Rural families will be impacted by pause in SNAP benefits due to federal government shutdown

Roughly 41 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits.
(Photo by Aaron Doucett, Unsplash)

Due to the federal government shutdown, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will cease soon, and the Trump administration has not made any plans to find money to keep the program running. 

“The pause in food stamp benefits that will hit Saturday, November 1 will disproportionately hurt rural families,” Sarah Melotte and Tim Marema reported for The Daily Yonder.

Food pantries are preparing for a surge in people who cannot afford groceries without SNAP. 

“Rural families top the list of groups that will be affected by the freeze in SNAP benefits. The Daily Yonder found that 13.7% of rural households receive SNAP benefits, compared to 11.4% of metropolitan households,” Melotte and Marema wrote. 

Additionally, SNAP benefits mostly go to households with children, a trend that can be seen in both urban and rural counties.

“Twenty-five Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to force it to resume food stamps payments,” Julianna Bragg reported for Axios.

China plans to purchase soybeans from this year's harvest and return its bean spending to previous levels

China plans to purchase U.S. soybeans from this year's 
harvest. (Adobe Stock photo)

After months of zero soybean sales to China, a trade deal announced between the U.S. and China will bring some relief to U.S. soybean farmers. 

"China has pledged to return its purchases of U.S. soybeans to regular levels in each of the next three years, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent," reports Ben Berkowitz of Axios. Last year, China purchased roughly half of all U.S. soybeans, which totaled about $13 billion.

Despite China's purchase of soybeans from Argentina in September and October, Bessent's announcement included purchase details for this year's U.S. harvest. "Bessent said China pledged to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans from U.S. farmers this season."

While the final terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, it appears that "China’s purchases of farm products will revert to what it imported before Trump retook office and initiated a new trade war," reports Alan Rappeport of The New York Times.

The sale of soybeans from this year's crop will bring some financial stability to farming families who were already operating on razor-thin margins due to high input costs and low commodity prices. Rappeport explains, "The loss of China as a buyer of soybeans and other American farm products raised fears in rural America that a 1980s-style farm crisis was looming and that many farms could go bankrupt."

On top of China's soybean purchase, Bessent said that "other countries in Southeast Asia had also agreed to buy an additional 19 million metric tons of American soybeans," Rapppeport writes. "He did not specify over what time frame those purchases would occur, but said that overall, President Trump had delivered for the farmers."

Opinion: Homesteading frugality is one way to make life sweeter and less complicated

A frugal life has fewer decisions and offers more peace.
(Frugalwoods photo)

Learning from Americans who live as homesteaders is one way to embrace —and even relish — living frugally.

"It's uncommon to hear someone espouse the virtues of frugality for frugality’s sake," writes Elizabeth Willard Thames for Frugalwoods, a financial newsletter. "Frugality gets a horrendous rap, primarily from those who peddle the pricey products we’re lured to believe will equal the good life. I didn’t realize at the time that my frugality would become a destination and an enriching element all its own."

Thames shares 19 reasons why frugality can make life better. A few of her homesteading ideas and habits are below.

Honoring your priorities is what frugality is all about. A successful frugal budget allocates money "only on the most important things, and a happy frugal person only allocates their time to their highest priorities," Thames explains. "I know that my time and money are both limited, so why fritter either away on stuff that doesn’t bring me happiness?"

Frugality creates a life filled with learning. Thames writes, "By embracing the art of DIY, we’re never at a loss for what to do with our time. If it’s a sunny day, we’re out in the garden or hiking. Rainy? We’re inside writing, baking, reading."

Frugal people become more creative. Thames notes, "We innovate, we experiment, and we do it ourselves. We devise our own food, our own entertainment, our own gifts, our own way to live."

Living frugally means making fewer decisions. Thames notes, "Research has proven that the glut of choices we face in making decisions in our modern economy do not, in fact, make us happier."

Keeping things simple can help build community. "Frugality encourages a reliance on one another, a sharing of skills, of time, and of stuff," Thames adds. "The frugal life is an interconnected life where you acknowledge that you need help and have gifts to offer."

More than anything else, "frugality gives you options. Or, more precisely: frugality gives you a level of financial stability that affords you options," Thames explains. "When you’re not in debt and you’re not living paycheck-to-paycheck, you are able to make decisions based on what you want to do with your life, not what you have to do."

As Americans dig into frugality, consumer companies feel the pinch

Some U.S. consumers are learning how to stretch
their staples to save money. (Adobe Stock photo)

As creeping grocery inflation continues, U.S. consumers are clamping down on spending by resurrecting saving and stretching tactics, which is translating into slower sales across the sector. "People are experimenting with frugality, and it is affecting sales at consumer companies," reports Natasha Khan of The Wall Street Journal. The more families pinch pennies, the less they spend.

Devising ways to save on staples has led some consumers to begin diluting products, such as dishwashing liquid or cleaners, to get more while using less. Some have decided you don't need a toothbrush full of toothpaste to prevent cavities -- a single dollop at the end of the brush can do the job.

For many consumers, scrapping every bit here and using a little bit less there can save precious dollars, while consumer companies see sales slip. Khan explains, "Procter & Gamble reported volume declined 2% in the latest quarter in its home and fabric-care division, which includes brands like Tide detergent, Dawn dish liquid and Swiffer dusters."

Even as brand-name purchases have dipped, generic product sales haven't increased, suggesting "consumers are using up their inventory and making their existing stock last longer, rather than trading down," Khan adds.

Many consumer companies hope Americans will tire of scrimping and return to their less frugal habits. Andre Schulten, P&G’s chief financial officer, told analysts and investors, "I’m convinced this is temporary."

The USDA 'lapse in funding' plan for SNAP is no longer on its website. Agency claims funds can't be used for SNAP.

Rural communities are often more dependent on SNAP to meet basic food needs.
(The Daily Yonder graph, from 2015 U.S. census data)

The Department of Agriculture had a contingency plan to continue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the federal shutdown, but the 55-page 'lapse in funding' document recently disappeared from the USDA's website, reports Raymond Fernández of NOTUS. Rural counties are particularly vulnerable for any SNAP pause because their populations are more dependent on the program.

Despite the 'lapse in funding' plan, the USDA now claims its emergency fund can't be legally used to pay for SNAP during the shutdown. States working to cover a federal SNAP benefits pause with their own funds were warned by the USDA that the federal government will not reimburse them for any SNAP-pause spending.

In response to the USDA's refusal to access the contingency funds, a bipartisan group of two dozen states filed a lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts, hoping the judge will compel the USDA to use the contingency funds to provide November SNAP benefits, report Tony Romm and Maya Shwayder of The New York Times. 

Proceedings in the states' lawsuit began Thursday, with the Trump administration "staunchly defending its decision to stop paying food stamps during the government shutdown, telling a federal court that it could not tap a tranche of available funds to provide aid to millions of poor Americans in November," Romm and Shwayder explain. "The arguments at times appeared to frustrate and confound a federal judge, who promised to rule soon."

Flora & Fauna: Delightful Federal Duck Stamps; pumpkin history; bats for bug control; the incredible shooting plant

The simple genius behind duck stamps has supported conservation for over 90 years. (Adobe Stock photo)

Undeniably adorable when waddling on land, elegant and playful while paddling in water and given to showstopping, streamlined moves while flying: Ducks give artists so many reasons to love them. Among those artists, there is a special group -- realist wildlife painters vying to win the Federal Duck Stamp award, which many artists consider a "career pinnacle achievement, comparable to the Oscars or the Grammy’s," writes Kim Kobersmith of The Daily Yonder. The simple genius behind duck stamps has supported conservation for more than 90 years. "Duck hunters over 16 years old are required to purchase the stamp annually. . . . Ninety-eight percent of stamp proceeds go directly to add protected land to the National Wildlife Refuge System. In its 91-year history, the duck stamp has raised $1.2 billion and conserved 6 million acres across the country." The Fish and Wildlife Service website features the nation's Federal Duck Stamp gallery. 

How pumpkins evolved from a humble staple to a "spicy fall obsession" is a tale that began 9,000 years ago in ancient Mexico, writes extension specialist and horticulturist Shelley Mitchell for The Conversation. "I educate the people about the plant’s storied history and its prominence today." Mitchell explains that Native Americans grew pumpkin crops "even before [they grew] corn and beans." Being completely edible, pumpkins are a versatile crop, and early American settlers learned that growing them in North America was easier than in Europe. Read Mitchell's full history about this adaptable member of the squash family here.

A bat researcher measures the ears of a 'chatty' evening bat.
(Photo by Michael Minasi, KUT News)

An orchard filled with stink bugs, mosquitoes and dusty moths is an evening bat's dream dinner. "The tiny brown bats fill the Texas skies each night, and collectively eat tons of insects. They’re essential for farms – including where these researchers are working: Swift River Pecans," reports Michael Marks for Harvest Public Media. "The orchard’s owner, Troy Swift, hosted the researchers so they could collect more information on the species that visit his 266-acre property . . . Swift decided to forego using pesticides on part of his pecan orchard and just let the bat population handle the bugs this year."

An autumn road trip through rural Maine is one way to find the rarest and most coveted apples. "As leaf-peepers flood the state, apple-obsessives also fan out to find oddball specimens that range from rare heirlooms to never-before-tasted seedlings," writes Jen Rose Smith for The Wall Street Journal. "As an amateur fruit fanatic myself, I’ve long wanted to taste my way through Maine’s apple underground. . . along the state’s 3,500-mile coastline." Read Smith's complete apple adventure here.

A great blue heron stands in a restored stream that was once a cranberry bog. 
(Photo by C. Jackson, The Living Observatory via Inside Climate News)

Rising temperatures in Massachusetts have left some cranberry farmers unable to grow the state's signature crop. Instead of continuing to grow cranberries in a climate no longer suited for them, some area farmers are using state assistance to "transform their bogs into wetlands, ensuring the land remains protected," reports Nicole Williams of Inside Climate News. "The shift, called a green exit strategy, has been developed by state agencies and conservationists and driven in part by farmers finding tougher competition from regions with colder climates and younger vines."

American witch hazel plants use internal 'spring' pressure to shoot
their seeds at alarming speeds. (Snapshot via bioGraphic video)

 

As an understory shrub native to the eastern U.S., the American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) plant may sound boring, but it has secret powers. "For centuries, Indigenous peoples in eastern North America have brewed 'magic water' by boiling bark from the twiggy shrub and using it to treat all manner of maladies," writes Katie Garrett for bioGraphic. "Perhaps the plant’s strangest trait is how it spreads its seeds. As winter approaches, they fire their glossy black seeds across the forest floor with audible pops — sometimes launching the start of a new generation as much as 10 meters (33 ft) away from the parent plant."

Sevier County finds a way to keep Great Smoky Mountains National Park open despite government shutdown

Smoky Mountains National Park
(David Hertle, Unsplash)

Sevier County in Tennessee worked together with state officials, U.S. senators’ offices, and local partners to keep the Great Smoky Mountains National Park open despite the government shutdown that caused other parks around the country to close, Tyler Whetstone reported for the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Mayor Larry Waters said that keeping the park open during the shutdown is important as October draws a lot of visitors who contribute to the economies of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

If the shutdown continues beyond November, they might not continue to keep it open because the costs might outweigh the benefits as visitation numbers drop in winter.

“I wish the federal government would look at us working together and getting this done,” Waters said in an interview with Whetstone. “I think it’s a good template for governments working in the interests of people.”

Local partners and organizations all pitched in money, some around $45,000, while the state of Tennessee gave $80,000 to keep the park running.

“One positive aspect of the routine threats of federal government shutdowns is it has allowed local governments to build up muscle memory on how to cope,” Whetstone wrote.

Trump administration announces no food aid for millions of people in November unless government shutdown ends

Roughly 20 million children rely on SNAP benefits for
food each month. (USDA photo)

As the second-longest federal government shutdown continues, millions of Americans who rely on grocery money from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may go hungry. 

The upper banner of the Department of Agriculture's website reads, "The well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1." About one in eight Americans relies on SNAP for food, which includes roughly 20 million children. 

The clash between Senate Republicans and Democrats has left each side blaming the other for the continued shutdown and the possibility of a SNAP benefit pause. Democrats refuse to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on Affordable health care subsidies. "Republicans say Democrats must first agree to reopen the government before negotiation," reports Adriana Gomez Licon of The Associated Press. 

Democrats had hoped USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins would access a contingency fund to cover most of November's SNAP dollars; however, a USDA memo that "surfaced Friday says 'contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits,'" Licon writes. The document notes that contingency funds are reserved for disaster relief.

Most states have also warned SNAP participants that benefits may not be made available on Nov. 1. Licon reports, "Arkansas and Oklahoma, for example, are advising recipients to identify food pantries and other groups that help with food."

Although some states, including Louisiana and Virginia, have told SNAP beneficiaries they plan to continue food aid, it's unclear whether they can legally do so. Licon adds, "The USDA memo also says states would not be reimbursed for temporarily picking up the cost."

New $100K skilled-worker H-1B visa fee could mean fewer Indian doctors to treat rural residents

One in five immigrant doctors in the U.S. is of 
Indian origin. (Photo via BBC News)

The Trump administration's new $100,000 skilled-worker H-1B visa fee could leave fewer Indian doctors to treat rural populations. "One in four doctors providing care in the U.S. are foreign-trained, and recent data shows that most of them practice in the vast, underserved rural areas where American graduates are reluctant to work," reports Savita Patel of BBC News.

