Farmers are saying the Labor Department is overreaching with newly proposed regulations that would restrict work children under 16 can do on a farm. The rules would only apply to children hired by large farming operations, not those working on their parents' farm. However, many children work on family farms not owned by their parents. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, about 98 percent of the two million farms in the U.S. are family owned. The Department is currently reviewing thousands of comments on the proposed rules.
Ana Campoy of The Wall Street Journal reports the childhood injury rate on farms decreased 59 percent from 1998 to 2009, but agriculture still has the second-highest fatality rate among youth at almost six times the average across all industries. Proponents, like Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, told Campoy the rules make sense because children performing hazardous work on farms is no different than children working in coal mines and construction. Joseph Lord of the Louisville Courier-Journal reports U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation the Obama administration is threatening family farms with the proposed regulations. "This administration is the most hostile to rural America as any I’ve ever seen, because apparently none of them have had any experience with it,” McConnell said.
Campoy reports farmers are saying they "are in a better position than city folk to determine what kinds of farming activities are safe for children." Oklahoma farmer Scott Neufeld said the regulations are the equivalent of outlawing children from helping their mothers bake cookies because they may "get their hand in the blender." Washington orchard owner Lorinda Carlson told Campoy the new law would make it harder for her to hire local teens to help load cherries during harvest – a job most adults aren't willing to do. She said working on a farm as a child helps build work ethic. President of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and pecan farmer Mike Spradling told Campoy he's worried the regulations would "reduce the number of future farmers by limiting the exposure kids have to the agricultural industry." (Read more)
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
United Health Foundation releases latest health rankings for states
The America's Health Rankings report by the United Healthcare Foundation, shows no improvement in the overall health of the nation this year, reports Anne Harding of Health.com. Since 2000, the improvement trend has slowed to 0.5 percent annually with this year being the first with no improvement at all. Public health experts who contributed to the report believe the bleak economic situation is compounding increases in obesity, diabetes and higher child poverty rates which all contribute to the rankings. (United Healthcare Foundation graphic)Low rates "of infectious disease, high use of early prenatal care and relative lack of violent crime" deemed Vermont the healthiest state for the second year in a row, Harding reports. Four of the top five healthiest states were northeastern states with New Hampshire and Connecticut ranking second and third, with Massachusetts ranking fifth. On the flip side, obesity, childhood poverty and preventable hospitalizations keep several southeastern states at the bottom of the list. Mississippi came in last, as it has for the last decade. Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana finished out the bottom five. To see your state's ranking and results on an interactive map, click here.
More primary care doctors needed in rural areas; medical schools can't meet demand
There is an increasing high demand for primary care physicians due to an aging baby boomer population and an estimated 32 million previously uninsured people being added to the patient pool under healthcare reform, reports Bryant Furlow for The Wall Street Journal. Physician shortages are "already evident" in rural and inner city areas, he reports, adding that medical schools can't keep up with demand for more doctors.
Furlow reports teaching hospitals nationwide will have to add an additional 4,000 students each year to meet demand, but current federal primary-care workforce grants and health service funding will only add about 500 to 600 a year. Medicare's funding for resident positions has been stagnant since 1999 and expansion to train new people could cost $1 billion annually. Nursing schools are also expanding to include more "interdisciplinary team training, care for the frail elderly, as well as areas prioritized in the health reform law, such as health information technology," Furlow reports. Also, the need for non-physicians will continue to rise because of health reform's emphasis on an "accountable care model that coordinates patient care across clinical disciplines." (Read more)
Furlow reports teaching hospitals nationwide will have to add an additional 4,000 students each year to meet demand, but current federal primary-care workforce grants and health service funding will only add about 500 to 600 a year. Medicare's funding for resident positions has been stagnant since 1999 and expansion to train new people could cost $1 billion annually. Nursing schools are also expanding to include more "interdisciplinary team training, care for the frail elderly, as well as areas prioritized in the health reform law, such as health information technology," Furlow reports. Also, the need for non-physicians will continue to rise because of health reform's emphasis on an "accountable care model that coordinates patient care across clinical disciplines." (Read more)
One rural community has high rate of soldiers dealing with effects of war
A disproportionate amount of veterans come from rural America, and in trying to "understand the impact of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on the American fabric," McClatchy Newspapers reviewed Department of Veterans Affairs documents to find a small town to chronicle. Reporter Chris Adams chose London, Ky., where almost 200 service members are now veterans collecting disability payments for war injuries. The area has one of the highest rates of disability collected for post traumatic stress disorder, one of the most prevalent ailments associ:ted with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. (Photo by Chris Adams: Zola Hamlin held a photo of her grandson, Staff Sgt. Christopher Hamlin, at her home just outside London. He was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad in May 2007.)Adams visited London and talked with veterans, preachers, shopkeepers and family members to report about the impact both wars have had on this community. "War and the consequences of war run deep here. At one church, five members are overseas now. At the veterans' halls, the talk by former Iraq and Afghanistan war vets is just beginning. American flags fly up and down Main Street. Patriotism is at the surface," Adams writes.
Three Londoners were killed in action, a higher number than most small towns, Adams reports. Corbin-native and Marine Matt Jackson was killed and his father, Timothy, told Adams many people don't know how the decade-long wars affect them. "I can tell you that until my son got killed, I didn't have a clue how it affects us," he said.
Many London-area service members are enlisted in the Kentucky National Guard. The town's unit is currently on its second tour of duty and their return date is uncertain. This leaves some, like Sarah Doggette, who's husband is in the unit, to raise family alone. Their 4-year-old son thinks his dad is at the London Armory - not 6,500 miles away in Iraq. Doggette coordinates the family readiness group for deployed soldiers from London and told Adams communication between families and soldiers is constant and has improved since the unit's first deployment, something she said helps family members cope. The unit's 124 members are now helping in cleanup and shutdown, including sweeping roads for improvised explosive devices.
London-area soldiers returning from war are also dealing with its heavy toll. Since 2003, 175 soldiers in the London area are on Veteran Affairs' disability rolls, with a total of 917 ailments ranging from mild to severe. Psychologist Cynthia Dunn has helped veterans deal with PTSD, which can last the rest of their lives. She told Adams only a tenth of the veterans she meets weekly are of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but that's likely to change as more soldiers return with the end of both wars and are pushed to attend by family members - "the first line of intervention." (Read more)
Violence against Native women by non-Indians high; U.S. senators want jurisdiction expanded
Though many areas of law enforcement in Indian Country have vastly improved, The Crime Report's Cara Tabachnick writes protecting Native American women from violence is still lacking. Comanche Nation police officer Donna O'Brien told Tabachnick "everybody seems to be on the same page when fighting the war on drugs, but nobody seems to be on the same page in fighting the war (that is being waged) on women and children." Experts agree with O'Brien, saying violence against native women "has grown to epidemic proportions."
According to a Justice Department study, two in five native women will become domestic violence victims and one in three will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. However, four out of five perpetrators is non-Indian and can't be prosecuted by tribal governments because they don't have jurisdiction over anyone outside Indian Country. In an attempt to curb this problem, U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka in October introduced the Stand Against Violence and Empower Native Women, or SAVE Native Women, Act in Congress. "We cannot let the next generation of young Native women grow up as their mothers have - in unbearable situations that threaten their security, stability, and even their lives," said Akaka.
