As you plant your garden this year, beware of invasive Asian jumping worms that are spreading across the U.S.

An invasive species called the Asian jumping worm is spreading across the United States and Canada, damaging plants, animals and forests in its wake.

"The species is harming ecosystems. The jumping worms can devour organic matter more rapidly than their counterparts, robbing forests of the layer critical for seedlings and wildflowers. In areas of heavy infestation, native plants, soil invertebrates, salamanders, birds and other animals may decline, scientists warn," Andre Claudio reports for Route Fifty.

The worms were first seen in Wisconsin around 2013, but these days "can be found from Long Island, New York to Ontario, Canada," Claudio reports. "Besides New York, they have been spotted in Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio."

They look a lot like the nightcrawlers you might use for fish bait, and in fact, scientist believe that's why they were first brought here, but you can tell them apart. The easiest way is by the clitellum, the thick band about two-thirds of the way down the worm's body. In a regular earthworm the clitellum is pink or reddish and slightly raised, but an Asian jumping worm's clitellum is lighter and flush with the body.

Scientists are still working on how to best control the worms, but in the meantime, there are a few things you can do to help slow the spread, such as: only buy compost, mulch or other organic matter that's been heated to at least 104°F, since jumping-worm egg casings can't survive that temperature, Claudio reports. The University of New Hampshire's Extension Service has even more tips, including this one: Report any you see to your local Extension office.

Better than telemedicine? Program brings specialty training to rural health-care providers to help patients directly

A virtual mentoring program, Project ECHO (which stands for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) aims to equip rural medical providers with more specialized expertise.

University of New Mexico internal-medicine physician Sanjeev Arora has spent "nearly two decades building the program, which now trains far-flung providers across the U.S. and other parts of the world," Erin Brodwin reports for Stat. "Every week, ECHO participants — often rural nurse practitioners or medical assistants — assemble over video conference to present a challenging patient case to a group of their peers and a team of ECHO specialists. It’s a chance to ask questions and get advice on care, including how to address social factors like housing and transportation. The work fills what experts see as a gaping need for specialty care in remote communities, where traditional forms of telehealth have failed to make inroads."

Arora calls the novel approach tele-mentoring, in a nod to its close cousin, telemedicine. "Rather than giving a single specialist a fish by connecting them to a rural patient, ECHO teaches multiple rural providers to fish by giving them the skills they need to treat scores of local patients," Baldwin reports.

Though telehealth has become more common in recent years, especially during the pandemic, it still can't help many rural patients who lack broadband and can't locally access specialists. The tele-mentoring approach is one way around that problem, according to RAND Corp.'s Ryan McBain. In 2019 McBain was the lead author on a systematic review of 52 studies about Project ECHO, Baldwin reports.

Pandemic roundup: Covid the leading cause of death among law enforcement; Mississippi hires retired extension agents to get rural areas vaccinated

Here's a roundup of recent news stories about the pandemic and vaccination efforts:

In Mississippi, which has one of the nation's lowest (but also one of the fastest-rising), vaccination rates, the state is hiring retired extension agents to help get rural residents vaccinated. Read more here.

Covid-19 is the leading cause of death among law enforcement. Read more here.

Covid is killing rural Americans at twice the rate of urban residents. Read more here, and read The Daily Yonder's more in-depth coverage here.

The vaccines on the market don't protect as well against the Delta variant, but Pfizer and Moderna have updated Delta-specific vaccines already created and in clinical trials. Read more here.

Meanwhile, Merck says a preliminary trial of their antiviral Covid treatment pill showed promising results. Read more here.

Vaccination misinformation is an epidemic in its own right, especially among Republicans and evangelical Christians. YouTube is banning all anti-vaccine content, but pandemic misinformation groups on Facebook continue to flourish.

Covid patients who refused the vaccine have largely embraced experimental monoclonal antibody treatments. That may seem contradictory, since many refused the vaccine because they believed not enough was known about it. But it's also important to realize that most people who refused the vaccine did not believe they were at a high risk of hospitalization. That's why treatments in general are more widely accepted than preventatives: there's no doubt medical intervention is needed. Read more here.

