Drug cartels turn to a synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than fentanyl, 'killing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users'

The chemical makeup of carfentanil. The drug is legally used to  
anesthetize large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. 

Carfentanil is a deadly "weapons-grade" synthetic opioid that illicit drug makers are adding to other drugs as a potent substitute for fentanyl. The drug, which authorities say is "10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, has seen a drastic resurgence across the U.S., killing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users," report Hallie Golden and Jim Mustian of The Associated Press.

Carfentanil's presence in illegal drugs sold in the U.S. has surged since the Chinese government's more recent "crackdown on the sale of precursors used to make fentanyl," AP reports. "Those regulations are likely prompting traffickers in Mexico to use carfentanil to boost the potency of a weakened version of fentanyl."

The sheer potency of carfentanil is what makes it so dangerous for anyone who takes drugs not prescribed by their doctor. Frank Tarentino, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief of operations for its northeast region, which stretches from Maine to Virginia, told AP, "You’re talking about not even a grain of salt that could be potentially lethal. This presents an extremely frightening proposition."

While some Mexican drug cartels may be making carfentanil in their own labs, others are purchasing it from darknet marketplaces. Regardless of where it originates, it's making its way onto American streets. Golden and Mustian write, "In 2025, DEA labs identified carfentanil 1,400 times in U.S. drug seizures, compared with 145 in 2023 and only 54 in 2022."

Russia used an aerosol form of carfentanil as a chemical weapon to subdue Chechen separatists in 2002, AP reports. It is legally used to anesthetize large animals, such as elephants.

Michael King Jr., founder of the Opioid Awareness Foundation, told AP, “It’s like a biological weapon. If the world thinks we had a problem with fentanyl, that’s minute compared to what we’re going to be dealing with with carfentanil.”

Policy experts say 10 rural hospitals in Virginia are 'at risk' of closure. What does that mean?

A rural hospital can be listed as 'at risk' and never close.
(Canva photo via Cardinal News)

As rural hospitals across the U.S. grapple with fewer federal Medicaid reimbursement dollars, some, including 10 in Virginia, have been flagged as "at risk" of closure, reports Emily Schabacker of Cardinal News. But the formulas used by policy centers to determine financially strained hospitals can't predict which hospitals will close.

For instance, the Public Citizen, a non-profit that tends to lean left, released an analysis that looked specifically at "Medicaid policy changes tied to the federal funding bill," Schabacker explains. Based on their focus, Public Citizen policy experts "identified 10 Virginia hospitals as at risk of closure," including six in Southwest and Southside Virginia:

• Buchanan General Hospital, Grundy
• Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital, Tazewell
• Twin County Regional Hospital, Galax
• Dickenson Community Hospital, Clintwood
• Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital, South Boston
• Centra Southside Community Hospital, Farmville
• VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital, Tappahannock
• Bon Secours Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center, Emporia
• Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, Woodbridge
• VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, South Hill

While not all policy centers will focus on Medicaid payment changes to determine a hospital's future financial difficulties, most centers will consider past financial standing, operating margins, and whether the hospital was already operating at a deficit before the Medicaid cuts were announced. 

According to Michael Shepherd, an assistant professor with the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan, "Each research group uses slightly different methods to evaluate hospital finances," Schabacker reports.

Shepherd said he’s "concerned that reports like the one from Public Citizen border on being alarmist," Schabacker adds, "signaling with too high a degree of certainty that hospitals with negative operating margins will close as Medicaid changes take shape."

Financial vulnerability doesn't mean that "the hospital is going to close tomorrow, but it could over the next few years," Shepherd told Cardinal News. "There is some uncertainty there. Not every hospital that’s at risk of closing will close. The truth is somewhere in the middle.”

Commentary: Why one journalist traded covering national news for a small-town newspaper in Big Sky Country

After he left a national media career to become editor of the Glasgow Courier in Glasgow, Montana, this journalist began to see his writing and the news differently, writes Skylar Baker-Jordan, reflecting in The Daily Yonder on his journey to a new career in the "middle of nowhere."

"Within my first few hours of being in Valley County, I learned people are hungry for local news. A new face in Glasgow, a town of 3,202 people, folks immediately asked what brought me, a born and bred Appalachian, to the high plains of Montana," Baker-Jordan writes.

Once Glasgow residents learned Baker-Jordan was the Courier's new editor, he was inundated with town gossip, juicy conflicts and events the paper needed to investigate. He writes, "That thirst for local news is not unique to Glasgow, but it is increasingly difficult to quench. . . More than 130 local papers ceased publication in the past year alone."

As smaller newspapers close, fewer towns can rely on local reporting, which the "middle of nowhere" towns need more than most. Baker-Jordan adds, "Moving here was my chance to use my talents in the service of a community that needed an editor to help its local paper avoid this fate."

Baker-Jordan didn't decide to switch careers in an instant, but over time, while he was working as an editor at 100 Days in Appalachia, a nonprofit newsroom managed by and for Appalachians. He writes, "Suddenly, I was writing about and reporting on regional matters I’d long overlooked, and the response was overwhelming. In my entire career, the most gratitude I received from readers – the highest volume of responses – was to stories I wrote about local and regional matters."