The bill would extend jurisdiction of tribal authorities so non-Indians who commit crimes on native lands can be prosecuted by Native authorities, improve domestic violence programs and fund data collection to better understand and respond to sex trafficking of native women. "Essentially, it would correct a long-overlooked justice gap that has been a sore point in Indian Country for decades," writes Tabachnick. Supports of the act say it will end a cycle of violence that often results in death of the victim. The Indian Affairs Committee conducted hearings last month about the SAVE Native Women Act, but no further action is planned at this time, though communications director for the committee, Emily Deimel said the act is "a top priority for the committee." (Read more)
According to a Justice Department study, two in five native women will become domestic violence victims and one in three will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. However, four out of five perpetrators is non-Indian and can't be prosecuted by tribal governments because they don't have jurisdiction over anyone outside Indian Country. In an attempt to curb this problem, U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka in October introduced the Stand Against Violence and Empower Native Women, or SAVE Native Women, Act in Congress. "We cannot let the next generation of young Native women grow up as their mothers have - in unbearable situations that threaten their security, stability, and even their lives," said Akaka.
The bill would extend jurisdiction of tribal authorities so non-Indians who commit crimes on native lands can be prosecuted by Native authorities, improve domestic violence programs and fund data collection to better understand and respond to sex trafficking of native women. "Essentially, it would correct a long-overlooked justice gap that has been a sore point in Indian Country for decades," writes Tabachnick. Supports of the act say it will end a cycle of violence that often results in death of the victim. The Indian Affairs Committee conducted hearings last month about the SAVE Native Women Act, but no further action is planned at this time, though communications director for the committee, Emily Deimel said the act is "a top priority for the committee." (Read more)
Sustainability report: A resource for rural communities' leaders
The Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between the the Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Agriculture have published a resource to help rural community leaders promote and practice sustainability in their communities.
The report focuses on findings from the Rural Work Group, established to police the agencies' spending, policies and programs to ensure support of rural communities' economic and sustainability efforts, and offers other useful information for rural community leaders. The report provides examples of how rural communities are using DOT, HUD and EPA resources to "strengthen their economies, provide better quality of life to residents and build on local assets," Tyler Falk reports for Smart Growth America. It outlines performance measurements communities can use to understand the impact of their programs. The report elaborates on the Partnership's future plans to support rural communities. (Read more)
The report focuses on findings from the Rural Work Group, established to police the agencies' spending, policies and programs to ensure support of rural communities' economic and sustainability efforts, and offers other useful information for rural community leaders. The report provides examples of how rural communities are using DOT, HUD and EPA resources to "strengthen their economies, provide better quality of life to residents and build on local assets," Tyler Falk reports for Smart Growth America. It outlines performance measurements communities can use to understand the impact of their programs. The report elaborates on the Partnership's future plans to support rural communities. (Read more)
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Scientists say climate change will hurt farming; GOPers reject their consensus humans cause it
Scientists are mapping the impact of climate change on agriculture, and they say it doesn't look promising. Douglas Fischer of The Daily Climate reports experts at the American Geophysical Union have concluded weather "driving many of the globe's great breadbaskets will become hotter, drier and more unpredictable," making farming increasingly difficult. Scientists studied severe drought in East Africa, sediment cores from New York marshes, drought in Australia and the western U.S. to determine this conclusion. Scientists told Fischer other factors adding to climate change's impact on crops include population growth, deforestation, and policy choices.
Scientists caution that simple policy changes can often "blunt a crisis," something to which American farmers, who appear to vote mostly Republican, might want to pay attention. The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire has released results from a new study which concludes Americans' perception of climate change is influenced by their politics. Democrats are more likely to trust scientists, while only a minority of Republicans trust them. The institute's Lawrence Hamilton said Republicans clearly believe climate change caused mainly by human activity isn't happening. (Read more)
Scientists caution that simple policy changes can often "blunt a crisis," something to which American farmers, who appear to vote mostly Republican, might want to pay attention. The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire has released results from a new study which concludes Americans' perception of climate change is influenced by their politics. Democrats are more likely to trust scientists, while only a minority of Republicans trust them. The institute's Lawrence Hamilton said Republicans clearly believe climate change caused mainly by human activity isn't happening. (Read more)
Massey successor will pay $200 million in disaster settlement that doesn't shield former executives
A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit over the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster that killed 29 miners last April in West Virginia. Alpha Natural Resources, which acquired the mine from Massey Energy when it bought the company this June, has agreed to a $200 million dollar deal in which it promises to implement safety improvements in all its underground mines, pay tens of millions of dollars of government fines and pay restitution to families of the miners.
The settlement requires Alpha to spend $80 million to improve safety over the next two years, including upgrading equipment, training and increasing staffing at all former Massey underground mines. Digital air-flow, methane and coal dust monitors will be installed, reports Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. The company "must also perform a study to determine if its mines have adequate staffing to clean up accumulations of explosive coal dust, accelerate research on new ways to control dust accumulations, and install new emergency oxygen equipment for miners. The company will build a new state-of-the art training center at its regional office in Julian and set up an aggressive new schedule of worker and supervisor training programs." Alpha will also create a $48 million trust funding mine-safety research at academic institutions, and pay $35 million to resolve civil penalties of all former Massey mines.It will pay $46.5 million to families of the victims.
Ward reports neither Alpha or its subsidiary that operates the Upper Big Branch mine are pleading guilty to any criminal charges. In exchange for Alpha following through on the details of the settlement, the government has agreed to not bring charges against the companies. However, Ward reports that key to this deal is that the U.S. Justice Department hasn't promised to not bring charges against individual executives, officers and employees of Massey or Performance. On his blog, Coal Tattoo, Ward writes that U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin told him: "We’re not limiting the focus of our investigation at all. We are not slowing down at all. If anything, certain aspects of our investigation are going into high gear."
After the Justice Department announcement about the settlement, the Mine Safety and Health Administration released a report about its investigation of the disaster. Ward reports it "largely mirrors previously released findings" from independent investigator David McAteer and another from United Mine Workers safety experts. "All three investigations agree that the explosion involved an ignition of a small amount of methane gas that transitioned into a massive coal-dust explosion because of Massey's poor safety practices," Ward reports. MSHA investigators concluded that Massey "did not follow its agency-approved ventilation and roof control plans, short-circuiting fresh-air flow deep in the mine, contributing to the methane buildup and ignition." (Read more)
The settlement requires Alpha to spend $80 million to improve safety over the next two years, including upgrading equipment, training and increasing staffing at all former Massey underground mines. Digital air-flow, methane and coal dust monitors will be installed, reports Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. The company "must also perform a study to determine if its mines have adequate staffing to clean up accumulations of explosive coal dust, accelerate research on new ways to control dust accumulations, and install new emergency oxygen equipment for miners. The company will build a new state-of-the art training center at its regional office in Julian and set up an aggressive new schedule of worker and supervisor training programs." Alpha will also create a $48 million trust funding mine-safety research at academic institutions, and pay $35 million to resolve civil penalties of all former Massey mines.It will pay $46.5 million to families of the victims.
Ward reports neither Alpha or its subsidiary that operates the Upper Big Branch mine are pleading guilty to any criminal charges. In exchange for Alpha following through on the details of the settlement, the government has agreed to not bring charges against the companies. However, Ward reports that key to this deal is that the U.S. Justice Department hasn't promised to not bring charges against individual executives, officers and employees of Massey or Performance. On his blog, Coal Tattoo, Ward writes that U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin told him: "We’re not limiting the focus of our investigation at all. We are not slowing down at all. If anything, certain aspects of our investigation are going into high gear."
After the Justice Department announcement about the settlement, the Mine Safety and Health Administration released a report about its investigation of the disaster. Ward reports it "largely mirrors previously released findings" from independent investigator David McAteer and another from United Mine Workers safety experts. "All three investigations agree that the explosion involved an ignition of a small amount of methane gas that transitioned into a massive coal-dust explosion because of Massey's poor safety practices," Ward reports. MSHA investigators concluded that Massey "did not follow its agency-approved ventilation and roof control plans, short-circuiting fresh-air flow deep in the mine, contributing to the methane buildup and ignition." (Read more)
Smokey Bear may be fired if environmental literacy programs are cut, report says
"Only you can prevent forest fires," the familiar phrase from Smokey Bear has urged generations to keep campfires under control and not throw down matches in the woods; but Smokey, along with his pal Woodsy Owl, may soon become a thing of the past if Republican House members succeed in cutting the U.S. Forest Service Conservation Education's program for environmental literacy. The program is on House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's YouCut website which is now overseen by freshman Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais. The site "asks the public to choose which spending cuts the program should sponsor in Congress," reports Pamela King of Energy & Environment News.YouCut estimates eliminating environmental literacy programs would save taxpayers $50 million over 10 years, but National Wildlife Federation spokesperson Max Greenberg told King the claimed savings "are tiny by federal government standards." YouCut doesn't specifically mention Smokey and Woodsy in the cut proposal, but King reports Greenburg said in a blog post that it was "ironic that DesJarlais -- a congressman who hails from a state that suffered thousands of wildfires last year, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Division of Forestry -- would suggest eliminating such a famous fire-safety campaign."
The importance of outdoors activities promoted in environmental literacy programs is acknowledged on YouCut's website, but it's also stated that using tax dollars to "generate issue-oriented advocacy" among children is "inappropriate." A spokesperson for DelJarlais' office told King he classifies such programs as "unnecessary expenditures," adding that environmental literacy is being duplicated by other agencies and it's important to reduce duplicate spending. (Read more)
Newspaper in Appalachian coalfield gave big play to Huffington Post story about coal miner's struggle
It's not uncommon for news outlets to share stories. What is uncommon about the story that ran on the front page of the Harlan Daily Enterprise was the byline of a Huffington Post writer on a story from remote southeastern Kentucky.Stories from various media outlets can be viewed on HuffPost, but this time, the news flow from small outlets to a big one was reversed. "Also, any of the reluctance to take on the most powerful local industry, a reluctance that has often been seen in the region's newspapers, was absent," said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, publisher of The Rural Blog.
The story, about coal miner Charles Scott Howard's fight against illegal underground-mine practices, ran on HuffPost Sept. 14 and was mentioned on The Rural Blog. Enterprise Editor Debbie Caldwell said when she saw the story, she asked its author, Dave Jamieson, for permission to run it with the understanding he and HuffPost would be credited. "I wanted to run the article because it involved a person from Harlan County and coal," Caldwell said. "The people of Harlan County enjoy reading about coal. Coal is our heritage."
The story ran over a two-day period in the Enterprise, in what Nieman Journalism Lab's Justin Ellis terms "a gesture of journalistic goodwill." Jamieson told Ellis no one at HuffPost "would have much hesitation about a print newspaper wanting to use a story like that." Ellis writes that HuffPost is often seen by some journalists as "the web's bad guy, a nemesis that subverts the norms of legacy media, soaking up other people’s work in the pursuit of money and the all-powerful pageview," but terms this example of one journalist helping another as "a neighbor borrowing a cup of sugar." Caldwell said sharing stories is simply standard operating procedure at the Enterprise: "I have always shared our stories with news outlets and I have never been denied when I've asked that in return. It has been the common practice and understanding to give a person credit for their work."
Many state oil and gas agencies are obliged to serve the industry as well as regulate it
Taking a closer look at the responsibilities of many state oil and gas agencies sheds new light on the infrequency of punishments and the minimal fines for the industry. Many state oil and gas agencies have to serve as regulators of the oil and gas industry, but in many cases their top priority is to promote drilling, Mike Soraghan of Environment & Energy News reports.
Into which category does your state fall? In many states, agencies have legal obligations to the industry. Wyoming regulators are supposed to "serve" the industry while Pennsylvania's Bureau of Oil and Gas is supposed to "facilitate development," Soraghan reports. Most other oil and gas agencies have mandates or missions declaring development as a goal.
While some regulators believe energy development and regulation can be done safely by the same group, others disagree. Following an explosion at an Encana Corp. well the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission issued a "notice of alleged violation," but it was revoked by higher-ups, Soraghan reports. The commission explained its ruling in a memo saying there were "no injuries to people, nor damage to wellsite equipment," so there was "no need for a hearing, no rule violation." Jim Eubanks, who lives a quarter-mile from the explosion site, insists the commission swept the incident under the rug because at the time five of the seven commissioners were industry representatives.
Following complaints from several landowners, the Colorado General Assembly cut the industry's representation to three out of nine. (Read more) To read a story by Judy Jordan, former oil and gas liaison for Garfield County, on Colorado's Western Slope, about balancing the role of regulator and promoter, click here.
Into which category does your state fall? In many states, agencies have legal obligations to the industry. Wyoming regulators are supposed to "serve" the industry while Pennsylvania's Bureau of Oil and Gas is supposed to "facilitate development," Soraghan reports. Most other oil and gas agencies have mandates or missions declaring development as a goal.
While some regulators believe energy development and regulation can be done safely by the same group, others disagree. Following an explosion at an Encana Corp. well the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission issued a "notice of alleged violation," but it was revoked by higher-ups, Soraghan reports. The commission explained its ruling in a memo saying there were "no injuries to people, nor damage to wellsite equipment," so there was "no need for a hearing, no rule violation." Jim Eubanks, who lives a quarter-mile from the explosion site, insists the commission swept the incident under the rug because at the time five of the seven commissioners were industry representatives.
Following complaints from several landowners, the Colorado General Assembly cut the industry's representation to three out of nine. (Read more) To read a story by Judy Jordan, former oil and gas liaison for Garfield County, on Colorado's Western Slope, about balancing the role of regulator and promoter, click here.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Postal service abandons goal of next-day delivery; new three-day goal likely to hurt rural areas
The U.S. Postal Service plans to end next-day delivery of first-class mail beginning this spring, choosing to focus instead on a commitment to deliver anywhere in the continental U.S. within three days. This move, along with other changes, will save the struggling USPS an estimated $2.1 billion annually, spokesperson David Williams said in a media conference call today. This decision will likely mean longer waits for first-class mail delivery, especially to and from rural areas.
The end of next-day delivery is part of a broad restructuring plan that includes possible closings of 250 processing facilities and elimination of about 28,000 additional jobs, Mark Memmott of National Public Radio reports. Other changes include reducing the current 12-hour guarantee on two-day standard mail to a 4-hour window. During the call, Williams said closures of small town post offices and elimination of Saturday delivery are still being studied. (Read more) For The Associated Press video summary of the proposed changes, click here. For the Postal Service press release, go here.
