USDA has new rules for organic food suppliers, but many in its complex distribution chain may not be ready
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
2d ago
Complex organic food chains needed updated regulation. (Photo by nrd, Unsplash) The certification of the U.S.'s organic food supply faces its first big change in 30 years, and many food companies may not be ready. The Department of Agriculture launched its Strengthening Organic Enforcement regulations on March 19, and some experts are waiting to see "if unprepared companies will get left behind," reports Lydia Noyes of FoodDive. "The new rule is the most significant change to organic certification since the program's start. . . . There's growing concern that large portions of the food ..read more
Visit website
Rural residents often have limited retail choices for groceries and staples; when dollar stores close, they have even less
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
2d ago
In some small towns, dollar stores add grocery and staple options in remote areas with few or no alternatives. In other cases, dollar stores were built right next to the local grocery store, slowly chipping away profits and eventually closing the local business. In both scenarios, rural residents rely on dollar stores for affordable staples. When they close, rural people have fewer options. "Even though inflation is cooling, prices are still higher than they were pre-pandemic. They've hit low-income consumers the hardest, which is why many shop at dollar stores," report Bianca Facchinei and ..read more
Visit website
Looking for a fresh way to look at common community coverage? Check out Solutions Journalism support.
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
2d ago
If you're a community journalist who wants to add solution-seeking depth to your reporting tools, consider joining the Solutions Journalism Network's next Rural Cohort. The deadline to apply has been extended to April 2. Journalists from any rural-serving news organization are welcome to apply to be part of this year's cohort, which will teach participants how to incorporate solutions journalism into regular practice. All cohort members will receive professional development from the Solutions Journalism Network and support from each other. Solutions Journalism training includes two-hour mon ..read more
Visit website
Larger retailers used their dominance to push suppliers and squeeze competitors during pandemic, FTC report shows
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
2d ago
Larger retailers used the pandemic to 'come out ahead.' (Photo by S. Lee, Unsplash) American grocery prices remain usually high, and many smaller-scale grocers still struggle to recover from pandemic setbacks. A new Federal Trade Commission report sheds some light on how larger retailers used their power to push suppliers to deliver to them first, which caused more struggles for smaller competitors and may be partially to blame for why grocery costs have remained high even as overall inflation has cooled. "Federal regulators said large grocery chains used their size and scale to keep ..read more
Visit website
Coal markets remain robust as Asia increases reliance on coal to fill supply gaps; output set a record in 2023
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
2d ago
Coal will remain an energy source for many decades to come. (Photo by Dominik Vanyi, Unsplash) Despite coal's reputation as the "dirtiest fossil fuel," it is still considered a reliable form of energy, and its removal from global energy systems looks to be a slow ride. "Thanks to a combination of China’s energy insecurity. . . and rising Indian demand, the continued fallout from the war in Ukraine and faltering international programs to wean developing economies off fossil fuels, coal is proving remarkably resilient," reports Bloomberg News. "Output hit a record last year." Coal price ..read more
Visit website
Finally Friday musings: When only big sky and great open spaces feel like home, visiting can be a bittersweet journey
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
2d ago
View of the Snake Range inside Great Basin National Park, Nevada. (Photo by Claire Carlson, The Daily Yonder) A Love Letter to Nevada’s Wide Open Spaces by Claire Carlson, The Daily Yonder One of my favorite places in the world is a small town called Baker west of the Nevada-Utah border where weird sculptures made of rusting car parts border the road and a joint general store-motel offers anything you might need, including obscure books on the American West and artisan beer and coffee, depending on the time of day and your mood. Perhaps best known as the gateway to Great Basin Nationa ..read more
Visit website
Quick hits: Calamity-predicting maps; rural areas grow; check out this freezer; are there ghosts in your kitchen?
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
2d ago
First Street aims to predict natural calamities. (First Street aerial photo) As home insurance rates continue to spike upward, many insurers, home buyers and owners want more accurate, detailed information on how likely a climate catastrophe is in their region. The climate and tech non-profit First Street is "building up-to-date flood maps to estimate what could happen to homes and businesses in an era of rising sea levels and more frequent, stronger storms," reports Leslie Kaufman of Bloomberg News. The company uses advanced climate science and engineering to identify the risk for ev ..read more
Visit website
As the U.S. faces an ongoing mental health crisis, 988 call centers look to add geolocation services
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
6d ago
In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention verified 45,979 suicides; in 2021, the numbers increased to 48,183. Added together, the number of people lost to suicides could fill the Rose Bowl Stadium. When the CDC's provisional suicide counts from 2022 and 2023 are tacked on, the death toll reaches 172,520.  With those tragic numbers in mind, in 2022 the Biden administration transitioned the country's 10-digit suicide hotline to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides an easy-to-remember three-digit number for 24/7 crisis care. But the 988 program has a gaping pro ..read more
Visit website
California prosecutors charge fentanyl suppliers with murder. The legally unsettled approach is catching on.
The Rural Blog
by Heather Close
6d ago
Prosecutors in California are forging a path to make fentanyl dealers accountable for their part in overdose deaths by filing homicide charges against them. In Riverside County, California, county district attorney Mike Hestrin "has charged 34 suspected fentanyl suppliers with murder and is said to be the first prosecutor in California to achieve a guilty verdict from a jury in a fentanyl-related homicide trial," reports Michael Corkery of The New York Times. Some critics fault the prosecution of street dealers "as a misguided return to the aggressive approaches of the 1990s, which failed to ..read more
Visit website
Nominations sought for the Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity in rural journalism by April 15
The Rural Blog
by Al Cross
1w ago
Tom and Pat Gish, about 20 years ago Each year the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, publisher of The Rural Blog, presents the Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, tenacity and integrity in rural journalism, named for the couple who exemplified those qualities as publishers of The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg, Ky., for 52 years. Nominations for the Gish Award may be made at any time, but the deadline for new nominations to be considered for this year's award is April 15. To make a nomination, send a detailed letter with some documentation explaining how the nominee ..read more
Visit website

Follow The Rural Blog on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR