Wall Street Journal sums up problems of ethanol

The Wall Street Journal is the latest media outlet, and perhaps the most influential, to report on the turnaround in the fortunes of ethanol -- once hailed as economic salvation for a large part of rural America, now suffering from sharply declining profit margins (Journal graphic) and a storm of criticism, all summed up by reporter Lauren Etter:

"The fortunes of many U.S. farmers, farm towns and ethanol companies are tied to corn-based ethanol, of which America is the largest producer. . . . A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concluded that biofuels 'offer a cure (for oil dependence) that is worse than the disease.' A National Academy of Sciences study said corn-based ethanol could strain water supplies. The American Lung Association [see comment below] expressed concern about a form of air pollution from burning ethanol in gasoline. Political cartoonists have taken to skewering the fuel for raising the price of food to the world's poor."

What happened to prices and profit? Because ethanol is usually 10 percent of a blend with gasoline, the market for it became saturated as many new distilleries started up. "Some observers regard the profit squeeze as part of an ordinary industry shakeout that will ultimately leave the best producers in a position to thrive," Etter writes. "As ethanol prices were pushed lower and corn prices stayed high, ethanol profit margins dropped from $2.30 per gallon last year to less than 25 cents a gallon."

Etter goes on to give a comprehensive and authoritative rundown of the situation, including a Washington angle: "The fuel's lobby is pleading with Congress to drastically boost the amount of ethanol that oil refiners must blend into gasoline. But formidable opponents such as the livestock, packaged-food and oil industries also have lawmakers' ears. What once looked like a slam-dunk could now languish in pending energy legislation that might not pass for weeks, if ever." (Read more; subscription may be required)

Steven Mufson of The Washington Post reports, however, that negotiators on the energy bill are nearing agreement. "There has been one change in the biofuels measure. While the Senate bill required that at least 3 billion gallons of "advanced biofuels" derived from sources other than corn be used starting in 2016, escalating to 21 billion gallons by 2022, new language would require that the first advanced biofuels be used in 2013. That might ease demand for corn, which has soared in price, and recognize that companies are making progress in using new feedstocks in pilot projects." (Read more)

Retiring N.H. agriculture commissioner reflects on evolution of farming in Granite State

New Hampshire Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor, retiring after 25 years in the appointive job, writes in his last column for his department's Weekly Market Bulletin that farming in the Granite State "has evolved greatly over those years," with the loss of most dairy farms and many apple orchards but a huge expansion of farmers' markets, horticulture and other products.

"The profit opportunities afforded by a growing population of prosperous nearby consumers have invigorated every sector of New Hampshire agriculture," Taylor writes. "Maple, equine, Christmas trees, meat animals for ethnic markets — you name it, our market prospects are close by and they’re ready to spend." (Subscribe to the Bulletin)

Taylor's replacement, Lorraine Stuart Merrill, was confirmed this week and will be sworn in next week. She and Taylor are both farmer-journalists, as this item noted.

Illegally dumped deer carcasses make hunting season unpleasant for some

Some rural residents in Michigan dread the beginning of deer hunting season, because each year it brings the nuisance of illegally dumped deer carcasses. In Bennington Township, Mich., Rick and Dawn Lucas had 17 deer carcasses dropped within 100 yards of their home, reports The Argus-Press in Owosso. The problem is not a new one, but it might be getting worse due to under staffing at the Department of Natural Resources, reports Scott Atkinson. In rural areas such as around the Lucases, a lack of witnesses and patrols means the problem might not be going away soon. (Read more)

The problem is prevalent in other states, reports the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald. Outdoors editor Brad Dokken interviewed hunters and officials who said it is all too common. "'It,' in this case, is the practice of dumping deer carcasses - the bones and crud that's left over after the meat has been removed - in waterways, roadside ditches or other highly visible place," Dokken writes. "Besides being illegal, dumping carcasses is unsightly and gives all deer hunters a bad name." He also cites the latest weekly report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources which included plenty of complaints about the illegal dumping. " You know who you are," Dokken tells would-be dumpers, "and it's time to clean up your act." (Read more)

Democrats think Ohio's governor could woo swing state's crucial rural voters in 2008

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, left, is one of the most popular executives in the country, and his fellow Democrats are hoping that popularity could help in the 2008 presidential election, especially when it comes to the state's rural voters, who gave pivotal support to President Bush in his two elections.

Strickland, the state's first Democratic governor since 1989, and a former congressman for rural southeast Ohio, took office by winning over many of those voters in 2006, but experts are uncertain he could help a Democratic nominee do the same next year as the nominee for vice president, reports The Chicago Tribune.

"Strickland's former campaign strategists estimate he earned the votes of some 560,000 Ohioans who voted for Bush in 2004," Jim Tankersley writes from Columbus. "A swing of 60,000 votes from Bush to Kerry would have pushed the state and the White House into Democratic hands. So everything else being equal, the Strickland strategists estimate, all the 2008 Democratic nominee has to do is hold onto 1 in 9 voters who went for Bush and Strickland."

Republican strategists say that won't be easy, since the Democratic candidates are not like Strickland. But Strickland and other state Democrats say that to win non-urban voters, the nominee should follow the governor's style, which Strickland told Tankersley means avoiding "divisive" issues and partisan "name-calling." (Read more)

Farmers join micro-distillery boom by opening stills of their own, some called 'artisnal'

In the era of Prohibition, many farmers did extra (and illegal) business by distilling spirits. Now, many are getting back in the business, legally. Two years ago, the farm-based High Plains Liquor Co. was the first distillery in Kansas since Prohibition, but now it is just one of many rural operations starting to cash in on the micro-distillery boom, reports The New York Times.

Seth Fox (in photo by Ed Zurga for the Times) opened his distillery at the perfect time, reports Susan Saulny. "With its abundance of grain and fruit, the Midwest stands poised to capitalize on the confluence of trends unlike any other region and could, in time, come to rival California, currently the leader in small-scale distilling, experts said," she writes. "Small, private distilleries are opening at a rate of about 10 to 20 a year. There are about 100 across the country. Some are attached to wineries, restaurants and breweries, or, increasingly, are located on farms."

To capitalize on the boom, agricultural states are easing decades-old laws regarding distilleries, and the micro-distilleries — which offer products such pumpkin-infused vodka — are popping up in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and elsewhere. The products are not the only draw, Saulny writes, since the stills themselves have become tourist magnets. (Read more)

After court ruling, Homeland Security promises changes to immigration policy

As part of a promised crackdown on illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security proposed to punish employers of illegal immigrants. The department planned to send letters threatening legal action for employers if they did not fire employees whose Social Security numbers could not be verified. In October, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled against these "no-match" letters, and last week, Homeland Security filed a motion asking for time to revise the rule, reports The New York Times.