The end of next-day delivery is part of a broad restructuring plan that includes possible closings of 250 processing facilities and elimination of about 28,000 additional jobs, Mark Memmott of National Public Radio reports. Other changes include reducing the current 12-hour guarantee on two-day standard mail to a 4-hour window. During the call, Williams said closures of small town post offices and elimination of Saturday delivery are still being studied. (Read more) For The Associated Press video summary of the proposed changes, click here. For the Postal Service press release, go here.
Midwest farmland values continue to soar, and bankers say the peak hasn't yet been reached
Farmland values continue to climb in the two Federal Reserve Bank districts that contain most of the Midwest, reports Jeff Caldwell of Agriculture.com. According to Federal Reserve economist David Oppendahl and Omaha branch executive Jason Henderson, land values rose 25 percent in the Chicago and Kansas districts. Caldwell reports that's a one-year record for both regions, and that values have much to do with mother nature, stating land in states hit hard by drought this year did not increase in value. Agriculture bankers say this trend "has yet to peak," the bankers write.
Oppendahl told Caldwell "interest rates on farm operating and real estate loans declined" in the third quarter of 2011, adding the "availability of funds at District banks is at it's highest level in 24 years." Caldwell reports: "Nebraska and Iowa saw the highest year-over-year increases in crop land values at 38 percent (41 percent for irrigated ground) and 31 percent, respectively." Henderson said the limited number of farms for sale during growing season creates strong competition which bids up sale prices at public auctions. Bankers report cash down payments for land averaged 20 percent of the purchase price.
Oppendahl said there will be a lot of "bullish sentiment for farm incomes and land values" in the next year in the Chicago district, and Henderson said weather would be a major factor in how land prices are determined next year, "especially where this year's drought was most severe." They also said the costs of raising next year's crops will rise, creating higher expected operating loan volume. (Read more)
Oppendahl told Caldwell "interest rates on farm operating and real estate loans declined" in the third quarter of 2011, adding the "availability of funds at District banks is at it's highest level in 24 years." Caldwell reports: "Nebraska and Iowa saw the highest year-over-year increases in crop land values at 38 percent (41 percent for irrigated ground) and 31 percent, respectively." Henderson said the limited number of farms for sale during growing season creates strong competition which bids up sale prices at public auctions. Bankers report cash down payments for land averaged 20 percent of the purchase price.
Oppendahl said there will be a lot of "bullish sentiment for farm incomes and land values" in the next year in the Chicago district, and Henderson said weather would be a major factor in how land prices are determined next year, "especially where this year's drought was most severe." They also said the costs of raising next year's crops will rise, creating higher expected operating loan volume. (Read more)
Agricultural irrigation is draining the Great Plains aquifers, which are a finite resource
The aquifers of the Great Plains are being depleted. Researchers from Colorado State University say only 57 percent of current refuge pools for life in the Arikaree River in eastern Colorado will remain over the next 35 years, and those will be isolated on a single-mile stretch of the river, reports Science Daily. This study focused on the Arikaree, but researchers say all 11 headwaters of the Republican River in Nebraska and Kansas "face the same fate." (Map of Republican River Basin, containing the Arikaree and Republican Rivers. Click on map for larger version.)
Regional aquifers were filled by glaciers during the last ice age, researchers say, and can't be replenished with rain and snow. "That water has been there for thousands of years, and it is rapidly being depleted," researcher Jeffrey Falke told Science Daily. "Already, streams that used to run year-round are becoming seasonal, and refuge habitats for native fishes are drying up and becoming increasingly fragmented." Pumping of regional aquifers is almost entirely done for agriculture, with about 90 percent for corn production irrigation, along with alfalfa and wheat. Depletion of the water table affects ground-water dependent grasses that support livestock grazing.
Researchers concluded that a 75 percent reduction in groundwater pumping would be needed to maintain current water-table levels and refuge pools, something that isn't "economically or politically feasible." Dryland streams in the Great Plains provide habitat for several warm-water fish species that have adapted to harsh conditions; but, "increased fragmentation of their habitats may impede their life cycle, limiting the ability of the fish to recolonize," the researchers say. (Read more)
Regional aquifers were filled by glaciers during the last ice age, researchers say, and can't be replenished with rain and snow. "That water has been there for thousands of years, and it is rapidly being depleted," researcher Jeffrey Falke told Science Daily. "Already, streams that used to run year-round are becoming seasonal, and refuge habitats for native fishes are drying up and becoming increasingly fragmented." Pumping of regional aquifers is almost entirely done for agriculture, with about 90 percent for corn production irrigation, along with alfalfa and wheat. Depletion of the water table affects ground-water dependent grasses that support livestock grazing.Researchers concluded that a 75 percent reduction in groundwater pumping would be needed to maintain current water-table levels and refuge pools, something that isn't "economically or politically feasible." Dryland streams in the Great Plains provide habitat for several warm-water fish species that have adapted to harsh conditions; but, "increased fragmentation of their habitats may impede their life cycle, limiting the ability of the fish to recolonize," the researchers say. (Read more)
When rural grocery stores close, communities and local businesses suffer, expert tells Senate
When locally-owned rural grocery stores close, communities they served have a hard time replenishing food supplies when roads close or are too dangerous to travel in winter months because "big-box" groceries are usually more than 20 miles away, Kansas State University Research and Extension reports in the Topeka Capital-Journal. The director of K-State's Center for Engagement and Community Development, David Procter, testified before the U.S. Senate's Hunger Caucus last week to "put it in perspective."
Local groceries anchor community businesses, and though the decline of such stores has been gradual, this issue has become key for the center, Procter testified. Since 2006, 82 out of 213 Kansas communities with 2,500 or fewer people have lost their local grocery; but this isn't solely a Kansas problem, Procter said: It's happening across the country and globally in places like Canada, Mexico and Gambia. Procter was a "driving force" in organizing a Rural Grocery Store Summit in 2010, which attracted more than 200 participants from 13 states.
Procter said low prices offered at big-box stores and an increasingly mobile society lure customers away from local stores. Other causes include changes in food distribution, which sometimes require stores to make minimum orders of $10,000 to $12,000 a week; high operational costs for older buildings; limited labor force, and high owner burn-out rate are also factors working against local groceries. Other businesses suffer when local groceries close, along with tyhe health and nutrition of the community, Procter said. (Read more)
A third Rural Grocery Store Summit is planned for June 5-6, 2012. Information about the summit can be found here.
Local groceries anchor community businesses, and though the decline of such stores has been gradual, this issue has become key for the center, Procter testified. Since 2006, 82 out of 213 Kansas communities with 2,500 or fewer people have lost their local grocery; but this isn't solely a Kansas problem, Procter said: It's happening across the country and globally in places like Canada, Mexico and Gambia. Procter was a "driving force" in organizing a Rural Grocery Store Summit in 2010, which attracted more than 200 participants from 13 states.
Procter said low prices offered at big-box stores and an increasingly mobile society lure customers away from local stores. Other causes include changes in food distribution, which sometimes require stores to make minimum orders of $10,000 to $12,000 a week; high operational costs for older buildings; limited labor force, and high owner burn-out rate are also factors working against local groceries. Other businesses suffer when local groceries close, along with tyhe health and nutrition of the community, Procter said. (Read more)
A third Rural Grocery Store Summit is planned for June 5-6, 2012. Information about the summit can be found here.