He began to think about his past journalistic efforts differently. Baker-Jordan explains, "The sheer vitriol of the partisan press began to make my screeds feel less like a righteous contribution to public discourse and more like the very thing eroding trust in media and our civic institutions writ large."

Baker-Jordan doesn't see his new editing gig or his town as lesser than his career in the bigger national news arena. He writes, "Small towns deserve to see themselves reflected and taken seriously every bit as much as large urban areas or Congress and Wall Street. They deserve reporters and editors who are dedicated to telling their stories, to establishing a public record of their history and people."

Live, virtual panel discussion on the link between agricultural sprays and cancer cases in the Midwest, May 7

Are chemical crop treatments causing cancer in the communities where they are used?

A live virtual panel event on May 7 from 11 a.m. to noon. will explore what current data and reporting reveal about potential links between agricultural sprays and cancer diagnoses. The conversation will cover what research indicates, clinical insights and lived experience. The event is free. You can register here.

The discussion panel includes journalists, researchers, a physician and a cancer survivor who will discuss the growing body of data examining the potential link between pesticide use and cancer outcomes.

The panel will flesh out what's known about the possible connection, present what remains unclear, and examine how chemical crop treatments and severe health conditions often play out in rural communities.

The conversation will connect data, policy and personal impact to better understand what’s driving cancer risks in farm belts across the U.S. Time for a Q&A with the audience also will be included.

Current panel lineup:

• Dr. Richard Deming, MercyOne Cancer Center
• Kerri Johannsen, Iowa Environmental Council
• Amanda Starbuck, Food & Water Watch
• Carey Gillam, The New Lede
• Lisa Lawler, Iowa cancer survivor
• Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest (moderator)

“We selected these panelists to help better understand what the latest data and reporting are showing and where we go next,” said Lauren Cross, assistant editor for the event's sponsor, Investigate Midwest.

Quick hits: USDA plans fertilizer production in U.S.; farmers' 'stops' that aren't seasonal; curiosity builds community

Brooke Rollins

The Department of Agriculture plans to use tariff dollars and trade renegotiation resources to help fertilizer production in the United States. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the "USDA is focused on helping move fertilizer supplies more quickly, but cautioned it will take time for crop nutrient prices to begin falling," reports Kim Chipman of AgriPulse. "Rollins said she hosted a meeting with executives of four top fertilizer companies and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett." The Trump administration hopes to roll out its full plan to move fertilizer production back to the U.S. sometime this week.

The University of Maine's Fort Kent campus will provide dorms,
 a lounge and a cafeteria for recovering teens. (UofM photo)

Just like some adults, preteens and adolescents can end up with severe drug and alcohol addictions that can end in an overdose or many failed recovery attempts. Recovery advocates in the tiny town of Fort Kent, Maine, will "use new funding to try a novel solution to the problem: a public boarding school for high schoolers in recovery," writes Lanan Cohen for The Hechinger Report. The new approach will "focus on abstinence and mental health to help students overcome their substance abuse problems." Educators hope the boarding school structure will allow students time to solidify new choices and coping strategies while remaining in school.

Graphic by A. Dixon, Offrange

It's not a farmers market. It's a farmers "stop," and it's open all year long. Farming advocates hope the concept continues to catch on. "The Argus Farm Stop model is built on a consignment basis with a 70/30 split: Farmers set their own prices and keep 70% of every sale, while Argus retains 30% to cover operating costs," reports Heidi Roth for Offrange. "A café inside each location accounts for roughly a third of sales but about half the profit, effectively subsidizing higher farmer payouts while creating a community hub where farmers can gather, and customers can meet producers." Not all farmer stops have the same elements, but all aim to support local farmers while fostering community spirit.

Musical talent from far-flung places often took center stage at the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. "The festival is rich with rural tradition, pulling in rural musicians from across the states and every continent except Antarctica (as far as I know)," reports Phillip Norman of The Daily Yonder. "I caught an ambient country jam by Setting in the backroom of Boyd’s Jig and Reel Scottish Pub, and hit the Knoxville Art Museum to witness the electric saxophone wizardry of Sam Gendel. . . . Big Ears is a festival for music nerds who are interested not only in how a concert sounds, but also how it reflects the lived experiences of the people making the music."

Beth Howard (Illustration by N. Nichols)

As an activist and community organizer for Appalachia and the broader South, Beth Howard hopes her memoir, Song for a Hard-Hit People: A Memoir of Anti-Racist Solidarity From a Coal Miner’s Daughter, helps readers see Southern differences through a lens of curiosity that they can apply to their daily interactions with other people, writes Nhatt Nichols of Rural Assembly. Howard said, "I think one of the biggest lessons for me when I was learning to organize is the importance of listening and asking really good, open-ended questions." Nichols adds, "Howard advocates for getting out into your community and finding other people who are doing organizing work that resonates with you, and offering to lend a hand, to learn more about your community without centering your own ideas."

Inflation surged in March due to Iran war and tariffs

War-related price pressures worsened inflation in March, which the Federal Reserve was already struggling to regulate, reports Colby Smith for The New York Times.

The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, rose to 3.3% in March, making the Federal Reserve cautious of cutting interest rates. This is the highest monthly gain, 0.9%, since the post-pandemic inflation surge in June 2022.