Breyer's ruling had blocked the sending of the first batch of letters and asked that the administration perform a survey of small businesses to determine the impact of the rule, reports Julia Preston. "In a four-page motion filed Friday, the government, without acknowledging any flaws in the original rule, asked Judge Breyer to suspend the case so the Department of Homeland Security could rewrite the rule and conduct the small-business survey, which it expects to do by March 24," Preston writes. "The government said that it wanted to 'prevent the waste of judicial resources' and that it was confident the amended rule would 'fully address the court’s concerns.'"

Philanthropist investing in Clifton Forge, Va., to revitalize the small town

In the scenic Allegheny Highlands of Virginia, the 4,000 residents of Clifton Forge have seen better days. Over the last few decades, many factory and railroad jobs have disappeared, forcing many to commute elsewhere, even to neighboring West Virginia. Louise Belmont, the granddaughter of the founder of Reynolds Metals Co. (now Alcoa), has fallen in love with the town, and she wants others to come see what it has to offer, reports The Roanoke Times.

By buying up property, Belmont has begun her own personal economic development project, as she hopes to transform the town "into a tourist destination for leaf watchers, hikers, kayakers and folks who want to go antiquing, shopping or just plain relax," Jay Conley writes.

She has secured an option to buy the old high school (above in Times photo by Stephanie Klein-Davis) and turn it into an arts center. So far, she has opened an antique store, Gallery 416, and bought the town's popular hangout, Averill's Country Store, which she has renovated. Her efforts have inspired others, and the town is working to create a tourism trail to unite the communities of the Allegheny Highlands, Clifton Forge's interim town manager LeeAnn Tyler told Conley. (Read more)

Rural Mainstreet Index says the outlook for the rural economy in Upper Midwest is improving

A survey of rural bankers says the economic outlook for rural areas is improving, reports Radio Iowa. Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss performed the survey — which is called the Rural Mainstreet Index — by talking to bankers in small communities in 10 states, Matt Kelley reports. Bankers in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

This is the first sign of improvement since August, and that's likely due to higher grain prices for farmers, Goss told Kelley. Goss' earlier survey of purchasing managers showed the opposite, that regional growth was slowing at a rapid pace. He told Kelley the new survey was less biased toward urban areas, and thus it is a better indicator of the rural economic outlook.

"We will see some bleeding of the economic downturn into rural America, but I think with very good farm income, with a farm bill that's moving through Congress and will ultimately be signed by the president and will be pretty good, I think the farm economy's going to hold up better than the urban areas," Goss said. (Read more)

After leaving New York City for rural Long Island, some newcomers don't like what they've found

A few weeks ago, we reported about how some new rural dwellers were surprised by the real sights and sounds of rural life near horse farms in Georgia. Some New Yorkers who moved from the city to parts of Long Island are experiencing the same culture shock, reports The New York Times.

Recently, more New Yorkers have moved to the North Fork area of Suffolk County on Long Island (at left in a Times graphic) to escape the sprawl of the city and of the nearby Hamptons. The new development has brought the newcomers into conflict with their farming neighbors, reports Corey Kilgannon. The newcomers "are not nearly as enamored of the less pleasant aspects of farms, like noisy machinery, animal smells, pesticides, dust from plowing, and zoning that lets homeowners keep barnyard animals," Kilgannon writes. "More and more, those culture clashes are the subject of town hall meetings and political campaigns in Riverhead and Southold, with officials caught in the battle over supporting farmers’ livelihoods and other homeowners’ quality of life."

Suffolk County leads the state agricultural production and has 700 farms that cover about 34,000 acres, Kilgannon reports. That farmland is the main draw for summer tourists and these new homeowners, but increasing development might put it in jeopardy. "People move out to farm country and want its benefits — the views, the charm — without realizing that farms make noise and create a degree of odor and dust,” Joseph M. Gergela, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, a lobbying organization, told Kilgannon. “This has become farming in suburbia, and farmers have to be good neighbors, but it isn’t Disneyland.” (Read more)

Wal-Mart adds lobbyists, ups campaign contributions to help improve image and impact

For years, leaders of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. kept their focus on the company's stores — many of which are in rural areas — and let politics and policy play out in Washington without them. As the economy has slowed, and as critics have grown more vocal in their attacks against Wal-Mart, the company has changed that stance. Now, the giant retailer is taking a more active role in policy by adding lobbyists and increasing campaign contributions, reports The Washington Post.

Wal-Mart calls the philosophy behind the new approach "engaging the opposition," and that includes environmentalists, reports Ylan Q. Mui. "The overarching goal is to improve the company's image so it can operate unhindered by the automatic opposition its reputation has inspired," Mui writes. "It also had a specific legislative agenda spanning issues such as normal trade relations with China and the number of hours truck drivers are allowed to work. In its attempt to make its desires known, it has transformed its lobbying force from a humble two-man shop to a $2.5 million operation that employs some of K Street's heaviest hitters."

Wal-Mart now spends more than any other retailer on lobbying, and in the 2006 election cycle, gave $1.3 million in contributions, mostly to Republicans. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., served on Wal-Mart's board from 1986 to 1992, but returned $5,000 to the company's political action committee during her Senate re-election campaign in 2006. As a presidential candidate, she has received "$19,190 in donations from Wal-Mart executives and employees this year -- more than half of the total Wal-Mart employees have given to all presidential candidates, according to campaign finance records," Mui writes. (Read more)

Writer sees parallels in rural voters' ouster of Australian government and political trends in U.S.

Rural voters were key to last weekend's ouster of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, and the Daily Yonder's Bill Bishop, right, sees some parallels between Howard's shrunken base of support and those of Republicans in the United States.

"Howard had built his previous electoral victories in the suburbs and rural communities with a combination of conservative, values-based positions and strong economic performance," Bishop writes. "Howard campaigned against gay marriage and migrants seeking asylum in Australia. He refused to issue an apology for the treatment of Aboriginal Australians. And he refused to sign the Kyoto treaty aimed at stemming global warming. Howard strongly supported the invasion of Iraq and President Bush."

Bishop adds, "Like Bush's strong showing in the rural U.S., Howard had a near monopoly in rural parts of Australia. In the 2004 parliamentary election, Howard's Liberal party won 41 of the 45 seats classified as rural by the Australian Electoral Commission. That rural-based coalition crumbled Saturday, when the Labor Party's Kevin Rudd won what's been described as a landslide election. . . . Rudd won 14 of those 45 rural seats and the Labor party was competitive in the Australian exurbs for the first time in a decade."

Rudd promised to sign the Kyoto treaty, which had a higher profile because of what Bishop calls "an epic drought" that is stressing rural regions. Royce Millar of The Age, a Melbourne newspaper, reports that "A study of the costs of climate change has found rural communities will pay almost twice as much as city dwellers for the effects of environmental degradation." (Read more) Also among Rudd's campaign promises were broadband Internet connections for the whole country, a key issue in rural areas worldwide. Darren Osborne of The Australian, a national newspaper based in Sydney, write before the election that “For many voters in regional and rural Australia, broadband could be the election issue that decides who gets their vote.” (Read more)

Western Carolina University studies the possibility of an 'inland port' in Southern Appalachia

The words port and Appalachia might look odd together, but researchers at Western Carolina University say the mountains could be the perfect place for a different kind of port. WCU researchers are studying the possibility of an "inland port" — a transportation hub that would ease the growing strain on traditional seaports, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times.

A port in Southern Appalachia likely would take advantage of nearby rail lines and interstate highways, reports Jordan Schrader. The WNC study, which has won more $250,000 in federal and state money, seeks to find potential sites for an inland port. The study is set to be completed in 2008.

The first inland port was built in northern Virginia, and it has brought 7,000 jobs to the Front Royal area since it opened in the 1980s, members of the Appalachian Regional Commission told Schrader. The commission believes a network of similar ports could have the same economic benefits for Southern Appalachia, Schrader adds. (Read more)

Small daily in Arizona offers week-long look at the local costs of illegal immigration

The Daily Courier of Prescott, Ariz., circulation 18,000, has begun a week-long series on the cost of illegal immigration in Central Arizona.

"Northern Arizona University Economist Ronald Gunderson argues that those people are a key benefit to the American economy, especially as the baby boom generation retires and fewer Americans are standing in the wings to fill the jobs the 'boomers' are vacating," says a long editor's note. "Local Hispanic leaders contend illegal immigrants benefit society far more than the few who commit crimes. The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and others argue that those immigrants represent substantial costs to society through law enforcement, education, health care and social services. The Daily Courier began this series of articles to put a local price tag on costs and benefits of illegal immigration and to examine how it affects local institutions and the economy. Our reporters found out quickly that it's a difficult task because even though illegal immigration is a hot political issue locally and nationally, many local institutions lack the means to separate out the costs illegal aliens generate from the expenses of serving American citizens."

In the first story, "Illegal immigrants drive up medical costs," Derek Meurer explains that Yavapai Regional Medical Center (in a Courier photo) and other local hospitals incur major costs for treating immigrants, and that those costs do not get reimbursed fully by Medicare. The costs extend to county departments. "According to a 2007 report to Yavapai County Supervisor Carol Springer, illegal immigration cost the Community Health Service department $1,067,615 annually," Meurer writes. "The report estimated that county departments lose $7,633,557 total each year due to illegal immigrants."

Photographers from five newspapers barred from high school football title games in Illinois

A few weeks ago, we reported a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Press Association and others challenging new credential policies limiting secondary use of sports photos taken at high school athletic events, a recent issue in several states. The IPA withdrew its suit on Nov. 16 after a compromise was struck with the Illinois High School Association for media access at the state's football championships. But when photographers from five newspapers showed up in Champaign to cover the games this weekend, IHSA officials told them to stay out, the National Press Photographers Association reports. These were the five newspapers that refused to sign an agreement pledging not to sell images from IHSA events, reports The Pantagraph of Bloomington.

"Staff photographers from The Pantagraph and four other newspapers were told by IHSA officials that their newspapers had violated the association's policy regarding secondary sales of images from state tournament events, and therefore they were banned from having access to the field," NPPA reports. (Read more) The other newspapers barred were the Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, the Northwest Herald of Crystal Lake, the State Journal-Register of Springfield and the Peoria Journal Star. The IHSA said the newspapers were informed ahead of time about the ban, but a report from The Daily Herald said the newspaper did not receive such notification. The article went on to ask readers, parents and fans to send their photos to The Daily Herald.

The Panatagraph had come to cover Bloomington’s Central Catholic High School in the Class 4A title game, and its Web site includes a photo gallery from that game. Its story on the IHSA ban does not say how the paper's photographer gained field access. For a story by Steve Bauer of The News-Gazette of Champaign, click here.

IPA attorney Don Craven told the Pantagraph that IHSA officials “want to use the market that community newspapers have built over the last decades on high school sports and use it for their own benefit. The thought of anybody controlling the use of a newspaper’s photographs — other than the newspapers themselves — is not something that Illinois newspapers are willing to put up with.” For the IPA's detailed take on the issue, click here.

IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman replied, While the Illinois Press Association has indicated its willingness to compromise on this matter, its actions have spoken much louder than its words. We asked the IPA to have its members refrain from selling photos of our events while we continued to work to resolve this issue. We presented the IPA with a proposal nearly two weeks ago and they have yet to respond.” (Read more)

One newspaper finessed the issue. See its comment below.

Drought continues in Southeast, and rural areas' private wells feel the strain

As extreme drought conditions persist in the Southeast, predictions of a dry winter present a grim forecast for parts of Alabama, the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Little of the reporting about the problem has mentioned private water supplies, but the drought is putting heavy pressure on wells around Charlotte, N.C., which suffered through its driest summer since 1948, reports The Charlotte Observer.

The biggest problem is with old-fashioned, shallow wells. "Commonly known as 2-inch wells, these typically consist of a 2-inch pipe that goes less than 100 feet down -- about one-third the depth of modern wells," Mark Price reports for the Observer. "Most were drilled prior to the '60s, and they are the least productive and most vulnerable to groundwater changes."

Now, homeowners who depend on those wells are hoping for rain but preparing for the worst. When those wells go dry, homeowners must drill new, deeper wells, Price reports. Homeowners whose wells still work are taking precautions to curb water use in hopes of squeezing more time out of those wells. That includes adding "flow restrictors on faucets" and enforcing "strict rules against car washing, lawn watering and lazy showers," Price writes. (Read more)

According to the latest projections from the National Weather Service, the drought conditions likely will continue in Alabama, the Carolinas and Georgia, but should improve elsewhere over the next few months. The NWS has created the Drought Information Center, which has up-to-date conditions and seasonal outlooks. In the last few hours, Chattanooga, Tenn., has received more than 2 inches of rain, while Rome, Ga., has receive 1 inch, The Weather Channel reports. More rain is predicted for Alabama and Georgia, but it is not expected to offer much relief.

Case on gun ban in Washington, D.C., will be political fodder for next year's elections

A case that could produce a landmark decision on gun rights next year will be a major political issue in the 2008 elections, according to a story by Warren Richey in the Christian Science Monitor.

"For the first time in history we could get a definitive ruling on what the Second Amendment really means," Dave Workman, an editor at Gun Week in Bellevue, Wash., told Richey. "Gun rights is going to become a centerpiece of the 2008 presidential race, whether these guys like it or not." That could have a significant impact in rural areas, which were key to President Bush's two victories but have been trending Democratic in recent polls.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would consider the case of District of Columbia v. Heller, in which a federal appeals court ruled that Washington's 31-year-old ban on handguns (Associated Press photo) violated the Second Amendment because the amendment creates an individual right to own a gun, independent of any relation to the state militias mentioned in the amendment. (Read more)

Obama courts Iowa weeklies; Clinton not so much?

Iowa may be more important than ever in the Democratic presidential nominating process, because Sen. Hillary Clinton is considered likely to win the nomination if she wins the state's Jan. 3 caucuses, while a victory by Obama or former Sen. John Edwards could burst her balloon of inevitability. With such huge stakes, candidates "are scouring the state like never before," going to towns that have rarely if even been a campaign stop, Iowa veteran Jeff Zeleny reports on The New York Times' political blog, The Caucus. On that trail, Sen. Barack Obama is paying special attention to such towns' weekly newspapers -- while Clinton has given at least one weekly publisher a semi-stiff-arm.

"There is, perhaps, no better way to give an hour-long presidential visit far greater staying power than appearing on the pages of the weekly newspaper, particularly in an edition that is likely to be sitting on coffee tables at Thanksgiving time," Zeleny points out, reporting Obama's interviews in Clarion with The Wright County Monitor and in Grundy Center with four other weeklies in a 10-mile radius, three with circulations under 1,000.

Monitor Publisher Barb Mussman, a former elementary-school teacher whose paper has a circulation of 1,367, told Zeleny that no presidential candidate had ever offered her an interview, so "He's going to get a story," not just the usual picture. Her 794-word story focused on Obama's appearance at a local school (where the Monitor photo above was taken) and appeared to devote only 176 words to her interview, in which she asked about education and global warming. Its style was matter of fact, with one major exception: "The word, hope, keeps entering into Obama's remarks."

Zeleny's post spurred dozens of comments. "Everybody here thinks that it’s the blogosphere that is sooooo important - but these small newspapers, I bet they can make a real difference in a community. Why? Because everybody knows the journalists who write them," wrote a poster identified only as Petra. "In the case of Ms. Musmann, readers probably learned how to read in her classroom. Smart move indeed."

David Bordewyk, who identified himself, but not as general manager of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, wrote, "Midwestern community newspapers are plugged in to the communities they serve. The weekly gets a story and Obama gets a better sense of the local pulse. Go one better: Scrap all the TV ads, buy ads in the community newspapers and the campaign will win big."

That, of course, is not Obama's strategy, not Edwards', and certainly not Clinton's. She has yet to grant an interview to John Beaudoin, publisher of the Logan Herald-Observer and Woodbine Twiner, who has gone public with his problem. In a comment on Zeleny's post, Beaudoin wrote, "Barack Obama and his handlers have been extremely professional to work with during this campaign. I have interviewed 21 candidates for President, including Mr. Obama, and I have been impressed with how his people have delivered information to our newspapers. I am the Publisher of two small newspapers in Southwest Iowa and have promised my readers as much information as possible on the candidates. Mr. Obama’s campaign has been top notch (which is something I unfortunately cannot say about Hillary Clinton’s campaign)."

Beaudoin has posted interviews with candidates on this page of his Web site. He said in an interview with the video site Current that the Clinton campaign has offered him a group interview with other journalists, but he has declined because of the success he has had with other candidates. "Once we got that going I thought we were building up some credibility with the Hillary campaign," he said. "This is not an entitlement thing ... I promised my readers I was going to bring them every presidential candidate, and by God, I still feel like I'm going to. Her campaign, bar none, has actually been the most defiant as far as trying to make thet interview happen." But when asked who he thinks the next president will be, he said, "I have a hard time saying it will not be Hillary."

UPDATE, Nov. 27: A survey by NBC News of 15 weekly and small daily papers in Iowa found they had "mixed experiences with all the campaigns, Democratic or Republican," the NBC political unit reports in First Read. "Most papers said that their inboxes were flooded by e-mails from all the campaigns and many received phone calls before an event to remind them to attend. The majority of newspapers reported being able to get a few minutes with a candidate either immediately after the event during the rope line or with a one-on-one interview. Senator Clinton was the exception in this case. Both Edwards' and Obama's staff were praised for their efforts to reach out to reporters and provide access to the candidate." (Read more)

Amid record, ethanol-driven harvest, corn growers dislike criticism over food, environmental issues

The largest corn crop in U.S. history is almost completely harvested, but corn farmers are getting doses of skepticism and criticism with their hefty checks. Joel Achenbach, of one of the best reporters at explaining how things work, writes about it mainly from the growers' point of view The Washington Post today: "Farmers, up to their eyeballs in corn, are wondering what exactly they have done wrong."

High corn prices, driven by the demand for ethanol, have driven up food prices, Achenbach notes. "Environmentalists decry the impact on soil, waterways and wildlife of so much acreage planted in vast tracts of a thirsty, fertilizer-hungry plant. Tens of thousands of acres in Iowa once set aside for conservation were plowed this year for corn. The Iowa landscape is a patchwork of corn and soybean monocultures, with about as much biodiversity as a bachelor's refrigerator. Corn, in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, is even accused of causing the national obesity epidemic."

Achenbach writes from Iowa, where fully one-third of the land was planted in corn this year. His protagonist is Bill Couser (in photo by Andrea Melendez for the Post), who has 5,000 acres in the very center of the state and is chairman of an ethanol distillery. "When we planted this crop," he told Achenbach, "people said we were the villains of the world."(Read more)

Panel says FCC should increase use of long-distance tax money to subsidize broadband

An advisory panel recommended yesterday that the Federal Communications Commission "cap the fast-growing subsidies the government allots to providers of telephone service in rural America and allow some of the funds to be used for promoting broadband service," reports Peter Kaplan of the Reuters news service.

The federal-state advisory board said the biggest slice of the Universal Service Fund, which subsidizes rural phone service, should be limited to its current $4.5 billion, and also said subsidies for rural wireless service should be capped. The wireless industry opposes that, but FCC Chairman Kevin Martin voiced support for shifting the fund's emphasis to broadband. The FCC has a year to act on the recommendations.

The fund is financed by an 11 percent surcharge on long-distance phone calls. "In addition to rural service, the fund subsidizes phone service to low-income households, as well as communications services and Internet access for schools, hospitals and libraries," Reuters notes. (Read more)

A prayer for Thanksgiving

For consideration as your Thanksgiving prayer, we offer this one from Marian Wright Edelman , by way of our friend Tom FitzGerald.

God, we thank You for this food
for the hands that planted it
for the hands that tended it
for the hands that harvested it
for the hands that prepared it
for the hands that provided it
and for the hands that served it.
And we pray for those without enough food
in Your world and in our land of plenty.

Farm Foundation names Conklin its new president

Trustees of Farm Foundation this week named Neilson C. Conklin to be the foundation's sixth president. He wil succeed Walter J. Armbruster, president since 1991, who is retiring at the end of the year after 30 years with the foundation.

Conklin is director of the market and trade economics division of the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture. He started ERS research on the economics of biofuels, and directed development of new modeling frameworks on global trade policy analysis. Before joining ERS in 1999, Conklin spent six years as vice president and chief economist for the Farm Credit Council. He worked at the Office of Management and Budget, and taught at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Colorado State University.

“Neil’s extensive background in economic analysis on a wide range of issues will serve the foundation well in the years ahead,” Board of Trustees Chair Sara Wyant said. “Agriculture, the food system and rural communities face complex and diverse challenges and opportunities.”

Farm Foundation says it is "a catalyst, bringing stakeholders of all ideologies together to examine economic and public policy issues impacting agriculture, the food system and rural communities." It does not lobby or advocate, and says its primary product is "comprehensive, objective information on economic and policy issues." The foundation was a sponsor of the National Summit on Journalism in Rural America. (Read more)

In Florida, rural homeowners form group to fight encroaching development

Many move to the country hoping to escape urban sprawl. When that sprawl starts getting too close to home, some of these rural residents take action. In lesser developed areas near Tampa, Fla., some rural residents formed the United Citizens' Action Network, or U-CAN, to fight development near their homes, reports The Tampa Tribune.

"The rural activists belonged to groups in specific areas fighting local battles, and then discovered they would have more power together," Yvette C. Hammett writes. "They shared one another's experience and expertise, joined forces at public meetings and then in January formed U-CAN."

The fight is primarily over what will happen to the land outside Hillsborough County's urban service area, Hammett reports. "Of the 574,390 acres in unincorporated Hillsborough, 361,364 acres remain outside the urban service area, according to the county planning commission," she writes. It is this land that U-CAN hopes to protect. One of the group's plans is to start charting the voting records of county officials on the Web site, u-canhillsborough.net. The site currently proclaims the scrolling message, "Watchout!!! The Brandon Bypass is coming and we must stop it!!!" (Read more)

Study finds rural cancer patients seek help sooner than urban counterparts

When comparing urban and rural health care, the trends usually favor city dwellers. That makes the results of one new study on cancer treatment somewhat surprising, reports The New York Times.

"Urban residents are more likely to see a doctor later than those in the country are, a lapse that can make the cancers harder to treat," Eric Nagourney writes. "Writing in the November issue of The Journal of the American College of Surgeons, researchers said the findings confounded the assumptions of many in the medical community — including doctors who work in rural areas."

The study, conducted by Dr. Ian Paquette and Dr. Samuel R. G. Finlayson of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, relied on information from 300,000 cancer patients compiled by the National Cancer Institute, Nagourney reports. The results showed that even though rural residents were on average poorer, older and farther from medical services, they tended to seek treatment sooner than urbanites, and thus they had better rates of survival. (Read more) A summary of the study can be found here.

Michigan TV station investigates aging rural housing projects

In the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversaw a program to subsidize the construction of apartments for needy rural residents. Now, some of those structures (such as this one at left) are showing their age, and residents want to see more repairs, reports WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Mich.

There were 15,000 small apartment projects in all, and WOOD-TV took a look at the inspection reports for the dozen rural housing projects in Kent County after residents complained about inadequate maintenance.

"In general, the inspection reports reflect signs of aging buildings," Henry Erb reports. "Worn and stained carpets, cloudy windows, pieces of siding or soffit missing. The inspector noted that at one place the owner said they didn't have enough money to replace the worn carpet. Small examples of what is happening on a nationwide scale -- a struggle to keep such federally-backed housing from becoming rural slums."

A 2004 report from the USDA found that "no property has adequate reserves or sufficient cash flow to do needed repairs," and so recently the department has tried to add funding, Erb reports. In Michigan, the USDA approved $22 million for 15 projects, but Erb writes that funding remains far below the levels of the 1980s. (Read more)

FCC to give millions to rural health groups for broadband networks

With high-speed Internet service, rural hospitals and clinics can access vital information from distant urban medical centers in a few seconds. Many rural clinics lack the broadband access needed to do so, but $417 million in grants from the Federal Communications Commission could help change that, reports The Washington Post.

"The three-year pilot program aims to help extend broadband lines to about 6,000 hospitals, research centers, universities and clinics in hard-to-reach regions, many of which still rely on dial-up Internet service," Kim Hart writes. "The faster connection could be used to upload patient records or for sending videos and pictures to diagnose the illness of someone hundreds of miles away."

For example, the West Virginia Telehealth Alliance will get $8.4 million to link 450 health-care facilities, including some in Virginia and Ohio. The money for the grants comes from the Universal Service Fund, which pools fees from long-distance and wireless subscribers. That fund has been used to help libraries, schools and rural areas, but it had not done enough for telehealth, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told Hart. (Read more) For a blog item on the FCC's announcement of the program last week, click here.

FCC's cable TV proposal draws opposition from minority and rural groups

A recent proposal from the Federal Communications Commission could change the way viewers buy cable television, but some rural and minority groups are not happy about it. The Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the League of Rural Voters and the Hispanic Federation have joined together in their opposition to the proposed changes from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, reports InformationWeek.

"The FCC is considering revising its cable TV regulations, using the so-called 70/70 rule as justification," K.C. Jones writes. "The 70/70 rule states that when 70 percent of American homes can access cable and 70 percent of those with access subscribe, the FCC can impose new regulations to ensure competition."

Many say that threshold has not been met, but Martin reportedly wants to allow providers to offer pay-per-channel service so households can select particular channels instead of packages, Jones reports. Those who oppose the change say such a rule would reduce the number of minority-owned channels and mean higher prices for rural residents. "The FCC's continuing effort to stiff-arm rural viewers has hit a new low," League of Rural Voters executive director Niel Ritchie said in a statement. (Read more)

Presidential candidates giving more detailed attention to farm issues in Iowa, union head says

With the Iowa caucuses six weeks away, Democratic presidential candidates are finally beginning to pay detailed attention to agricultural issues, the president of the Iowa Farmers Union told Dien Judge of the Iowa Independent, a good online site for grass-roots coverage of the campaigns in the Hawkeye State.

"Agricultural issues have largely gone under the radar throughout most of the caucus campaign season, despite the fact that Iowa is ground zero in the race for the presidency," Judge writes. "But some of the candidates are beginning to show an understanding of the importance of issues relating to agriculture. In an interview this week with Iowa Independent, Iowa Farmers Union president Chris Petersen said that some of the candidates are now 'seeing the light.'"

At IFU's Nov. 10 "Food and Family Farm Presidential Summit" in Des Moines, no Republican candidates attended, "but Democrats Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton all made their case to the organization's members," Judge writes. For the Independent's blog of the event, click here. IFU "oes not endorse candidates in caucus or primary elections, Petersen said, but individual members are encouraged to support or endorse candidates regardless of party," Judge writes. (Read more)

S.C. daily paper puts county employee credit-card records online for readers to inspect

In Aiken County, S.C., two emergency medical employees recently were fired after allegations they misused their county funds. As a result, the local newspaper, the Aiken Standard, filed an open record request for the credit-card reports of the 60 employees with county-issued cards.

The paper found no "widespread or gross misuse" in its "cursory study of the files," Haley Hughes wrote. "The County's own internal review of its employee credit card statements is ongoing. The information is public record and as such, the Aiken Standard has posted the documents to its Web site for review by members of the public." (Read more)

So, the paper is letting readers decide for themselves if county employees have misused their credit cards. Not a bad idea, as far as we can tell. The records can be seen here. Thanks to Al Tompkins of The Poynter Institute for the heads up on this story.

Wild hogs are overpopulated but hard target for hunters

In Texas, more than 2 million wild hogs are wreaking havoc on the landscape. Many hunters have set their sights on the wily game, but the pigs continue to be a problem, reports the Los Angeles Times.

"Of the 254 counties in Texas, about 90 percent have a wild hog problem," Miguel Bustillo writes. "Surly pigs have been spotted in urban parks in Dallas and San Antonio, startling joggers. Mobs of ravenous porkers are munching crops and tearing up hayfields, causing $52 million a year in damage, state officials estimate. They also are eating the eggs of endangered sea turtles on coastal barrier islands, forcing biologists to scurry nests to safety."

A hunter billing himself as "The Dehoganator" (in photo by Courtney Perry for the Times) offers to take out the boars on people's property, as long as they pay for the bullets, Bustillo reports. While the endeavor still loses money for The Dehoganator, Joe Paddock, he loves the thrill of hunting the smart and elusive animal. Like Paddock, federal and state officials want to lower the pig population.

"Federal agriculture officials have resorted to gunning down pigs from helicopters," Bustillo writes. "State officials have declared open season on them: Hunters can shoot as many as they want, any time. Here in Van Zandt County (pop. 48,140), leaders put out a bounty four years ago, promising $7 for every pair of hog ears brought in. They got more than 2,000 and ended the offer a year later." Despite those efforts, and the work of trappers who sell the hogs here and abroad, the boars seem to be winning the war. (Read more)

Rural South Carolina school district to offer cheap, group housing to entice new teachers

Rural areas often struggle to attract and keep teachers, and Marlboro County in South Carolina is trying a new way to do it. Located on the North Caroline state line, the county has 29,000 residents and one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. To lure new teachers, the school system is creating Teach House, a place where new teachers can live together for $100 a month, reports Seanna Adcox of The Associated Press.

Plans call for 12 new teachers to move into the restored, century-old home next school year, AP reports. "The idea is that the so-called Teach House will not only provide teachers a beautiful place to live for next-to-nothing, but also offer instant friendships and peer support," Adcox writes, while noting Marlboro County is still in negotiations to purchase the home and its 14 acres.

The house is just one of many South Carolina projects aimed at finding teachers for rural areas. In Fairfield County, Access House would provide apartments for new teachers and a veteran teacher who would act as a mentor, as well as space for after-school and community activities. The plan, which is in it early stages, would waive rent for teachers who also would be working on free degrees from the University of South Carolina. (Read more)

Tyson Foods, partner to produce diesel and jet fuel from animal fat, other by-products

Last month, we reported that biofuel production was driving up demand and prices for animal fat. The phenomenon has prompted some interesting partnerships, including last week's announcement of a joint venture between Tyson Foods and fuel maker Syntroleum Corp. The two announced they are working together to produce renewable diesel and jet fuel from a plant in Lousiana, reports Meatingplace.com.

"The joint venture, named Dynamic Fuels, will use Tyson animal fat and other agricultural by-products to manufacture renewable fuels," writes Tom Johnston. "Syntroleum will contribute its technology and industry knowledge. The $126 million capital investment will employ 45 people."(Read more)

Dynamic Fuels chose a plant in Geismar, La., as the site for the new facility. The plant currently produces synthetic rubber, but it was appealing for its access to rail and barge transportation as well as its hydrogen pipeline, reports The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La. "Construction of the 75 million gallon-per-year plant is expected to start in 2008, with production targeted for 2010," writes Bob Moser. The fuel might be used to power military aircraft at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport. (Read more)

Montana educator, only one at her school for 25+ years, named nation's Rural Teacher of the Year

Bynum School in Bynum, Mont., has 12 students and one teacher, but that teacher is great one. For more than 25 years, Susan Luinstra has been teaching every subject in the small school that was built in 1914. Last week, she received the Rural Teacher of the Year Award from the National Rural Education Association in Oklahoma City, reports the Great Falls Tribune. (At left in a Tribune photo by Richard Peterson, Luinstra is greeted by her students at Great Falls International Airport.)

"Luinstra, who was named state Rural Teacher of the Year by the Montana Association of County School Superintendents in February, teaches kindergarten through eighth grade in Teton County's smallest school. She is known for providing students with a well-rounded education, plenty of one-on-one opportunities, monthly field trips and a lot of kindness, students and parents say," writes Peterson. (Read more)

In N.H., one farmer-journalist is expected to follow another as agriculture commissioner

One farmer-journalist is expected to succeed another as New Hampshire agriculture commissioner. Lorraine Stuart Merrill has been nominated for the position by Gov. John Lynch, and will likely be confirmed by the state Executive Council when it meets Nov. 28, retiring Commissioner Steve Taylor reports to The Rural Blog.

"Lorraine and her family run a 240-cow dairy farm in Stratham amidst the subdivisions and sprawl of Seacoast New Hampshire," Taylor writes. "She’s also an accomplished writer, contributing regularly to Hoard’s Dairyman, the leading dairy-farmer trade magazine, and various other ag journals, plus general interest publications ranging from Smithsonian to the Christian Science Monitor. I’m recommending to her that she include the Rural Blog in her daily reading." For a Concord Monitor profile of Merrill, by Shira Schoenberg, click here. For a story by Sara Liebowitz on Merrill's appointment, click here.

The Monitor said in an editorial that Taylor's retirement after 25 years in the job marks the end of an era. "He's an institution, like the feed store, the Hopkinton Fair, the cook at the diner who knows everybody in town and how they like their eggs, a dirt road lined with old maples," the editorial said. "Because he's not just a skilled and knowledgeable commissioner but also a born storyteller and a talented writer, Taylor became the face of agriculture in the Granite State. He has been the bridge between the old and new New Hampshires. He mourned the loss of the old Yankee farmers and a freer age yet was an advocate for today's small boutique farms."