Despite clinical data indicating the Pfizer vaccine is safe for children, many say they won't get their child vaccinated right away if it becomes available, a recent poll showed. Read more here.

Dicamba damage complaints up, despite new label; seed man says he's never seen anything harm U.S. farming more

"An estimated 650,000 acres of soybeans have been damaged by dicamba in Arkansas this summer and dicamba complaints filed with the state have increased at a clip not seen since 2017," Stephen Steed reports for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "The estimate by the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture is based on the collective experiences of extension agents, weed scientists and crop consultants who have been inspecting soybean fields across the state's eastern third the past few weeks."

Arkansas isn't the only state seeing the issue. Iowa State University field agronomists reported that they've frequently seen or heard about herbicide injury in soybeans this month, Gil Gullickson reports for Successful Farming. Though there was no statewide damage estimate, agronomist Joel DeJong said cupping—a sign of dicamba damage—was common in about 40 percent of soybean acres in Iowa, whether organic or conventional crops.

The deadline for dicamba spraying was June 30. ISU extension weed specialists said they had hoped the new federal warning label for it would help reduce dicamba damage, but the unusually hot weather may have contributed to more problems, Aaron Viner reports for Iowa Farmer Today.

"It’s difficult to imagine that we are ever going to get to a point when we are using volatile herbicides in the heat of the summer that we are not going to see issues of off-target movement by volatility," University of Illinois extension weed specialist Aaron Hager told Viner. "You can be as careful as you want as an applicator and make the application according to label guidelines, but two days later if that material starts to volatilize, it’s going to move."

Meanwhile, the owner of the world's largest private seed company warned that it's too early to know the extent of dicamba damage. In an email to Gullickson, Harry Stine of Iowa-based Stine Seed Co. wrote: "The dicamba damage frequently does not show up for approximately two weeks after volatilization and moves long distances in every direction from the point of application. . . . Therefore, it is often difficult to determine if the drift is coming from a dicamba application to corn, cotton, or soybeans."

Stine said dicamba drift has damaged hundreds of thousands of the company's research plots in recent years, and said, bluntly: "In my opinion, dicamba has caused more damage to American agriculture than anything I have witnessed in my lifetime."

Feature article lauds Institute for Rural Journalism

Al Cross speaks to Latin American journalists visiting Bardstown,
Kentucky, in 2019. (Photo by Forrest Berkshire, Kentucky Standard)

A new feature article from the University of Kentucky provides a lovely retrospective on, and overview of, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.

UK co-founded IRJCI in 2004 with Al Smith, longtime friend and mentor of political reporter Al Cross who became director and started The Rural Blog shortly thereafter. "Hampered by socioeconomic conditions and population decline, local newspapers in Central Appalachia had been weakened," Akhira Umar reports for UKNow. "Cross saw the need for reliable journalism that provided leadership on local issues. Shortly after its inception, Cross broadened the reach of The Rural Blog to rural journalists across the nation, who were feeling the same pressures as those in Eastern Kentucky."

"I can’t overstate the value of the IRJCI and the impact it has on rural newspapers and rural journalists,” Kentucky Press Association President Sharon Burton told Umar. Burton, of Columbia, Kentucky, is the publisher of the Adair County Community Voice and The Farmer’s Pride, a statewide agricultural newspaper. "I’ve attended seminars; I’ve picked up the phone because I needed sound advice from a trusted friend; I’ve learned of news topics of interest to my community — all through the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. When rural journalists are invited to the table, it reminds us that what we do is just as important as providing national or state news coverage."

The story also highlights IRJCI's other publications. Kentucky Health News, launched in 2011 with funding from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, "has been an invaluable source of information to the entire state throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. This publication focuses on health issues in a state that is one of the nation’s least healthy," Umar reports.

In 2008 Cross began the Midway Messenger, a mostly online newsroom for nearby Midway, Kentucky, run entirely by journalism students. "It’s hard to overstate the importance of The Midway Messenger to our community,” Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift told Umar. "While we get good coverage from The Woodford Sun, The Midway Messenger has become our paper of record. I can tell anecdotally that more people in Midway are getting their local news from the Messenger than from the Sun."

"Having led the IRJCI from its inception, Cross has ensured a solid foundation for the benefit of rural communities across the nation and for a healthier Kentucky," Umar writes. "Although he does plan to reduce his numerous responsibilities in his phased retirement starting in the 2021-2022 academic year, his effect on rural journalism through the IRJCI will be his legacy."

'Adulting 101,' weekly online class for teens, teaches basic skills they need to mange time, stress, money, health, etc.

The University of Kentucky will offer an eight-week online course this summer that aims to teach teenagers nationwide about basic skills they'll need as adults, including time management, personal finance, stress management and physical health, study skills, and more, Carol Lea Spence reports.

This is the second year for the class, led by the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the UK Cooperative Extension Service. More than 580 students attended in 2020, and this year organizers are including new topics and expanding lessons from last year based on participant feedback.

The class will begin June 15 and meet every Tuesday via Zoom. Registration is $29.99 and capacity is limited so organizers recommend signing up soon. Read more here.

Local news site links to Extension Service list of farmers who sell to the public; good idea for community papers

During the pandemic, food-supply chains were disrupted and many farmers began selling directly to the public. In a recent column, Jennifer P. Brown, editor and publisher of the Hoptown Chronicle in Hopkinsville, Ky., lauded (and linked to) a directory of local food producers who sell to the public.

"Part of Hoptown Chronicle’s public service mission has always been to cultivate a broader appreciation for traditions and institutions that are truly local and unique to this community," Brown writes. "Independent businesses help define Hopkinsville and Christian County — and I believe the people who grow food and decorative plants are a big part of our local identity."

"Every local news outlet should consider running a directory of local food producers who sell directly to the public. It could also be a revenue opportunity," says Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog. He notes that every county is served by the Cooperative Extension Service, which created the digest Brown writes about, and that your extension office may have its own list, or at least the information for you to compile one.

Earth Day is Thursday; here are resources for reporting on it

Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day. Here are a few resources for coverage:

• The official Earth Day website includes news stories and resources reflecting this year's theme of "Restore Our Earth." Some stories have rural resonance, such as the one about reducing farming emissions with regenerative agriculture.
• Track social media conversations by searching for the hashtags #EarthDay2021 and #EARTHRISE. The Earth Day Network, which organizes the observance, will post new content all week at @earthdaynetwork on Twitter.
• USA Today has a piece with an overview of the observation, including some history.
• The Verge has a guide to online Earth Day observations.
• Amanda Gumbert, extension water specialist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, wrote an excellent piece in 2020 with ideas for celebrating Earth Day while socially distanced. “Take some time to get out into nature, even if it’s just in your backyard," she wrote. "Breathe in the fresh air, listen for birds, enjoy the many spring colors, and if you’re lucky enough to have a creek nearby, take a moment to appreciate the many benefits of clean water for both humans and wildlife.”

Gumbert suggested some other activities that people can do alone or with their families:

• Plant a garden. Try containers for small patios or yards. Include both vegetables and some flowers for cutting. Another option is to join in a local farm’s community supported agriculture program.
• Compost food scraps and yard waste, rather than sending them to the landfill. Before long a compost bin will provide rich, nutritious soil amendment for your garden.
• Follow the 3 Rs to keep as much as possible out of the landfill. They are:
• Reduce: Avoid using single-use, disposable items like paper plates, cups, napkins and utensils. “This is easier when eating most meals at home,” Gumbert said, “but try to create a new habit to avoid disposable items in the future. Also, avoid purchasing items with lots of packaging, which is usually wasted.”
• Reuse: Find new uses for household items or share them with a friend.
• Recycle: Look for opportunities to recycle items that can’t be reused or composted.
• Take care of water resources. Planting along a backyard stream or neighborhood pond or lake will help reduce erosion, protect water quality and improve the beauty of the landscape.
• Conserve water at home by taking shorter showers and turning off the faucet while brushing teeth.
• Conduct a family litter cleanup. Grab some trash bags, sturdy gloves and boots and pick up litter along nearby streets and roads. Litter can create hazards for livestock, wildlife and waterways.
• Save energy by turning out lights when leaving a room, unplug electronics when not in use, and switch to energy-efficient appliances when it’s time to replace old ones.
• Check out nonprofit organizations with eco-friendly missions and support them if possible. “This Earth Day may be different than previous ones, but if we all take little steps, we can still make a big impact in improving our environment,” Gumbert said.

Agricultural economists to discuss pandemic's impact on the agricultural economy in webinar at 2:30 ET Thursday

As part of the University of Kentucky's Cafe Conversations series, three agricultural economists will discuss how the covid-19 pandemic is affecting the agricultural economy in a free webinar on Thursday, June 4. The webinar will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET and will likely be less than an hour long. Click here to register.

The featured panelists will be Will Snell, Kenny Burdine, and Tim Woods. Snell's expertise lies in tobacco economics, ag policy, and trade. Burdine's focus is on livestock economics and price risk management. Woods' speciality is horticulture, food business development, farm entrepreneurship, and wholesale food supply chains.

The webinar will take place on Zoom, and preregistration is required. A free recording will be available afterward on the university's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment website.

Wed. is Earth Day; here are coverage ideas and resources, and a list of possible activities from an Extension specialist

Wednesday, April 22, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Here's a few resources to help you cover it:

• The official Earth Day website includes news stories. 
• Environmental news website EcoWatch has ideas for coverage content and more.
• Most in-person Earth Day celebrations have been canceled because of the pandemic. Columbia University's Earth Institute offers some ways readers can celebrate while sheltering in place.
• Track social media conversations by searching for the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE. The Earth Day Network, which organizes the observance, will continue to post plenty of new content all week at @earthdaynetwork on Twitter. 
• USA Today has an excellent piece that includes Earth Day history, discussion about how the pandemic intersects with the observance, and related news.

“This year, most of us will celebrate Earth Day at home, but there are some simple things we all can do to be more eco-friendly every day, and raise our spirits in a time of uncertainty,” writes Amanda Gumbert, extension water specialist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. “Take some time to get out into nature, even if it’s just in your backyard . . . Breathe in the fresh air, listen for birds, enjoy the many spring colors, and if you’re lucky enough to have a creek nearby, take a moment to appreciate the many benefits of clean water for both humans and wildlife.”

Gumbert suggested some other activities that people can do alone or with their families:

• Plant a garden. Try containers for small patios or yards. Include both vegetables and some flowers for cutting. Another option is to join in a local farm’s community supported agriculture program.
• Compost food scraps and yard waste, rather than sending them to the landfill. Before long a compost bin will provide rich, nutritious soil amendment for your garden.
• Follow the 3 Rs to keep as much as possible out of the landfill. They are:
• Reduce: Avoid using single-use, disposable items like paper plates, cups, napkins and utensils. “This is easier when eating most meals at home,” Gumbert said, “but try to create a new habit to avoid disposable items in the future. Also, avoid purchasing items with lots of packaging, which is usually wasted.”
• Reuse: Find new uses for household items or share them with a friend.
• Recycle: Look for opportunities to recycle items that can’t be reused or composted.
• Take care of water resources. Planting along a backyard stream or neighborhood pond or lake will help reduce erosion, protect water quality and improve the beauty of the landscape.
• Conserve water at home by taking shorter showers and turning off the faucet while brushing teeth.
• Conduct a family litter cleanup. Grab some trash bags, sturdy gloves and boots and pick up litter along nearby streets and roads. Litter can create hazards for livestock, wildlife and waterways.
• Save energy by turning out lights when leaving a room, unplug electronics when not in use, and switch to energy-efficient appliances when it’s time to replace old ones.
• Check out nonprofit organizations with eco-friendly missions and support them if possible.

“This Earth Day may be different than previous ones, but if we all take little steps, we can still make a big impact in improving our environment,” Gumbert said.

Ky. research team explores using drones to monitor cattle

Beef cattle graze in Montana. (Alamy stock photo)

Almost 3 million U.S. cows die from health problems each year, costing the cattle industry more than $1 billion. Better observation of pasturing cows has been proven to reduce deaths, but the are spread out over wide areas, and monitoring them can be difficult.

A mechanical engineering professor at the University of Kentucky is trying to see if drones are the answer. Jesse Hoagg, aided by a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is working on a way to use drones to monitor cattle. "The drones would provide farmers with a way to remotely and autonomously check on the location and health of each cow — allowing them to address cattle health and safety issues much sooner," Lindsey Piercy reports for UK's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. "The new system aims to identify each cow in a pasture through unique characteristics such as facial features and measure vital health information like size and physical activity."

The technology would be especially helpful for the many cattle producers who have off-farm jobs, said Josh Jackson, an assistant extension professor who is one of those producers. He said he had the idea when he was trying to find his black Angus in the dark. "It gets tricky to locate cows this time of the year, when the sun sets so early," Jackson told Piercy. "We want to lessen producers' stress by helping them locate their animals quicker and help sick animals faster."

Rural journalism institute director promoted to full professor

Al Cross

Al Cross, the director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog, has been promoted to full professor at the University of Kentucky. He had been a tenured associate professor in the college's School of Journalism and Media since 2011 and has directed the institute since its pilot phase ended with his hiring 15 years ago.

The former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists and winner of its Wells Key, Cross has won numerous awards for his journalism and is a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame. He is frequently quoted in national news stories about political issues, rural issues, and journalism, the Kentucky Press Association reports. He writes a fortnightly political column for the Louisville Courier Journal, where he was politicial writer before coming to the institute.

Cross is a professor in the university's Extension Title series, meaning most of his work is directed off campus, like College of Agriculture, Food and Environment specialists who help extension agents. He is the university's only full extension professor outside that college; he is in the College of Communication and Information. He says his short job description is "extension agent for rural journalists."

In addition to The Rural Blog, Cross edits and publishes Kentucky Health News, funded by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, and the Midway Messenger, with stories and photography by students in his community-journalism classes.

Dr. Mike Farrell, interim director of the journalism school, said the rural institute has been "a boon to journalism throughout Kentucky and rural communities everywhere, including Africa and Asia," referring to Cross's trips to Zambia, Botswana, India and China.

Cross is the author of several book chapters, most recently "Trump and non-metropolitan America: An urbanite saw a rural base where pollsters and journalists didn’t," in The Trump Presidency, Journalism and Democracy, a book published by Routledge in February. He is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and lives with his wife Patti in Frankfort.

Wed. is deadline for big livestock and poultry farmers to file with EPA, which still doesn't have a good measuring tool; universities offer help

Wednesday is the deadline for livestock and poultry producers who emit more than 100 pounds of ammonia or hydrogen sulfide in a 24-period to file reports with the Environmental Protection Agency, even though EPA hasn't come up with a standard way to measure such emissions, as we reported in September.

Land-grant universities such as the University of Illinois and the University of Kentucky are helping farmers figure out whether they have enough hogs, chickens or whatever that they are likely to be covered by the rule. "For example, a grow-to-finish swine farm that uses deep pits for manure storage and has fewer than 2,703 head, or a turkey grower with fewer than 12,970 tom turkeys raised from 36 to 140 days old, would not need to take any further steps," Prairie Farmer reports.

EPA has asked a federal appeals court to delay the deadline, but the court has not acted. “Livestock and poultry farmers should know this issue is evolving daily,” UI livestock engineer Richard Gates told Prairie Farmer. “It is prudent to prepare for the requirement to report, if necessary, under CERCLA,” the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.

Katie Pratt of UK writes, “Operations that meet the air emissions requirements should email NRC-CERCLA-EPCRA-REPORT@uscg.mil to report an initial continuous release notification. Farm owners should use the language 'initial continuous release notification' in their email. They will need to follow up within 30 days with a short, written notification” to the EPA regional office.

Mississippi State University starts center to help rural communities bridge digital divide

The Mississippi State University Extension Service has created a program to help nine rural communities "transition to, plan for, and prosper in the digital age through research and outreach," Robert Nathan Gregory reports for MSU. (MSU Service photo by Kevin Hudson: Christy King, Clarke County Extension agent, and Roberto Gallardo display items made with a 3-D printer at the Quitman Public Library)

“There is not a lot of research on the impact of broadband in rural areas,” Roberto Gallardo, associate extension professor in the Center for Technology Outreach, told Gregory. “You see a lot of it on cities, but there is little attention to rural settings. We are trying to generate that research by working with communities that want to participate.” 