Study shows farmers work long after retirement age, and doctors don't know how to relate
"Farmers' stark commitment to work is borderline obsessive, and researchers are beginning to develop new guidelines to better understand farmers, whose strong cultural and emotional ties to the farm drive their work ethic," reports Karin Pekarchik of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture about a study by the UK College of Nursing's Deborah Reed. Findings show that 40 percent of 1,423 Kentucky and South Carolina farmers aged 50 and over defined health as the "ability to work," causing them to work well after retirement age. Reed told Pekarchik she hopes these results will help medical personnel better understand farming culture so they can better relate to farmers.
"The average Kentucky farmer is 57 – 13 years older than the average worker. Kentucky's farming population mirrors that of the entire United States, making this a nationwide topic," Pekarchik writes. Reed told her most farmers have two jobs and don't list farming as their primary occupation, keeping doctors from screening for things like skin cancer and cataracts, common ailments associated with working outdoors.
Another alarming statistic is that farmers have the highest suicide rates of any occupation, most likely because they're "exposed to unrelenting and multifaceted stress and pressure," Pekarchik writes. The resulting stress from hard physical labor, long work days throughout the year, enduring vagaries of nature and livestock, adverse weather conditions, market fluctuations, government policy changes and family pressure can lead to suicide.
Farmers, even from a young age, should be aware of the physical and mental problems that could ail them later in life, Reed said. She suggests farmers use sunscreen, wear wide-brimmed hats, use hearing protection and wear sturdy shoes and use a walking stick to eliminate falls. (Read more)
"The average Kentucky farmer is 57 – 13 years older than the average worker. Kentucky's farming population mirrors that of the entire United States, making this a nationwide topic," Pekarchik writes. Reed told her most farmers have two jobs and don't list farming as their primary occupation, keeping doctors from screening for things like skin cancer and cataracts, common ailments associated with working outdoors.
Another alarming statistic is that farmers have the highest suicide rates of any occupation, most likely because they're "exposed to unrelenting and multifaceted stress and pressure," Pekarchik writes. The resulting stress from hard physical labor, long work days throughout the year, enduring vagaries of nature and livestock, adverse weather conditions, market fluctuations, government policy changes and family pressure can lead to suicide.
Farmers, even from a young age, should be aware of the physical and mental problems that could ail them later in life, Reed said. She suggests farmers use sunscreen, wear wide-brimmed hats, use hearing protection and wear sturdy shoes and use a walking stick to eliminate falls. (Read more)
Prospect of revived horse-slaughter industry leaves animal-rights groups split and others wondering
The recent reversal of a five-year U.S. horse slaughtering ban, after a study found that it contributed to neglect and abuse, has animal-rights groups split on the issue and leaves some wondering if and when any horse slaughter plants will open. (Casper Star-Tribune photo by Dan Cepeda)Patrik Jonsson of the Christian Science Monitor reports the Humane Society of the United States and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals continue a strong anti-slaughter stance, while People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says reopening slaughter houses is a good idea. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk told Johnson PETA was against the bill that closed horse slaughter houses because "the amount of suffering that it created exceed the amount of suffering it was designed to stop."
According to a Government Accountability Office report, Johnson writes, the domestic slaughter ban did not reduce the number of horses killed for consumption; instead, it led to more inhumane treatment of old, abandoned or neglected horses and greater numbers of horses being shipped to Mexico or Canada for slaughter. While ending the ban may not result in less horses slaughtered, "it does mean the amount of suffering is now reduced again," Newkirk told Johnson. (Read more)
Wyoming Rep. Sue Wallis, a United Horseman member, told Kelsey Dayton of the Casper Star Tribune that regulations require a minimum of 30 to 90 days before slaughterhoues can open. She estimates it will take longer for any to open in Wyoming since it had no such facilities. North Dakota ranch wife Jeri Dobrowski believes reopening plants will create jobs and increase exports, but she wonders if openings will really occur, Gary Truitt of Hoosier Ag Today reports. Federal money for slaughterhouse inspectors has been approved for only a year, and Dobrowski believes that will keep many plants from opening because owners will have no certainty surrounding their investment.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Strict definition of family farm may be sticking point for proposed rules on child farm labor
The formal comment period for the Labor Department's rules that would further limit child labor on farms ended Dec. 1, but the political debate will go on. More than 70 House members sent the department a letter saying the proposed regulation “challenges the conventional wisdom of what defines a family farm in the United States.”
The regulation would continue to exempt children working on their parents' farms, but the leader of the House group, Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), told Rachel Leven of The Hill newspaper that the exemption wouldn't apply unless the parents had full ownership of the property, something that many might appear to have but do not. “It is so difficult to pass ranches or farms from generation to generation; oftentimes it’s the only retirement your parents have. So you buy the farm or the ranch from them,” Rehberg said. Paul Schlegel, a labor specialist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, told Leven that many families have only partial ownership of large farms because they use corporations or limited-liability companies “for tax reasons or estate purposes.”
Leven writes, "A Labor Department spokesman said 'the regulation would not impact' families who partially own or partially operate a farm. The way the current regulation is worded makes lawmakers and agriculture groups worry, however." Rehberg told her, “There’s apparently a big difference between what the rule actually says and how the Department of Labor promises to interpret it. The future of the family farm is too important to leave to the whims of how the next labor secretary or the next administration decides to interpret these rules.” (Read more)
The regulation would continue to exempt children working on their parents' farms, but the leader of the House group, Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), told Rachel Leven of The Hill newspaper that the exemption wouldn't apply unless the parents had full ownership of the property, something that many might appear to have but do not. “It is so difficult to pass ranches or farms from generation to generation; oftentimes it’s the only retirement your parents have. So you buy the farm or the ranch from them,” Rehberg said. Paul Schlegel, a labor specialist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, told Leven that many families have only partial ownership of large farms because they use corporations or limited-liability companies “for tax reasons or estate purposes.”
Leven writes, "A Labor Department spokesman said 'the regulation would not impact' families who partially own or partially operate a farm. The way the current regulation is worded makes lawmakers and agriculture groups worry, however." Rehberg told her, “There’s apparently a big difference between what the rule actually says and how the Department of Labor promises to interpret it. The future of the family farm is too important to leave to the whims of how the next labor secretary or the next administration decides to interpret these rules.” (Read more)
Top Ky. environmentalist quits state boards, citing governor's cuts and firing of strip-mine overseer
Kentucky's leading environmentalist resigned from two state boards yesterday to protest the environmental and energy policies of newly re-elected Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, the proximate cause being the firing of the chief strip-mine regulator.
Attorney Tom Fitzgerald is director of the Kentucky Resources Council, the state's leading environmental lobby. He quit the boards of the Kentucky Environmental Education Council and the Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship, telling Beshear in a letter, "I cannot in good conscience continue to serve as your appointee to either Board in light of the current Administration’s environmental and energy policies."
Fitzgerald said Beshear's 26 percent budget cuts in environmental programs and called "indefensible" the fact that only one program "collects from regulated sources the fees necessary to offset the cost of regulation." He said the firing of Natural Resources Commissioner Carl Campbell, who was trying to increase reclamation bonds in the face of industry resistance, shows "the administration has lost its bearing regarding regulation of the coal industry." Many coal interests supported Beshear's re-election campaign.
FitzGerald said Campbell was trying to apply the "cumulative hydrologic impact assessment" on strip-mine permits "for the first time in 29 years, and to stem the disturbing trend of towards greater numbers of violations within the coal industry." He said the industry's compliance rate last year was the lowest since 1990. For the full letter, click here.