The editorial ended with a salute that most folks would want in a farewell tribute, with a good idea for any state: "A decade or so ago, when asked to create a program for Leadership New Hampshire, Taylor came up with a list of '100 Things You Should Do to Know the Real New Hampshire.' That list appears on the Home & Family page of today's edition. In recognition of Taylor's contributions to the state, we'll make that to-do list 101, with the last being to have a beer with Steve Taylor." (Read more)

In case you're wondering what the Executive Council is, Taylor explains that it's a vestige of the colonial era, intended to be a check on despotic governors. "Maine abolished its in 1960, Massachusetts has one that just votes on judicial appointments," he writes. "It’s composed of five members popularly elected from districts every two years. It approves all executive and judicial appointments, state contracts over $5,000, land takings and pardons. Currently it’s 3-2 Democratic with a Democratic governor; in the past it’s often been Republican with Republican governors but with frequent noisy battling between them. Department heads will often tell you they spend more time keeping Executive Council members happy than they do the governor."

Rural uninsured in U.S. get care from volunteer doctor group created for the Third World

Many uninsured people in rural America are getting health care from a group set up to provide care to people in Third World countries, Sara Corbett reports in The New York Times Magazine, in a short story accompanied by several black-and-white photographs with long cutlines. Remote Area Medical "has sent health expeditions to countries like Guyana, India, Tanzania and Haiti, but increasingly its work is in the United States, where 47 million people — more than 15 percent of the population — live without health insurance," Corbett writes.

"Residents of remote rural areas are less likely than their urban and suburban counterparts to have health insurance and more likely to be in fair or poor health. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly half of all adults in rural America are living with at least one chronic condition. Other research has found that in these areas, where hospitals and primary-care providers are in short supply, rates of arthritis, hypertension, heart ailments, diabetes and major depression are higher than in urban areas."

Corbett's reporting is centered on RAM's visit to the Wise County Fairgrounds in southwest Virginia last July. "The problem, says RAM’s founder, Stan Brock, is always in the numbers, with the patients’ needs far outstripping what his team can supply. In Wise County, when the sun rose and the fairground gates opened at 5:30 on Friday morning, more than 800 people already were waiting in line." (Read more) For a slide show of the photos, by Larry Towell of Magnum, click here.

Drama! Hyperbole! Accusations! Hugs (almost)! That's the Farm Bill, stuck in the Senate

In his "Notes from Washington" column today, James R. Carroll of The Courier-Journal steps back and takes a longer look at last week's Farm Bill machinations: "In the end, everybody says, there will be a farm bill. But getting there? Drama! Hyperbole! Accusations! Hugs (almost)! Smiles! Anger! Frowns! Threats! And that was just last week.

"The Farm Bill authorizes various agriculture, nutrition, conservation and bioenergy programs for another five years. As you might imagine, that kind of legislation draws amendments like manure draws flies. (Not that the legislation necessarily is manure -- we're just trying to use a farm analogy here).

"GOP senators, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, think the Democratic majority is trying to unfairly restrict the number of Republican amendments to the bill, while the Democrats say the Republicans are trying to hold up or even kill the bill. Complicating things: The Bush administration threatened to veto the measure."

McConnell and Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., seemed to reach common ground on a way to handle amendments, prompting Reid to say he felt like hugging McConnell. "They didn't actually hug, which probably was a good thing since both sides were as mad as wet hens later in the week," Carroll writes. (Read more)

Labor Department says its coal-mine safety unit failed to fully inspect one-seventh of mines

The U.S. Mine Safety Administration failed to conduct required inspections at more than one in seven coal mines last year, according to a Labor Department report released Friday night. The problem was worst in southern West Virginia, and the agency had "significant inspection and supervisory deficiencies" at the Utah mine where six miners and three rescuers died in August, said the report from the department's inspector general.

"The report depicted an agency that failed to devote enough resources to inspections at a time of increasing mining activity," writes Steven Greenhouse in The New York Times. The report said MSHA “did not place adequate emphasis on ensuring the inspections were completed.”

In southern West Virginia, 85 of 165 mines did not have one or more required inspections, and "The report noted 51 occasions in southern West Virginia on which inspections were started and then canceled, but nonetheless counted as complete," Greenhouse writes. "The report cited an additional 22 incidents in which inspectors visited inactive mines and counted their visits as completed inspections."

MSHA disputed some of the inspector general's numerical analyses and said it was unable to complete all the required inspections because it had to assign many employees to investigate disasters at the Sago Mine in West Virginia and the Darby Mine in Kentucky, and other accidents. (Read more)

Writer says Robertson should note harm done by Giuliani clients: OxyContin makers

Columnist Don McNay writes in The Richmond (Ky.) Register and other newspapers that he was surprised at televangelist Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for president, but not because "Rudolph's multiple marriage lifestyle does not jibe with Robertson's philosophies. I was stunned at the endorsement because Rudolph Giuliani was the lawyer who kept the makers of Oxycontin out of jail." For a Washington Post report on Giuliani's legal work for Purdue Pharma, click here.

McNay continues, "I am willing to bet that Pat Robertson has never even heard of Oxycontin and doesn't know about Giuliani's involvement. The mainstream media spend a lot of time talking about Rudolph's multiple marriages, and his friend who got indicted. They've ignored how Giuliani made his living. Helping a company that sold addictive drugs is worse than being married a few times. Each issue is a reflection of a person's character but Rudolph's divorces and affairs only hurt him and his immediate family. Oxycontin has hurt thousands of families. . . .

"Giuliani's post-mayoral career has gotten scant attention and the horrors of Oxycontin has been felt primarily in rural states, like Kentucky. Rudolph may march to the presidency, with Pat Robertson by his side, winning urban states and never having to atone for his part in the Oxycontin story. If Rev. Robertson wants to have an impact on society, he could come to Kentucky. He could visit and see the wasted lives, the wrecked families and the absolute pain that the Oxycontin has caused." (Read more)

Kentucky weekly editor-publisher dies; stores close

Stores in Dawson Springs, Ky., closed for the funeral Friday of our friend Jed Dillingham, who was the editor and co-publisher of the weekly Dawson Springs Progress, circulation 2,250. He died last Monday at 57.

"Dillingham was a longtime pillar of Dawson Springs, a community mourning the loss of a good friend," reported The Messenger of Madisonville, the daily paper in the same county. He had been editor of the family-owned weekly since January 1980 and co-publisher with his brother, Scott, since October 1980. He graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1974 and did graduate work at Ball State University in Indiana.

Dillingham has been treasurer of the West Kentucky Press Association for 15 years and a director of the Kentucky Press Association for 22 years, holding one of the geographic seats ever since the board created it. He said in a director profile that he belonged to no civic clubs or organizations because “I agree with Groucho when he said he’d never be a member of a club that would have him as a member.” KPA Executive Director David Thompson told the Messenger, “He always had a good attitude and didn’t hesitate to state his opinion. But he was never overbearing about it.”