For the roughly 50,000 India-trained physicians currently working in the U.S., the new visa fee does not apply; however, there are worries around "whether the steady supply of Indian medical professionals to the U.S. would continue in the future," Patel explains. "According to research, one in five immigrant doctors in the U.S. is of Indian origin."

And while the administration may eventually decide to exempt medically trained workers from the new fee, currently, "there is no indication that any category of workers, including those in the medical field, has been exempted," Patel reports.

The American Medical Association asked the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristin Noem, to reconsider the new fee, "emphasizing that the fee hike could discourage hospitals from hiring H-1B doctors, affecting future supply pipelines and limiting patients' access to care in communities that need it the most," Patel adds.

Supporters of the fee hike insist it will keep "American jobs for Americans," Patel adds. But research on which jobs foreign medical workers take shows they are filling positions that American doctors don't want -- in regions that are "remote and low-income."

Given the financial straits many rural hospitals are already in, "any hike in the fee would make it harder to bring in new clinicians from abroad," Patel writes. Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the AMA, told Patel, "We have heard from health systems who say this fee would be devastating."

Analysis: Growing up in the Corn Belt may contribute to higher cancer rates in younger adults

Skin and kidney cancer rates are higher in big corn-growing
states than the rest of the country. (Adobe Stock photo)

The alarming rate of cancer among younger adults in the U.S. has led to questions and research aimed at addressing the "shift in cancer diagnoses in America, with rates for young adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s trending up even as overall cancer rates decline," report Ariana Eunjung Cha, Dan Keating, Jahi Chikwendiu and Luis Melgar of The Washington Post.

When groups of younger cancer victims were analyzed, growing up in the Midwest emerged as a key risk factor, according to the article. "Cancer rates among young adults in the Corn Belt are rising more rapidly than in the country as a whole." The Corn Belt includes Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Kansas.

When states began tracking their cancer rates in 1999, Corn Belt states reported cancer rates that fell in line with the rest of the country. But in 2015, an unsettling shift began as corn-growing states recorded "a significantly higher cancer rate among those ages 15 to 49," the Post reports. "In the latest data from 2022, those states have a rate 5% higher for young adults and 5% higher for the overall population."

Young adults raised in Corn Belt states "have significantly higher rates of several cancers, especially kidney and skin cancers," Cha writes. "The skin cancer risk for young adults in the corn-producing states is 35% higher for men and 66% higher for women than their peers in other states."

As younger Midwesterners grapple with cancer diagnoses, many are starting to look at the agriculture around them and wonder about its health impacts. The Post reports, "They are raising questions about the role of agribusiness and the water that runs through their communities, and pushing politicians to act in a region where such questions have long been taboo."

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently "announced a $1 million investment to establish a research team dedicated to investigating the underlying causes of the state’s growing cancer rates," Cha adds. "Researchers are still working to disentangle national trends from regional anomalies, and the data doesn’t yet offer a satisfying explanation for why cancer rates among the young have shot up here."

Buc-ees debate tears apart a mountain-town community in Colorado, leading to cursing, 'mudslinging' and legal action

Palmer Lake is one of three communities in the Tri-Lakes region 
between Denver and Colorado Springs.

It may take years for the small mountain community of Palmer Lake, Colorado, to recover from the ongoing, scathing debate over whether a Buc-ees gas station should be built two miles outside of town.

Heated emotions both for and against the development have "led to cursing at packed town meetings, mudslinging on social media and texts, accusations of vandalism. . . and litigation," reports Karin Brulliard of The Washington Post. "Over the past year, the social fabric of this town of 2,500 has been torn apart."

Both sides insist they want what is best for the town, with some residents insisting Buc-ees will ruin the region's sublime views and quaint feel. Buc-ees proponents insist potential tax revenue from the colossal gas station would help the town pay for ailing infrastructure needs.

While the land Buc-ees proposed to develop wouldn't be seen by Palmer Lake residents, the company applied for the property to be annexed into Palmer Lake for access to its water supply. "At a heated board meeting, trustees considered whether the Buc-ee’s parcel was eligible for annexation," Brulliard writes. "Some commenters hailed the plan’s benefits. [Others] argued it wouldn’t bring the promised revenue and instead would attract traffic and crime."

Once Palmer Lake trustees agreed the parcel was eligible for annexation, townspeople who opposed Buc-ees filed suit "alleging First Amendment, due process and open meeting violations and arguing that the annexation was improper," Brulliard explains. "Opponents also initiated the recall of three trustees."

When it looked as though the opposition would prevail and Buc-ees would seek out a different site, the battle stalled, only to resume when Buc-ees "requested a public vote, which it would pay for," Brulliard reports. "The proposal is expected to go to a public vote this winter."