"Beshear said in a statement that he was disappointed FitzGerald had resigned," Tom Loftus of The Courier-Journal reports.
Attorney Tom Fitzgerald is director of the Kentucky Resources Council, the state's leading environmental lobby. He quit the boards of the Kentucky Environmental Education Council and the Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship, telling Beshear in a letter, "I cannot in good conscience continue to serve as your appointee to either Board in light of the current Administration’s environmental and energy policies."
Fitzgerald said Beshear's 26 percent budget cuts in environmental programs and called "indefensible" the fact that only one program "collects from regulated sources the fees necessary to offset the cost of regulation." He said the firing of Natural Resources Commissioner Carl Campbell, who was trying to increase reclamation bonds in the face of industry resistance, shows "the administration has lost its bearing regarding regulation of the coal industry." Many coal interests supported Beshear's re-election campaign.
FitzGerald said Campbell was trying to apply the "cumulative hydrologic impact assessment" on strip-mine permits "for the first time in 29 years, and to stem the disturbing trend of towards greater numbers of violations within the coal industry." He said the industry's compliance rate last year was the lowest since 1990. For the full letter, click here.
"Beshear said in a statement that he was disappointed FitzGerald had resigned," Tom Loftus of The Courier-Journal reports.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Politico examines the impact of mandatory cuts to the federal budget
Officially known as sequestration, the $1.2 trillion in mandatory budget cuts, left as a result of the failed 'supercommittee,' are on track to start in January 2013. Jonathan Allen of Politico has compiled a guide explaining the impact of these cuts on different areas of federal spending.
The $1.2 trillion in cuts will be spread out from 2013 to 2021. Tax increases, the presidential salary and Congressional benefits are off the table in the cuts, Allen reports. The cuts will be split equally among defense and nondefense programs. The result, $984 billion in cuts and $216 billion in savings from interest payments, averages "roughly $54.5 billion per year" for defense and nondefense functions.
The cuts will be divided between mandatory spending, ongoing government programs funded based on qualified participants, and discretionary spending, programs Congress approves each year, Allen reports. Both mandatory and discretionary spending will see a percentage reduction for each program during the first year, but in subsequent years discretionary spending will be further reduced until 2021 leaving Congress deciding which additional programs to cut.
What about health care and farm programs, two areas of specific interest to rural residents? While Medicaid and most of Medicare, except Part B premiums, have been spared with the supercommittee's failure, several provisions in the president's health care law are possible future targets. Click here to read a detailed review of possible health care cuts by Brian Depew of The Center for Rural Affairs.
Agricultural programs are not so lucky, since most subsidies are defined as mandatory spending. With spending cuts looming, "farm-state lawmakers in both chambers and both parties" are scrambling "to come up with a bipartisan plan for deficit reduction in areas under their jurisdiction," Allen writes.
Politico's guide was compiled from interviews and analyses by think tanks, the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service and Capitol Hill aides
The $1.2 trillion in cuts will be spread out from 2013 to 2021. Tax increases, the presidential salary and Congressional benefits are off the table in the cuts, Allen reports. The cuts will be split equally among defense and nondefense programs. The result, $984 billion in cuts and $216 billion in savings from interest payments, averages "roughly $54.5 billion per year" for defense and nondefense functions.
The cuts will be divided between mandatory spending, ongoing government programs funded based on qualified participants, and discretionary spending, programs Congress approves each year, Allen reports. Both mandatory and discretionary spending will see a percentage reduction for each program during the first year, but in subsequent years discretionary spending will be further reduced until 2021 leaving Congress deciding which additional programs to cut.
What about health care and farm programs, two areas of specific interest to rural residents? While Medicaid and most of Medicare, except Part B premiums, have been spared with the supercommittee's failure, several provisions in the president's health care law are possible future targets. Click here to read a detailed review of possible health care cuts by Brian Depew of The Center for Rural Affairs.
Agricultural programs are not so lucky, since most subsidies are defined as mandatory spending. With spending cuts looming, "farm-state lawmakers in both chambers and both parties" are scrambling "to come up with a bipartisan plan for deficit reduction in areas under their jurisdiction," Allen writes.
Politico's guide was compiled from interviews and analyses by think tanks, the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service and Capitol Hill aides
New Jersey police, hit by state and local budget cuts, are dispersing to far-flung areas
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department is looking for recruits 800 miles away in New Jersey, Darran Simon of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A department spokesman told Simon when it heard about "sweeping police layoffs" in New Jersey, department recruiters saw an opportunity to hire trained personnel. They aren't the only department, either: Fort Worth, Tex., also recruited from the state this week. (Inquirer photo by Christopher Berkey: recruits from New Jersey before their graduation in Nashville) New Jersey recruits told Simon they saw potential for professional growth in Nashville, and said they're grateful to "still be cops, which seemed unlikely in New Jersey, where layoffs have hit hard in the major cities," Simon reports. The state has 705 laid-off officers (since January) who haven't been able to find work in law enforcement, according to a State Policeman's Benevolent Association survey. Mitchell Sklar, executive director of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, told Simon the state's officers are attractive recruits for out-of-state departments because they are well trained. (Read more)
Craigslist ad promising easy farm work connected to death of at least three in rural southern Ohio
Three men have been killed and another injured in an online scheme that lured them to rural southern Ohio through a Craigslist ad, Erica Goode of The New York Times reports. The ad offered $300 a week, a free trailer and unlimited fishing for anyone willing to "watch over a 688 acre patch of hilly farmland and feed a few cows." The three men killed were from Virginia, the Akron area and an unidentified location, and were found in shallow graves on property that turned out to belong to a coal company. The bogus ad drew more than 100 responses and authorities say more bodies may be found.
Goode reports the number of applicants is not surprising in a rural area hit hard by the recession where people are desperate for jobs, implying the perpetrators played on this desperation to lure victims. Police suspect robbery may be the motive, though other theories have circulated, including identity theft and the desire to kill, Goode reports, adding "the perpetrators appeared to be looking for loners who would not be missed." Two suspects have been arrested: Richard J. Beasley, 52, of Akron and Brogan Rafferty, 16, of Stow, Ohio. Beasley hasn't been charged in the killings, but is being held on charges of promoting prostitution and selling OxyContin. Rafferty has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated murder and complicity in those crimes concerning two of the victims.
Goode reports survivor, Scott Davis of South Carolina, told police he met with two men for breakfast and then was driven to a nearby "farm." While walking through the woods, Davis reported hearing a gun being cocked and turned to see it pointed at his head. Deflecting the gun and running into the woods led Davis to help two miles away. Goode reports when police searched the property, they found a shallow, hand-dug grave. (Read more)
Landowners accuse gas companies of lying about leases; industry defends its practices
With millions of gas and oil leases in the U.S., some landowners are learning a costly lesson about the standard leases they signed. Industry officials insist the documents are written to protect the landowner, but a New York Times review of more than 111,000 leases, addenda and related documents obtained through open records requests tell a different story.
Fewer than half the leases include compensation to landowners for water contamination after drilling begins, Ian Urbina and Jo Craven McGinty of The New York Times report, and only about half of those include payments for damages to livestock or crops. Most leases give gas companies broad decision-making rights regarding tree removal, storage of chemicals, building roads and drilling. Few leases describe the environmental and other risks that federal law requires companies to disclose. Average leases are for three or five years, but two-thirds of those the Times reviewed "allow extensions without additional approval from landowners."