The Consumer Price Index rose to 3.3% in March 2026. (Click to enlarge)

“Core” inflation, which doesn’t include volatile food and energy prices, rose to 2.6%, an increase from 2.4% last month, which isn’t as alarming to the Federal Reserve.

Policymakers worry that rising energy prices will “spill over into other sectors, affecting inflation more persistently,” Smith reports.

The Federal Reserve is also worried about businesses and manufacturing companies scaling back on hiring to offset rising input costs, potentially threatening the labor market, reports Smith.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics data listed below illustrates how commodity prices reacted to the war before last week's temporary cease-fire.

• International oil benchmark rose 50%, now down to 30% higher than prewar
• Gas prices rose 40% since February
• Energy index rose 11%
• Fuel oil rose 30.7% over the last month
• Other motor fuels including diesel rose 30.8%
• Airfares rose 2.7%, up 14.9% from a year prior

Excess inflation in the core goods category can be explained by recent tariffs, according to researchers at the Federal Reserve.

“Without evidence that inflation is in retreat, the Fed will likely find it hard to justify cutting rates below the current 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent level,” Smith reports. “What could prompt them to act sooner, however, is if the labor market deteriorates rapidly.” 

Maine's bill to pause larger data center projects awaits governor's approval; ban would be the first of its kind in U.S.

Maine's data center bill would pause planned projects in two rural
towns for 18-months. (Photo by Troy Mortier, Unsplash)

If Maine's new data center bill becomes law, the state will become the first in the country to push pause on large data center construction. 

"The Maine Senate took a final vote on April 14 to enact first-of-its-kind legislation banning large data centers in the state until November 2027," reports Julia Tilton of The Daily Yonder. The bill would halt data centers that require 20 megawatts or more of power, including two already planned in the rural towns of Jay and Limestone.

The Maine legislation "would also establish a study group to examine the impact of such facilities and recommend legislative guardrails," reports Jenna Russell of The New York Times. Maine lawmakers have already made data centers "ineligible for certain business tax exemptions." 

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has yet to sign the bill into law, and it's unclear whether she will, given that it would mean halting data center plans already in the works. "On April 10, the governor said that a data center proposed at a retired paper mill in Jay, Maine, must be exempt from the ban while speaking to the press at an event in Bangor, Maine," Tilton explains. "An amendment with that carve-out failed to pass the legislature." The current bill doesn't include any exemptions. 

Like many New England residents, Mainers already deal with a fragile grid and pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country. Advocates of the ban say the moratorium is needed to prevent further increases in electricity costs and to protect communities from environmental hazards associated with AI data centers, such as noise and excessive water use, Tilton reports. Advocates also point to the relatively few jobs data centers produce, even as they gobble up vast resources.

Mills, who is facing a heated Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate, has "ten days to veto the legislation, sign it into law or allow it to become law without her signature," Russell reports. "President Donald Trump has threatened to sue states and withhold funding if they pass laws restricting the AI growth."

When dialysis treatment centers close, rural patients have no choice but to drive further for care

After the Chadron dialysis center closed, Pieper's 
treatment travel time tripled. (KFF Health News photo)

Rural residents who require dialysis treatment to stay alive are having to drive longer distances for care as smaller hospitals and clinics shed unprofitable services to stay afloat, reports Ariella Zionts of KFF Health News.

When Chadron Hospital shuttered its dialysis center, which served Nebraska residents in the state's far western panhandle, Mark Pieper became one of the many displaced patients who would have to find another dialysis center for treatment.

Because the human body cannot survive without kidney-like functions that filter toxins, remove excess fluid and balance electrolytes, dialysis cannot be rescheduled or skipped. When faced with the closure of their dialysis center, renal patients like Pieper have two choices: Travel for treatment or die.

"Pieper eventually found treatment in Scottsbluff, which, with about 14,000 residents, is the biggest city in the rural Panhandle region," Zionts writes. "The hour-and-a-half drive will triple his time on the road to more than nine hours each week."

Chadron Hospital discontinued its dialysis service despite the $219 million in federal money Nebraska will receive this year from the Rural Health Transformation Program. But RHTP awards aren't meant to "help existing services stay afloat," Zionts explains. Instead, they are earmarked to help rural medical centers "explore new, creative ways to improve rural health." Only 15% of RHTP funds can be used to pay for patient care.

Chadron Hospital was "losing $1 million a year on its dialysis service due to low reimbursement rates that didn’t cover operational costs," Zionts reports. Nephrologist Mark Unruh said the "dialysis closure in Chadron reflects a wider trend of staffing and funding challenges."

Preventing kidney failure is one of the best ways rural areas can change what rural dialysis patients like Pieper are facing now, Unruh told KFF Health News. "He pointed to a tele-education program that helps primary care doctors in rural and other underserved areas prevent end-stage renal failure."

A small town in western Mass. may be the 'canary in the coal mine' for cash-strapped municipalities across the U.S.

Anti-override activists insisted South Hadley town officials need
to address inefficiencies instead of raising taxes. 

After weeks of intense debate and campaigning, residents of South Hadley, Massachusetts, shot down a proposed 50% property tax increase, reports Scott Calvert of The Wall Street Journal. “South Hadley is a warning sign for financially strained municipalities across the U.S."

By 65% to 34% vote, residents from this small community rejected a "measure to allow the western Massachusetts college town to raise $11 million in new property taxes through what is called an override," Calvert explains. "A $9 million proposal also failed."

Override proponents said the town needed the cash infusion to address its current $3 million deficit, fund school operations and address rising costs. Calvert writes, "Override foes said a hefty property tax jump would overburden residents, particularly seniors."

Rudy Ternbach, who led the anti-override group Alliance for Fair Taxes, told the Journal, “Voters do not want to try and fix the government by increasing taxes on those least able to pay. They want more efficiencies in government and less taxes.”

South Hadley’s financial squeeze, partially due to a 42% increase in healthcare costs and declining state aid, may be part of a national trend, Calvert reports. Many municipalities are draining the last of their pandemic aid even as costs continue to rise.

Ternbach wants the town to "extract more money from Mount Holyoke College. . . which is largely tax-exempt," Calvert writes. "Both sides in the override debate want the college to do more."

Without additional taxes, local officials say, "there will be deep cuts: no school sports or extracurriculars and slashed Advanced Placement offerings, along with hits to police and public-works staffing," Calvert adds.

Chris Morrill, an expert in public finance, told Calvert, "It’s really a preview of what communities across the country are going to face. I think South Hadley’s perhaps the canary in the coal mine.” 

Ag round-up: Nearly 70% of farmers can't afford fertilizer; union and JBS reach deal; real help for stressed farmers

Share of farmers unable to afford all required fertilizer. (American Farm Bureau Federation graph)

Nearly 70% of American farmers report they can't afford all the fertilizer they need this season because of increased input prices due to the war in Iran and an already stressed farm economy, according to an April survey of 5,700 farmers by the American Farm Bureau Federation. "Farmers in the Southern region reported the greatest difficulty securing fertilizer, with 78% unable to afford all needed inputs this season," reports Faith Parum of AFBF. "Producers in the Northeast and West also reported significant challenges, with 69% and 66%, respectively, unable to afford all required fertilizer, compared to 48% in the Midwest.”

In an effort to drill down into why fertilizer prices have increased so dramatically since 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is "working with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on ongoing investigations into fertilizer and other agricultural input costs," reports Chris Clayton of Progressive Farmer. USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden has "continued his criticisms about concentration in the fertilizer industry, calling out The Mosaic Company for announcing it will close phosphorus mines in Brazil. . . . Vaden argued the global market is signaling a need for more supply -- not less. He questioned why a major producer would scale back output under those conditions."

The Greeley plant can process roughly 6,000
cattle per day. (Photo by L. Angharad) 

The local union representing roughly 3,800 beef plant workers in Greeley, Colorado, and meatpacking giant JBS announced a new labor contract agreement early this week, reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. Beef plant workers went on strike on March 16, "seeking higher wages and other workplace changes. . . . The Colorado plant can slaughter about 6,000 cattle a day, representing roughly 5% of U.S. beef-processing capacity." The new agreement includes worker wage increases through 2027 and protects employees from having to pay for their own required protective equipment. The last slaughterhouse strike happened at a Minnesota Hormel plant in 1985. 

Despite the multiple pain points for American soybean farmers in 2026, some of the rising input costs and sinking soybean prices have evolved over the past several years -- only to be exacerbated by tariff levies and the war with Iran, report Eric Ferkenhoff of Lee Enterprises and Josh Kelety of The Associated Press. "Costs, such as equipment, have crept up over time while soybean prices have stayed low." Doug Bartek, a fifth-generation farmer, told reporters, "Our biggest struggles are our inputs, be it fertilizer, seed, chemical or parts. There has been so much drastic markup in all of these. And I just kind of feel like the farmer’s kind of painted in the corner." Many Midwest soybean producers share Bartek’s worries.

Real Farmer Care wants to give farmers the means to
care for themselves. (Graphic by A. Dixon, Offrange)

Are you a farmer in need of some downtime? Do you know a stressed-out farmer who might be forgetting to care for themselves because they're tending to everything else? If either answer is yes, consider nominating yourself or another farmer-in-need-of-care for one of Real Farmer Care's $200 microgrants, writes Nicole Caruth for Offrange. "Think a stress-relieving massage, a pair of sturdy work boots, or just a dinner outing with friends. The grants are small, but can potentially have a big impact." From squeezing tariffs to eye-popping fertilizer costs, U.S. farmers are having a rough year. The brief nomination form is here. 

A prairie town in Oklahoma is slated to become the country's biggest aluminum producer

The Inola smelter is expected to produce 750,000 tonnes 
of aluminum per year. (Modern Metals photo)

"Hay Capital of the World" is how many residents of Inola, Oklahoma, describe their small town of roughly 1,800 people. But these locals could "soon have another moniker to consider: America’s Aluminum Epicenter," reports Ryan Dezember of The Wall Street Journal. The prairie town was "selected as the site for the first new aluminum smelter in the U.S. since 1980. Construction is expected to cost more than $4 billion and begin by year-end. It is expected to employ about 1,000 workers once complete."

Over the past 50 years, the U.S. relinquished its dominance in primary aluminum production to China, as American producers closed their smelters amid rising electricity costs. Dezember adds, "A smelter can consume as much power as a large U.S. city."

