container goes overboard, its contents have to end up somewhere. Many things lost ..read more
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Southern states spend millions on new clinics to serve rural residents. It's one way to avoid federal Medicaid expansion.
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2d ago
Clemson Rural Health serves rural Walhalla, S.C. (Clemson University photo via KFF Health News) Southern states made rural health a focus, but the sector's trendiness hasn't translated into Medicaid expansion plans. "State lawmakers nationwide are spending millions of dollars to address a rural health care crisis long in the making," reports Lauren Sausser of KFF Health News. For more than a decade most Southern states have refused billions in federal funds that would provide public health insurance coverage to more low-income adults." Among the 10 states that refused Medicaid expans ..read more
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Making money off of money can be done at many banks, but they don't have to disclose better deals
The Rural Blog
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2d ago
Banks don't owe consumers their best deals. (Adobe Stock photo) Americans who choose banks with higher savings interest rates can make more money with little work; however, some U.S. banks hope consumers are too confused or hassled to bother making a switch. "For the last few years, anyone keeping $10,000 in a high-yield savings account has earned close to 4% annual interest, or about $400 a year," reports Ben Blatt of The New York Times. "The nation’s three largest banks — Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo — offer 0.01% on their standard savings accounts. That works out to $1 i ..read more
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Coyotes can be friends, foe and sometimes just pests. They kill smaller vermin, but they can kill pets or livestock, too.
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2d ago
Coyotes aren't very aggressive, but they are still predators. (Unsplash photo) Coyotes have “increased their range more than 40% since the 1950s” and made their way North, East, South, West, onto farms and into your backyard, Whitney McKnight reported for The Edge. Due to the extinction of wolves and mountain lions, and the near extinction of black bears in Kentucky, smaller predators have taken their place at the top of the food chain, including coyotes, foxes and bobcats. “Coyotes are partially filling the niche wolves did in the state about 150 years ago,” John Cox, a University ..read more
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Mexico and Canada have a 30-day pause on import tariffs. Delayed levies may hit farmers and rural communities first.
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4d ago
The outcome from U.S. tariffs is uncertain. (Adobe Stock photo) With last-minute maneuvering, Canada and Mexico avoided stiff import tariffs threatened by the Trump administration, report David Alire Garcia, Trevor Hunnicutt and David Ljunggren of Reuters. In return for a 30-day tariff suspension, "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to bolster border enforcement efforts in response to (President) Trump's demand to crack down on immigration and drug smuggling." Even with the one-month pause, American consumers may still face higher pr ..read more
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Postal Service watchdog finds 'little convincing evidence' reforms will help; instead, plans will hurt rural communities
The Rural Blog
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4d ago
Despite its struggles, 72% of Americans see the USPS favorably. (Adobe Stock photo) The United States Postal Service is hemorrhaging money while struggling to complete its basic mission of delivering mail to American citizens. An advisory review by the Postal Regulatory Commission found that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 'Delivering for America' plan "offers ‘little convincing evidence’ its reform plans will succeed," reports Eric Katz of Government Executive. PRC said planned USPS reforms could negatively impact rural service areas. In its review, PRC "examined two parts of DeJ ..read more
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Three ways the new administration could help rural America meet its challenges
The Rural Blog
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4d ago
Helping younger farmers helps local land stay locally owned. (Abobe Stock photo) Seeking a voice and change small-town America needs, many rural voters rallied for President Donald Trump to return to the White House. Now that he's back in the Oval Office, there are three ways his administration could work with Congress to help rural America face its challenges, write Randolph Hubach and Cody Mullen for The Conversation. Health care is a good place to start. Rural Americans are more likely to receive Medicaid or Medicare health care coverage and more vulnerable to negative impacts fro ..read more
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