Urbina and McGinty report disappointed landowners in Pennsylvania, Colorado and West Virginia have spent hundreds of dollars monthly on bottled water or maintaining large tanks of drinking water in their front lawns. Thousands of landowners in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas, who claim "they were paid less than they expected because gas companies deducted costs like hauling chemicals to the well site or transporting gas to market," have responded by joining a class action lawsuit, Urbina and McGinty report.
Some industry officials say landowner criticism is misguided. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania company Cabot Oil and Gas responded to inquiries about waste pit cleanup on a Pennsylvania site by saying "the company's cleanup measures met or exceeded state requirements." Landmen, drilling company employees who pitch leases, say they don't mislead landowners. "Everyone I know who does this work is on the up and up, and most of the bad actors that there may have been before are no longer in business," Mike Knapp, president of Knapp Acquisitions and Production told the Times. Knapp added his company's leases ensure landowners get replacement water if needed and he encourages landowners to visit existing drilling sites before signing a lease. (Read more)
In response to increasing interest and concerns over mineral rights leasing, Athens County, Ohio attorney John Lavelle offered to draft a "landowner friendly" lease, like the one he used for his own properties, which he leased to Cunningham Energy based in Charleston, W.Va. He offered his services to other Athens County residents interested in contracting with the company, Sara Brumfield of The Athens Messenger reports. The New York Times has also published "A Layman's Guide to Lease Terms" to help landowners considering leasing.
Fewer than half the leases include compensation to landowners for water contamination after drilling begins, Ian Urbina and Jo Craven McGinty of The New York Times report, and only about half of those include payments for damages to livestock or crops. Most leases give gas companies broad decision-making rights regarding tree removal, storage of chemicals, building roads and drilling. Few leases describe the environmental and other risks that federal law requires companies to disclose. Average leases are for three or five years, but two-thirds of those the Times reviewed "allow extensions without additional approval from landowners."
Urbina and McGinty report disappointed landowners in Pennsylvania, Colorado and West Virginia have spent hundreds of dollars monthly on bottled water or maintaining large tanks of drinking water in their front lawns. Thousands of landowners in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas, who claim "they were paid less than they expected because gas companies deducted costs like hauling chemicals to the well site or transporting gas to market," have responded by joining a class action lawsuit, Urbina and McGinty report.
Some industry officials say landowner criticism is misguided. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania company Cabot Oil and Gas responded to inquiries about waste pit cleanup on a Pennsylvania site by saying "the company's cleanup measures met or exceeded state requirements." Landmen, drilling company employees who pitch leases, say they don't mislead landowners. "Everyone I know who does this work is on the up and up, and most of the bad actors that there may have been before are no longer in business," Mike Knapp, president of Knapp Acquisitions and Production told the Times. Knapp added his company's leases ensure landowners get replacement water if needed and he encourages landowners to visit existing drilling sites before signing a lease. (Read more)
In response to increasing interest and concerns over mineral rights leasing, Athens County, Ohio attorney John Lavelle offered to draft a "landowner friendly" lease, like the one he used for his own properties, which he leased to Cunningham Energy based in Charleston, W.Va. He offered his services to other Athens County residents interested in contracting with the company, Sara Brumfield of The Athens Messenger reports. The New York Times has also published "A Layman's Guide to Lease Terms" to help landowners considering leasing.
Story offers facts about the payroll-tax cut, a big issue for pocketbooks and next year's politics
Weekly newspapers (and those dailies that don't subscribe to The Associated Press) and other rural news media, take note: There's a big pocketbook-and-politics story out there that your readers, viewers and listeners need to understand: The fight over extending the Social Security payroll tax cut, which expires Dec. 31.
In the Senate yesterday, each party's version of a tax-cut extension failed to muster the needed 60 votes, and most Republicans voted against their own party's version, an embarassment to Republican Leder Mitch McConnell, who had predicted the opposite. The votes set the table for "more serious negotiations over how to cover the cost of the tax cut," Lori Montgomery and Felicia Sonmez of The Washington Post report.
The negotiations will be hand-in-glove with public-relations efforts from both parties, which will surely obscure the facts in an effort to win votes next year, so we wanted to let you know about a good analysis of the issue that anyone can publish, with a few basic conditions. It's from ProPublica, the non-partisan, non-ideological, investigative news agency that has won prizes for its work and is overseen by Paul Steiger, former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal.
ProPublica reporter Miriam Wang answers some basic and important questions: What is the payroll tax — and how big has the cut been? How much has the cut helped the economy? And what do economists say would happen if it’s not extended? For the story, click here.
In the Senate yesterday, each party's version of a tax-cut extension failed to muster the needed 60 votes, and most Republicans voted against their own party's version, an embarassment to Republican Leder Mitch McConnell, who had predicted the opposite. The votes set the table for "more serious negotiations over how to cover the cost of the tax cut," Lori Montgomery and Felicia Sonmez of The Washington Post report.
The negotiations will be hand-in-glove with public-relations efforts from both parties, which will surely obscure the facts in an effort to win votes next year, so we wanted to let you know about a good analysis of the issue that anyone can publish, with a few basic conditions. It's from ProPublica, the non-partisan, non-ideological, investigative news agency that has won prizes for its work and is overseen by Paul Steiger, former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal.
ProPublica reporter Miriam Wang answers some basic and important questions: What is the payroll tax — and how big has the cut been? How much has the cut helped the economy? And what do economists say would happen if it’s not extended? For the story, click here.
Top coal reporter reflects on his career
The Rural Blog often shares Ken Ward Jr.'s coverage of the coal industry and the environment in Appalachia, both from his stories and his blog, Coal Tattoo, because if anyone knows the industry, it's Ward, who has extensively covered it for over 20 years. But we aren't the only outlet taking notice of The Charleston Gazette's veteran coal reporter; his work has been cited by The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS and NPR, and he has received several journalism awards. In an interview with Columbia Journalism Review's Brent Cunningham for the magazine's 50th anniversary issue, Ward reflects on his career, which Cunningham says reflects late Gazette publisher Ned Chilton III's credo: "The hallmark of crusading journalism is sustained outrage."Ward told Cunningham, "I think that most journalists, certainly in America today, are dishonest with the public by telling them that they’re objective. I used to go give talks at some of the trade groups in West Virginia, and I’d use this Hunter S. Thompson quote—that objective journalism is a pompous contradiction in terms—and people would always say, 'A-ha! That proves it! Ken Ward’s biased, we knew it all along.' And then I would say, 'Well, let’s talk about my biases.' And I would say things like, 'You know, I think everybody should be able to earn a living so they can take care of their families. I think everybody should have clean water to drink. I think everybody should have clean air to breathe. I think every kid deserves to have a chance at a good education. I think that everybody ought to share in the wealth of our nation.' Nobody ever really wanted to disagree with any of that. But they didn’t really like how it manifested itself in stories."
(Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, publisher of The Rural Blog, agrees that journalists shouldn't claim objectivity, except as a method to get to the best version of the truth they can deliver. "Objectivity is an unachievable ideal, as a goal," Cross says, "but an essential method for journalists. And Ken Ward is objective in his methods.")