Currently, U.S. businesses import most of their aluminum. The country has "just four smelters [that] make the primary aluminum necessary in many defense and aerospace applications," Dezember writes. "The planned smelter would more than double the U.S.’s smelting capacity."

 

Before choosing the Inola site, Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) and Chicago-based Century Aluminum, the two companies behind the smelter project, considered "45 sites in more than two dozen states," Dezember reports. "Electricity costs, which make up more than one-third of production expenses, were paramount."

McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, in green, is the 
most westerly inland river system in the U.S. (ODOT map)

In addition to affordable electricity from natural gas and hydropower, the Inola location offered "business-friendly regulation, an ice-free port deep inland, as well as an aerospace industry and other big aluminum consumers," Dezember explains. The Inola smelter site is also near the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which connects New Orleans to the Great Plains by way of the Mississippi River.

EGA and Century Aluminum say the smelter "will take at least three years to build," Dezember reports. Once completed, the smelter is expected to run for decades.

Faced with the possibility of running out of money, the U.S. Postal service asks Congress to consider 'drastic measures'

Changes to USPS mail delivery have an outsized
impact on rural Americans. (Photo by D. Trinks, Unsplash)

Expensive delivery obligations and government constraints both contribute to the U.S. Postal Service's deepening financial woes. "In testimony to Congress last month, David Steiner, the postmaster general, delivered a dire warning," reports Adam Sella of The New York Times. "Without drastic measures, he said, the U.S. Postal Service could run out of cash in less than a year."

Some of the "drastic measures" Steiner outlined included reducing service days from 6 to 5, dropping "unprofitable routes," and closing some smaller post offices, Sella writes. All three changes would have an outsized impact on rural communities that other carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, avoid due to higher costs.

A large part of the agency's financial turmoil can be blamed on what Congress has tasked it with doing, which doesn't create a profitable business model (which is why UPS and FedEx don't do it), and federal limitations on its financial options, including pricing and pension investments.

For instance, USPS is supposed to be financially self-sufficient while meeting its universal service obligation, which requires it to deliver to everyone in the United States at a reasonable price, Sella explains. "In 2022, Congress added a six-day-a-week delivery requirement. . . .That commitment has cost the agency money: more than $6.5 billion a year."

USPS is also restricted on pricing. "It must get approval from an independent regulatory commission, which limits the agency’s ability to raise prices," Sella reports. Congress also limits its borrowing power, which means it can run out of money.

USPS leadership isn't allowed pension portfolio flexibility, which could have a dramatic impact on its bottom line. Sella explains, "The Postal Service is only allowed to invest its retirement funds in Treasury notes. The Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General estimated in 2023 that USPS retirement funds would have been worth approximately $800 billion more if they had been able to be invested in a mix of 60% stocks and 40% Treasury bonds."

Meanwhile, USPS has turned to one of its few reliable revenue streams: postal price increases. "The commission approved a temporary surcharge of 8% on packages, in light of rising fuel and transportation costs," Sella reports. The Postal Service also requested a 5% increase in first-class mail rates. "That means first-class mail 'forever' stamps would increase from 78 cents to 82 cents."

Boaters are wearing helmets for protection against 'flying fish'

Asian carp are invading the Mississippi River and
boaters' personal space. (Photo by Megs Harrison, Unsplash)

Asian carp, or "flying fish," are injuring boaters throughout the Midwest and eating up the food supply of native fish in the Mississippi River, reports Jeanne Whalen of The Wall Street Journal.

Able to jump as high as 10 feet out of the water, these carp are easily spooked by motors and have given boaters black eyes
and broken noses, Whalen reports.

Asian carp came to the U.S. from China and Russia in the ‘70s to regulate algae blooms in ponds and wastewater treatment plants, Whalen explains. Due to flooding, they escaped confinement, spread into the Mississippi River Basin, and exponentially reproduced into dozens of rivers.

If they breach the Great Lakes, they threaten the region’s walleye, bass and trout, which provide the fishing industry $5 billion annually, Whalen adds.

The governors of Michigan and Illinois are urging the federal government to unfreeze the funding for a river barrier to keep the fish out of Lake Michigan, reports Whalen. An additional deterrent could be blaring speakers underwater to distract the carp.

While the public waits for federal help to detain the carp, they have been creating their own solutions such as wearing helmets while boating, competing in contests to catch the jumping fish, or creating new recipes to eat them, explains Whalen.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has officially rebranded the fish as Copi, short for copious, in hopes consumers find them more appealing. “Fisherman and chefs report that Asian carp are actually delicious, though they are so bony they don’t make good filets. Chefs often grind them up and turn them into fish cakes,” Whalen adds.

As health care insurance costs continue to climb, farm bureau health plans offer a lower cost alternative

Farm Bill health care plans have been offered in Tennessee
for over 75 years. (Tennessee Farm Bureau photo)

Affordable Care Act subsidies from the pandemic years made purchasing health insurance affordable for many Americans, but those tax credits expired at the end of 2025, leaving many individuals and families "confronting difficult choices because of rising Affordable Care Act premiums and other affordability issues," reports Michelle Andrews of KFF Health News. Farm bureau health care plans often offer a more budget-friendly alternative.