The MSU Extension Intelligent Community Institute "identifies the unique digital challenges each community faces and provides local extension agents and other local champions with the tools necessary to address those needs over an 18- to 24-month, four-step process," Gregory writes. "The steps are increasing awareness; identifying assets and needs; implementing a strategy to address those weaknesses and leverage existing assets; and nominating themselves for consideration from ICF as one of 21 Intelligent Community yearly designations in the world."

For example, in the town of Quitman, Miss., "Gallardo worked with the town’s public library to purchase a three-dimensional printer for the facility," Gregory reports. "He said the library’s new tool addresses two indicators of Intelligent Communities: knowledge workforce and digital equality. Broadband connectivity, innovation, marketing, and sustainability are the other four indicators." Gallardo told Gregory, “If the kids there are reading a book with an emphasis on the Empire State Building, they can print a 3-D model of the building and develop a better understanding of the book. More than likely, they would not have seen that elsewhere. Exposing kids to STEM-related concepts at an early age can have a significant impact on their lives later on as they choose career paths.” (Read more)

Cooperative Extension Service has website that's all about safety and health on farms and ranches

Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations, but many injuries and deaths could be prevented with relatively simple measures, as the Minneapolis Star Tribune showed in its recent series, "Tragic Harvest." Much more information about agricultural health and safety is available on a Cooperative Extension Service website.

Most information on the site comes from the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health and the land-grant universities that are part of the extension service. It is assembled by the Farm & Ranch eXtension in Safety and Health Community of Practice, comprising extension agents and faculty who collaborate with industries and governments. "FReSH also works with smaller organizations such as Farm Safety for Just Kids and AgriSafe Network to disseminate their resources as well," an extension service news release said.

National Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Week is Sept. 16-22, 2016.

CDC gives Extension at 6 universities $4.2 million to fight obesity in counties where it's very high

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded the Cooperative Extension Service at six land-grant universities $4.2 million to combat obesity in counties with obesity rates of 40 percent or more. This is the first time the CDC has funded an Extension program.

The work will focus on reducing chronic disease rates, advocating healthier lifestyles, reducing of health disparities and supervising health-care spending. "These strategies will improve physical activity and nutrition, reduce obesity and prevent and control diabetes, heart disease and stroke," according to the CDC website.

For the current fiscal year Auburn University received $791,222, the University of Kentucky received $629,004, South Dakota State University received $588,456, the University of Tennessee received $987,774, Texas A&M University received $783,000 and West Virginia University received $427,419. (Read more) Here is the CDC's list of counties with over 40 percent obese adults.

The universities will intervene through extension and outreach services at the county level. For example, at Kentucky, "Researchers and extension personnel in UK's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and College of Public Health will work in six Kentucky counties that have obesity rates higher than 40 percent ... Logan, Clinton, Lewis, Martin, Letcher and Elliott," Katie Pratt reports for UKAgNews.

Obesity is a major problem, especially among young people, African Americans, Hispanics and Alaskan Native and Native Americans. Rates of youth obesity are higher in low-income and rural communities. (Read more)

New Georgia law targeting Obamacare prohibits Extension Service navigators who help enrollment

It's no secret that some states do not like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Recently Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed two bills that not only thwart the law but make it more difficult for the Peach State to expand Medicaid anytime soon. House Bill 990 transfers Medicaid expansion authority from the governor's office to lawmakers, while HB 943 "restricts state and local agencies and their employees from advocating for Medicaid expansion" and "bans the creation of a state health insurance exchange," writes Andrea Flynn of the liberal Roosevelt Institute.

The second bill, HB 943, will also prevent the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia from continuing its navigator program to help Georgians get Obamacare coverage once the federal grant of $1.7 million runs out in August, Andy Miller writes for Georgia Health News.