Here are other highlights from the interview:
"Part of the reason I wanted to do Coal Tattoo was that I saw the growth of pseudo-journalism about these issues, about mountaintop removal, climate change, the coal industry. I saw this pseudo-journalism taking over the public discourse. If real journalism is to survive, I think we have to engage with that stuff to a certain extent ... the same kinds of tools and skills that real journalists have to sort out what’s true and what’s not true, and who’s doing what to whom and who’s winning and who’s losing public policy debates - we need to deploy those things for products other than seventeen-part series that win the Pulitzer Prize. I keep trying to get our newsroom to stop calling blog posts 'posts,' because I think it makes them these kind of lesser forms of journalism. And they ought not be."
"I think that maybe we need to focus a little bit less on storytelling, a little bit less on finding Joe Smith who lives near a Marcellus Shale gas well, and his story about what it was like having that big industrial complex move in next door to him, and do more of giving him information he needs to understand why that happened to him and what he could do as a citizen of this republic to change or resist the situation. I try to do stories that don’t necessarily tell about somebody who’s going through a difficult time, but that tell people who have gone through a difficult time why the hell it happened to them, and how their government let it happen, what powerful institution did it to them, and what can be done about it."
"West Virginia’s my home. I’ve never lived anyplace else. It is impossibly rich with things for a reporter to cover. Right now I’m focusing on coal. I’ve written about a lot of other things, and I have a huge list of things I still want to write about. And I can’t think of many places that are in need of good journalism more than West Virginia is, or what higher calling journalists have than to try to write stories that make their home a better place."
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Disability-benefit rate in rural areas is 80% higher than the national rate
"Rural areas are more dependent on disability benefits than are metropolitan areas," according to an investigation of the rate of Social Security benefits received by working age adults nationwide in 2009, Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo report in the Daily Yonder.
The national average of adults receiving benefits is 4.6 percent, but in rural areas, that rate is 7.6 percent, with some places like Appalachia, the deep South and the Ozarks becoming pockets with high rates of disability benefits received. (Yonder map; click to make larger)
To qualify for benefits, a person has to prove he or she can't work because of a disability that will last more than a year. Some conditions that qualify are cancer, chronic back pain, anxiety and schizophrenia.
Disability rates vary widely by state, Bishop and Gallardo report, with West Virginia having the highest rate at 9.6 percent and Utah with one of the lowest at 2.8 percent, or one third the rates in West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas. In Alabama, Mississippi, Maine and the Ozarks there are areas with over 10 percent of working-age adults receiving Social Security benefits.
Among the 50 counties with the highest percentage of working age adults receiving benefits, three are urban, five contain small cities and 42 are rural. Bishop and Gallardo analyze the numbers this way: "Disability payments are concentrated in counties where the jobs require manual labor and where unemployment is traditionally high. Mining and timbering are major industries in many of the counties with the highest percentages of disability beneficiaries. These are also counties with historically high rates of unemployment." (Read more)
"In some areas, there is probably a correlation with low education, because the lack of schooling makes many people employable mainly in manual-labor work," said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog.
The national average of adults receiving benefits is 4.6 percent, but in rural areas, that rate is 7.6 percent, with some places like Appalachia, the deep South and the Ozarks becoming pockets with high rates of disability benefits received. (Yonder map; click to make larger)
To qualify for benefits, a person has to prove he or she can't work because of a disability that will last more than a year. Some conditions that qualify are cancer, chronic back pain, anxiety and schizophrenia.
Disability rates vary widely by state, Bishop and Gallardo report, with West Virginia having the highest rate at 9.6 percent and Utah with one of the lowest at 2.8 percent, or one third the rates in West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas. In Alabama, Mississippi, Maine and the Ozarks there are areas with over 10 percent of working-age adults receiving Social Security benefits.
Among the 50 counties with the highest percentage of working age adults receiving benefits, three are urban, five contain small cities and 42 are rural. Bishop and Gallardo analyze the numbers this way: "Disability payments are concentrated in counties where the jobs require manual labor and where unemployment is traditionally high. Mining and timbering are major industries in many of the counties with the highest percentages of disability beneficiaries. These are also counties with historically high rates of unemployment." (Read more)
"In some areas, there is probably a correlation with low education, because the lack of schooling makes many people employable mainly in manual-labor work," said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog.
Drilling-pollution report nixes big Wyo. gas deal
Texas-based Legacy Resources announced this week it will not follow through on a $45 million deal to buy a natural gas drilling field near Pavillion, Wyo., where the Environmental Protection Agency recently found the cancer-causing chemical benzene at 50 times the level safe for humans during sampling of the town's water supply, Abraham Lustgarten of ProPublica reports, noting that the situation comes to light as the country waits for results from a nationwide survey on hydraulic fracturing and "could signal difficulty for companies trying to turn over aging gas fields if there are environmental or health concerns related to their operations."
A spokesman for EnCana, the company that owns the drilling field, told Lustgarten the company retains "responsibility for any outcome resulting from the ongoing groundwater investigation," but added "uncertainty regarding further development" made Legacy pull out of the deal. Legacy had planned to tap into the 45 billion cubic feet of gas believed to be under the field.
Residents had been complaining for years that hydraulic fracturing used in natural gas drilling had polluted their water supply. EPA previously found hydrocarbon contaminates in water wells and had advised residents not to drink their water and to ventilate their homes while showering or washing dishes. The water EPA tested last month came from two monitoring wells drilled 1,000 feet down, below most water wells, Lustgarten reports. Along with benzene, results found several other chemicals commonly used in hydraulic fracturing, like diesel fuel and 2-Butoxyethanol. The company told Lustgarten the chemicals occur naturally and drilling is not blame, and the EPA has not yet announced the cause of pollution, though it has said a detailed report analyzing possible causes will be released. (Read more)
A spokesman for EnCana, the company that owns the drilling field, told Lustgarten the company retains "responsibility for any outcome resulting from the ongoing groundwater investigation," but added "uncertainty regarding further development" made Legacy pull out of the deal. Legacy had planned to tap into the 45 billion cubic feet of gas believed to be under the field.
Residents had been complaining for years that hydraulic fracturing used in natural gas drilling had polluted their water supply. EPA previously found hydrocarbon contaminates in water wells and had advised residents not to drink their water and to ventilate their homes while showering or washing dishes. The water EPA tested last month came from two monitoring wells drilled 1,000 feet down, below most water wells, Lustgarten reports. Along with benzene, results found several other chemicals commonly used in hydraulic fracturing, like diesel fuel and 2-Butoxyethanol. The company told Lustgarten the chemicals occur naturally and drilling is not blame, and the EPA has not yet announced the cause of pollution, though it has said a detailed report analyzing possible causes will be released. (Read more)
Teacher salaries lower where students are poor
A study released by the Education Department yesterday reveals schools serving low-income students receive less local and state funding for teacher salaries than schools serving higher-income students, confirming long-suspected financial inequity by education experts.
Sam Dillon of The New York Times reports the data collected comes from 84,000 public schools that reported salary expenditures to receive emergency federal money under the 2009 stimulus bill. Salary inequities began to accumulate after the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed. Under the law, districts were required to prove the money was being distributed equally among their low and high-income schools, but a loophole "allowed school systems to report educator salaries using a districtwide pay schedule, thus masking large salary gaps between the higher-paid veteran staffs in middle-class schools and the young teachers earning entry-level pay in poor parts of the district," Dillon reports.
The Education Department said in a statement that alleviating the inequities would not be difficult: "Providing low-income schools with comparable spending would cost as little as 1 percent of the average district’s total spending, but the extra resources would make a big impact by adding between 4 percent and 15 percent to the budget of schools serving poor students." (Read more)
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