Farm bureau health plans tend to offer less comprehensive coverage and require physical exams to qualify; however, they can still provide substantial savings. Andrews explains, "Plan details vary by state, but they typically share many features of marketplace plans, including coverage of a wide range of services, a broad practitioner network, and a way to file complaints."

Fourteen states "allow health coverage through state farm bureaus, grassroots membership organizations that advocate for the agricultural industry and rural interests," Andrews explains. In general, anyone can join their state farm bureau, which typically costs $30 to $50. "With membership comes the option of buying into the health plan."

To help keep premium costs low, farm bureau health care plans screen their applicants through an underwriting process and will often deny coverage to sicker people. ACA plans have to take anyone who applies. Andrews writes, "In 2026, average ACA premium payments were estimated to increase by 114% for subsidized enrollees."

Because farm bureau plans can turn down people or exempt coverage for expensive or pre-existing conditions, their plans "may be 30% to 50% cheaper than unsubsidized marketplace plans," Andrews reports. For a healthier Americans, a farm bureau health plan presents a viable solutions to spiking premium prices.

Despite their stricter rules, farm bureau health plans are becoming more popular. Andrews adds, "Last year, Missouri was one of four states that passed laws permitting farm bureau health plans." Currently, farm bureau health plan coverage is allowed in Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Opinion: When it comes to sharing thoughts on elections, maybe asking questions is best

When it comes to sharing thoughts or concerns about upcoming elections with people close to us, we often avoid discussing them out of fear of misunderstandings or unwanted tension. Perhaps a tone of curiosity might be a better way to strike up those conversations, writes Donna Kallner of The Daily Yonder. 

"We might even find we’re not quite as divided as we think on some things," Kallner adds. "We are probably in agreement on the fundamental question, Do you want free and fair elections? I get that we are far apart on the specifics of how to ensure those. But maybe we could at least acknowledge that we have this one important Yes in common." To help everyone stay level-headed, Kallner suggests using election-oriented questions to start meaningful conversations. A few of her questions are shared below. 

What personal experiences helped form your opinions about elections? Kallner writes, "Frankly, voters get far more prompting to amplify someone else’s messages than to tell their own stories. So let’s ask each other about them – not who we voted for but what it looked like when we voted and what that means. . ."

What personal connections do you have with people who conduct elections? Since many rural families still live close to each other, friends or neighbors will often know someone who worked at an election or as an election official. What was their role? What did they say about the experience?

How long do you think it should take to declare the winner of an election? Sometimes, final election results take longer than many people would like, so Kallner suggests asking, "What legitimate reasons might there be for certifying election results to take longer? . . . What conditions do you think should apply to compel a recount? "

Have you attended a public test of voting machines? "In Wisconsin, where I live, a public test is conducted before each election. Anyone can attend. Few do," Kallner writes. "But it’s a great time to ask questions like: Is this machine connected to the internet? What happens if it runs out of paper or jams? . . . What checks and balances are in place to ensure that each ballot is counted and secured in case it’s needed for a recount or audit?"

What would you do? "A 2024 survey of local election officials found that more than one-third have experienced threats, harassment, or abuse specifically because of their job," Kallner writes. Asking people to set boundaries by asking questions can help: "What behaviors would you consider threatening if they were directed at a family member working the polls here? What would you do if you witnessed that behavior? What do you think might be done to moderate the potential for that kind of behavior?"

Forest Service will close 57 of 77 research facilities. Critics warn closures threaten wildfire research.

Many of the research facilities slated for closure conducted
wildfire research. (Photo via Rocky Mountain Research Station)

As part of its ongoing restructuring plan, the U.S. Forest Service announced it's "closing 57 of its 77 research facilities in 31 states," reports Eric Niiler of The New York Times. Critics say the shake-up threatens wildfire and climate research on forests, just as wildfires are becoming more common and more severe in several parts of the United States.

USFS leadership said the consolidation will streamline research facilities into a main hub in Fort Collins, Colorado, and relocate staff to nearby states. Niiler writes, "But employees said they feared the move would lead many scientists to leave instead." The USDA already announced plans in late March to relocate USFS headquarters and 260 agency employees from Washington to Salt Lake City.

The closures include "six research and development facilities in California, five in Mississippi, four in Michigan and three in Utah," Niiler reports. The agency will also shutter all nine of its regional offices, which "currently manage 154 national forests," Niiler explains. "Some states will have their own offices, and others will be consolidated."

USFS oversees a massive amount of land -- some 193 million acres -- that includes several laboratories and "experimental forests where scientists can monitor the effects of environmental changes over long periods of time," Niiler writes. They also investigate wildfire risks, prevention and how forests recover after a severe wildfire.

Thomas M. Schultz, Jr., the Forest Service chief, told the Times, "Forest Service R&D has produced world-class science for over a century, and that will continue. The consolidation is about organizing the research enterprise more efficiently, not diminishing it."

It was once a thriving lakeshore; now it's toxic and poisoning residents. Mining lithium might offer a solution.

In the Imperial Valley of southeast California, community members are seeking a solution to the harmful effects of the Salton Sea, reports Jill Johnston and Shohreh Farzan for The Conversation. In addition to emitting a foul smell that permeates neighborhoods, chemical blow-off from the drying lake bed is causing lung problems in children.