Although Georgia did not expand Medicaid eligibility to people earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, poor people who qualified for it and PeachCare, a state program, could still sign up. "Georgia cannot afford for our Medicaid rolls to swell. Otherwise, we start cutting into the education budget, the transportation budget and the public safety budget," Rep. Jason Spencer, sponsor of HB 943, told Georgia Health News.

The navigator program sought to educate people about the law, to help them sign up for Medicaid or for coverage on the national exchange. "People who had never had insurance and hadn't had insurance in a long time got affordable, high-quality insurance," Deborah Murray, the college's associate dean for Extension and outreach, told The Rural Blog. "People were so appreciative and relieved to know they could now afford health care."

Only a few other states have navigator programs based in universities, such as Arkansas and Florida. Murray said she knew the law wasn't popular in Georgia, but she still didn't expect the kind of political opposition that arose in the legislature. "The role of the university is to educate," Murray said. "What we were doing is really education focused: giving people the information they needed to make informed decisions."

After the grant runs out, Murray said the university's Cooperative Extension Service and its county offices will continue its mission to educate and inform. "Educating the public about health-insurance literacy is part of the Extension and land-grant mission of the university, and we will continue to do that," Murray said. "Helping people understand health insurance and use it properly will help reduce health care costs."

Organic corn selling for $14 a bushel; farmers could cash in with some education about it

Last year's drought drove corn prices up to $8 a bushel, giving farmers incentive to plant even more corn this year, especially if it's organically grown. Tim Thornberry of KyForward reports that organic corn is selling at much higher prices, more than $14 a bushel in December. "That could be a deciding factor for many farmers, at least as a possible addition to already existing operations," Thornberry writes.

The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, gthe Kentucky Corn Growers Association and Organic Valley Cooperative are conducting a day-long workshop on Jan. 16 in Bowling Green, Ky., to inform farmers about organic corn. "Farmers who do not know about the [premium price paid for organically produced corn] often are not knowledgeable about organic corn markets, production systems and certification rules," UK agricultural economist Lee Meyer told Thornberry.

Meyer said farmers think they have to raise crops like their grandfathers did when they think about organic foods, but organic is simply another method of production. If there's a similarity between farming like their grandfathers and organic farming it is being a good land steward, he said. (Read more) There is a $10 registration fee for the workshop, and farmers can register by emailing Will Martin at William.martin24@uky.edu, or by contacting their local Kentucky extension office.

Is the Extension Service still useful in the digital age? It seems so, but adjustments may be needed

It's been 100 years since extension services came to rural areas across the country, and in an age of much more advanced technology, with information a few clicks away, some people wonder if it is time to rethink the usefulness of the Cooperative Extension Service, Jonathan Knutson of Agweek reports. North Dakota State University Extension Service director Chris Boerboom says extension skeptics are wrong because extension is vital.  "There's a lot of information available and a lot of places to get is," Boerboom told Knutson. "But [extension is] still the place to go when you want reliable, unbiased information."

But the service's value isn't always an easy sell, Knutson wrote, especially when government budgets are dwindling. South Dakota State University's extension director Barry Dunn told Knutson budget issues forced a restructuring of the service in many states. "We have to prove ourselves every day, that we really are the safe, trusted, unbiased, scientific place to go for information," Dunn said. North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana's services say they don't plan to restructure. Extension officials in at least four states say they are offering more online services for farmers.

Extension services in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana all say they will lose millions in funding if federal sequestration happens at the end of the year. They're also facing staff shortages as baby boomers  begin to retire, with the trend being more pronounced in North Dakota where 32 county positions were filled within two years. (Read more)

Women outnumber men in ag-related programs

Women enrolled in agriculture-related programs at the 67 U.S. land-grant universities outnumber the men, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Agricultural Education Information System.

Men outnumbered women in 2008-09, but the number of women enrolled in agriculture programs has increased almost 20 percent since then. Male enrollment is still higher in ag economics, ag engineering and plant sciences, but women outnumber men in animal sciences, food science and technology and agricultural public services.

Farm Progress reports the increasing number of women in agricultural programs "draws comparisons to the number of female farm operators, which has risen 19 percent between 2002 and 2007, according to the 2007 Census of Agriculture," the most recent available. It found that 14 percent of farm operators are women. For the full report, go here.