Formed in the early 1900s when the Colorado River flooded and breached an irrigation canal, the Salton Sea has been kept afloat by contaminated irrigation runoff from the Imperial Valley's agricultural region, which contains fertilizers, pesticides, salt and toxic metals. What was once a thriving tourist and celebrity attraction in the 1950s is now a toxic, shrinking lake.

“As the lake shrinks, wind blowing across the exposed lake bed kicks up toxic dust left by years of agriculture chemicals and metals washing into the lake,” Johnston and Farzan report. “That dust makes its way into the lungs of the children of the Imperial Valley.” 

Findings show the Imperial Valley children's respiratory health symptoms. (Chart via The Conversation CC, data from Jill Johnston 2024 environmental research, Click to enlarge)

They even found the effects on lung function near the Salton Sea are greater than what studies find in urban California areas by busy roadways.

Their study following 700 elementary school-age children across five northern Imperial Valley cities for several years shows higher rates of air pollution were linked to overall poorer respiratory health and children living closer to the sea had poorer lung function. They also report 1 in 5, or 20% of, children in the Imperial Valley have asthma, which is much higher than the national rate of 5.4-7%.

One solution to the deteriorating quality of life in the Imperial Valley is a well-done lithium extraction facility, community members told Soumya Karlamangla at The New York Times. The Salton Sea sits on top of $500 billion worth of lithium, enough to provide the entire nation’s demand for decades, Karlamangla explains. The U.S. currently imports most of its lithium as it only has one active lithium mine in Nevada.

The Imperial Valley region has crumbling infrastructure and a high unemployment rate. “The lithium companies could collectively create 1,000 construction jobs and 700 permanent operations jobs,” Karlamangla reports.

Residents worry that a lithium extraction will cause the air pollution to worsen and require more use of the community’s depleting fresh water source, especially if not done correctly, Karlamangla reports. Currently, three companies are trying to extract the metal, but lawsuits from environmental groups and broken promises from geothermal and solar industries have slowed the process.

One company expects to commercially extract lithium by 2028, and the California State Legislature authorized a tax on each pound of lithium extracted, giving 80% to Imperial County communities and 20% to the state for Salton Sea restoration efforts, reports Karlamangla.

Rural water operators can receive free expert guidance for water issues of all sizes through a new EPA program

RealWaterTA experts can help rural water operators address
federal compliance issues. (Photo by E. Ekdahl, Unsplash)

In an effort to help rural municipal water services that are facing challenges with aging infrastructure and federal compliance, the Environmental Protection Agency launched the Real Water Technical Assistance initiative in March, reports Claire Carlson of The Daily Yonder.

RealWaterTA connects "rural communities with experts like those at the National Rural Water Association to help them repair water utilities or help them apply for loans and grants through USDA’s Rural Development," Carlson writes. 

Rural community water treatment facilities are often understaffed, so having knowledgeable guidance while completing a detailed USDA application can take some of the grant-writing burden off water operators.

Charles Stephens, a senior executive policy director at the National Rural Water Association, believes the new program's approach, which provides expert guidance at no charge, will be useful to rural water operators. He told Carlson, "A lot of [rural] communities don’t need big, expensive projects; they need help making what they already have work better, or help getting into compliance with [federal] regulations."

Through RealWaterTA, rural communities can get help with addressing federal compliance standards, fixing aging systems and training new water operations staff. Carlson writes, "While the program itself will not provide money for these efforts, Stephens said it will act as an 'extra pair of hands' for rural communities that lack the staffing cities often have."

RealWaterTA specialists can help: 

• Local governments/communities
• Drinking water utilities/systems
• Wastewater utilities/systems
• Stormwater utilities/systems
• States, Tribes, territories
• Non-governmental organizations

Find program details here. To request RealWaterTA assistance, click here.

April is the month to celebrate American libraries

Whether it's supporting patrons with digital literacy classes, becoming a new telehealth hotspot, or hosting literacy tutoring nights, American libraries are hubs for learning and civic life. Especially in rural communities where meeting places might be lacking, the local library can be a welcoming gathering place.

To celebrate all the strength, smarts and social connections libraries across the U.S. contribute to their local regions and patrons, April 19 to 25 is set aside as National Library Week, with the theme 'Find Your Joy.'

How do individuals 'find their joy' at the library? That depends. Some kids love story time and the weekly craft, while other youngsters do puzzles or drag out all the games. A teen might relish the time reading alone in a cozy corner. One adult patron might love their library's new 3-D printer, while another loves being able to check out the latest mystery book for free. 

For school librarians, the entire month of April is set aside to remind students, parents, teachers and education professionals of the role libraries play in school learning and educational spaces.

Ways to celebrate libraries of all sizes in April:

• Participate in National Library Week (April): Attend special events, such as author signings, workshops and book club meetings hosted by local branches.
• Support library staff: Celebrate National Library Workers Day (Tuesday of National Library Week) by thanking librarians and staff for their contributions.
• Get involved and advocate: Attend "Take Action for Libraries Day" (Thursday of National Library Week) to support funding and programs. Volunteer or join a "Friends of the Library" group.
• Use and promote services: Visit the library to check out items, attend digital literacy workshops, or explore online resources such as e-books and databases.
• Support intellectual freedom: Celebrate Right to Read Day (Monday of National Library Week) by checking out and reading books that have been challenged or banned.
• Read up on a Checkout Challenge: Some libraries run challenges during the week to encourage borrowing items (physically or digitally)

Kansas fitness centers focus on providing exercise care to rural residents with Parkinson's disease

Kansas has the second-highest rate of 
Parkinson's disease cases in the U.S.

Among the nearly 1 million Americans living with Parkinson's disease, rural residents face more challenges accessing the exercise and support programs that could improve their quality of life.

In rural Kansas, some fitness centers have opened or expanded care to help area patients work out more regularly, according to Bek Shackelford of NPR. Regular exercise is one of the few proven ways Parkinson's disease sufferers can lessen the muscle stiffness, tremors, sleep problems and brain-health issues that often accompany the disease.

The Parkinson's Exercise and Wellness Center in Leawood, Kansas, which offers "gym services to around 280 people and offers classes ranging from Pilates and boxing to theater" serves as an example, Shackelford adds. The head coach and co-founder of the center, Sarrisa Curry, told Shackelford that the center's enrollment has been on the rise as more baby boomers are diagnosed with the disease.

Medical scientists are still unsure what causes Parkinson's disease to develop. Some studies indicate that the disease may have a genetic basis. Other research suggests that exposure to pesticides, such as those encountered in rural farming communities, could be partially to blame. Shackelford reports, "Recent data shows Kansas has some of the highest rates of Parkinson's diagnosis in the country." Only Nebraska has a higher rate.

Elaine Ptacek, who founded the Parkinson's Families of Northwest Kansas, a nonprofit that "offers things like physical therapy and art classes, says about 90% of her group's participants live on farms and are exposed to pesticides," Shackelford adds. "Ptacek's organization serves a rural area she says desperately needs Parkinson's support."

To reach as many patients as possible, Parkinson's Families of Northwest Kansas offers exercise classes to "groups in eight counties [who can] join Zoom calls and follow along with a fitness instructor," Shackelford adds.

Quick hits: New 'Product of USA' seal launched; mistaken inventions; farming worms win; a new weed killer

The label will require an affidavit be provided to the 
meatpacking company. (Photo via DTN)

Born. Raised. Harvested. Processed. That's the tagline for the new, voluntary USDA seal for U.S. meatpackers, intended to highlight "Product of USA" labeling for meat, poultry and egg products from U.S. farmers, Jennifer Carrico of Progressive Farmer reports. Unlike the previous "Product of USA" label, which only indicated that packaged food passed USDA inspections, the new label states that the meatpacker has proof that animals or eggs are in the U.S. throughout their life cycle. Labels can also be state-specific. Ethan Lane, from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, told Carrico, "You can now do a born, raised and harvested in Iowa label, through a USDA facility in Iowa." 

Goofs, flubs and unexpected outcomes are all part of inventions in the making, but in some cases, the mistakes turn into success. "From cornflakes to the pacemaker, some of our most beloved — and useful — products were born of blunders," reports Zlati Meyer of The Wall Street Journal. "The U.S. has repeatedly proved itself to be the land of luck. Harnessing happenstance has led to inventions that have changed the world." Read about 10 of the best mistaken inventions here. 

As earthworms move lime through farming soil, they help
 balance soil pH. (Photo by Blake Vince via Farm Journal)

Blake Vince is a Canadian farmer working to spread the word about no-till farming practices supported by worms. Vince likes to think of worms as "some of the most highly-valued help on his 1,200-acre Ontario, Canada, farm that never show up on a payroll sheet," reports Rhonda Brooks of Farm Journal. The well-known soil conservationist sees "earthworms as more than a sign of good soil — they’re central characters in how he farms, evaluates risk and stays profitable. . . . In a production system shaped by no-till, planting green and cover crops, he sees earthworms as the quiet workforce that’s helping hold the whole thing together."

The Herbert family in northern Iowa had old tractors that needed technology, but the upgrades that could take their machinery into the modern age weren't yet on the market. So, the Herbert family "developed the Cab Radio Upgrade Kit, a solution designed to bring modern connectivity to legacy equipment," reports Eduardo Morales of Farm Journal. "The project was a collaborative effort between T.L. Herbert, his wife, Rochelle, and their three teenage sons: Thomas, Mason and Colin. The idea sparked when Mason and Thomas grew tired of subpar audio options while working on their row-crop and cattle operation."

Part of being a farmer is battling weeds, and despite the perseverance of many farmers, sometimes the weeds seem to be winning, which explains why herbicides are so popular. This summer, one of the world’s biggest chemical companies, Syngenta, is releasing a new herbicide aimed at annihilating weeds in soybean and cotton crops. Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal reports, "Syngenta will begin selling a new weedkiller capable of eradicating grass weeds that have evolved to resist other common crop sprays." The chemical, called Virestina, will be sold and applied in South America first. 

After an unseasonably warm winter and spring, western states are heading into summer facing an "above-normal threat of wildfires," reports Grist. Predictive maps from the National Inter-agency Coordination Center show areas in the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and northern California as high-risk for wildfires this summer based on "snow drought, rapid snowmelt, and a recent unprecedented heat wave."