That's exactly how we remember Jed, going back to our days together at Western, and we will miss him. We're glad he was able to publish in his last paper that Democrat Steve Beshear, a native of Dawson Springs, had been elected governor of Kentucky.

Wal-Mart's new health plan means more coverage for employees, better image for retailer

For the past few years, critics have blasted Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for the health care coverage it offers employees. Recently, the company has responded with improvements, reports The New York Times.

While Wal-Mart still insures fewer than half of its 1.4 million employees, the new plan gives insurance to 100,000 employees more than were covered three years ago, report Michael Barbaro and Reed Abelson. It "is now easier for many to sign up for health care at Wal-Mart than at its rival, Target, whose reputation glows in comparison," they write. Wal-Mart employee Katrina Wagner (in a Times photo by Brandi Simons) had declined the retailer's plan last year and just passed on doctor's visits, but she enrolled in the new plan this year.

"In one sign of its success so far, the company has pushed down the price of 2,400 generic prescription drugs to $4 a month for employees, starting next year, a program that it offers, in more limited form, to its customers," Barbaro and Abelson write. "Now, the chain is even considering weight-loss clinics in its 4,000 stores and is toying with the idea of selling health insurance, hoping to finally bring coverage within reach of most Americans."

The changes come after years of public pressure from advocacy groups as well as state legislators. Several states considered bills to force Wal-Mart to expand coverage for its employees, but none of those are in effect now. (Read more)

'Marlboro Marine' cooperated with L.A. Times photographer, but not with his hometown paper

Marine Lance Cpl. James Blake Miller was back on the front page of the Los Angeles Times this week, almost exactly three years after this photograph made him famous as the “Marlboro Marine” of Fallujah, Iraq. In a lengthy two-part series, the photographer who took that photo, Luis Sinco, described what has happened to Miller since then, from his discharge with post-traumatic stress disorder to his struggles back home in Eastern Kentucky –- including one with his local newspaper, a confrontation in which Sinco was involved.

Handling the attention was never easy for Miller, especially when it came from the Appalachian News-Express in his home Pike County, Sinco explained. An article that ran in the Pikeville daily last year, about Miller’s impending divorce, almost proved too much for him to take, and it prompted Sinco to help Miller seek treatment. That episode is recounted briefly in Sinco’s work, but there’s more to the story. To read it, in a report by Tim Wiseman of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, click here.

Katrina, Rita caused huge forestry disaster, adding to greenhouse gases and inviting exotic species

"New satellite imaging has revealed that hurricanes Katrina and Rita produced the largest single forestry disaster on record in the nation -- an essentially unreported ecological catastrophe that killed or severely damaged about 320 million trees in Mississippi and Louisiana," writes Marc Kaufman of The Washington Post, reporting on a study published today in the journal Science, primarily by researchers at Tulane University in New Orleans.

"The die-off, caused initially by wind and later by weeks-long pooling of stagnant water, was so massive that researchers say it will add significantly to the global greenhouse gas buildup -- ultimately putting as much carbon from dying vegetation into the air as the rest of the nation's forest takes out in a year of photosynthesis," Kaufman writes.

"The downing of so many trees has opened vast and sometimes fragile tracts to several aggressive and fast-growing exotic species that are already squeezing out far more environmentally productive native species. Efforts to limit the damage have been handicapped by the ineffectiveness of a $504 million federal program to help Gulf Coast landowners replant and fight the invasive species."

James Cummins, executive director of Wildlife Mississippi and a board member of the Mississippi Forestry Commission, told Kaufman, "This is the worst environmental disaster in the United States since the Exxon Valdez accident . . . and the greatest forest destruction in modern times." (Read more) For a Los Angeles Times story on the study, by Thomas H. Maugh II and Karen Kaplan, click here.

Democratic attempt to limit Farm Bill debate fails

Unable to reach a compromise with Republicans on amendments for the Farm Bill, Senate Democrats tried today to curtail debate. Sixty votes are needed, and the vote was 55-42. Republicans voting for cloture were Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Gordon Smith of Oregon, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, and John Thune of South Dakota. "Independent Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also voted with the Democrats," noted the Iowa Independent, which also noted the absence of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Even if Democrats had won the vote, "Senate rules would still permit up to 30 hours of debate and senators could not finish work on the bill until after the two-week recess," Philip Brasher of the Des Moines Register's Washington Bureau noted this morning. (Read more)

The vote came after nine days of gridlock on the bill. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said before the vote that without cloture, the Senate would be forced to extend the 2002 Farm Bill, reports Agriculture Online. "When asked how long that extension would be, one year or two, he said, 'If we can't get a farm bill through the Senate that came out of the committee without a dissenting vote, what's the point of doing it next year with the same Senate?' " writes Dan Looker.

Meanwhile, in the House, Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced legislation to extend the 2002 Farm Bill until September of next year, reports Looker. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told Looker such an extension is necessary to keep farm programs reverting to 1938 and 1949 laws. The current Farm Bill was passed in 2002 after a year's delay. (Read more)

Reporter for small Wyoming daily wins Science Journalism Award for papers under 100,000 circ.

Jennifer Frazer's stories for the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle of Cheyenne on mysterious deaths of elk in 2004 won this year's Science Journalism Award among small newspapers from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “It had the allure of a detective story and an unlikely culprit: a small green lichen that most people wouldn’t notice even if they walked right over it,” Frazer said. Here's more, including judges' comments, from the AAAS release:

Frazer described the steps by which researchers determined that a poisonous lichen was the likely cause. In a two-part series, Frazer also described efforts to save the remaining elk and help the species recover. Calling her series an example of “superb local science writing,” Robert Lee Hotz of The Wall Street Journal said Frazer “opens a window into the mysteries of field epidemiology, turning a story of doomed elk into a page-turner of a lethal botany and the consequences of ecology.” Guy Gugliotta, a freelance science writer formerly with The Washington Post, said the series was a “compelling narrative detective story that shows how science can be put at the service of a community and why it matters.”

The locally owned Tribune-Eagle has a daily circulation of 15,681, according to Editor & Publisher. It circulates in southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska, and has a Sunday edition which claims a circulation of 18,500. It says it is part of the Wyoming Newspaper Group, "an affiliation of newspapers with joint ownerships and interests, along with the Laramie Daily Boomerang, the Rawlins Daily Times, the Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner and the Northern Wyoming Daily News in Worland." For more background on the paper, click here.

FCC starts program for broadband health networks

The Federal Communications Commission has announced a $400 million pilot program to deploy broadband health networks for rural health care in 42 states and three U.S. territories.

At a Chicago meeting of the American Health Information Community, held in conjunction with the American Medical Informatics Association's annual conference, Martin called the program "a major step toward the goal of connecting healthcare facilities across the nation with one another through broadband telehealth networks."

Martin "estimated that, over the three-year life of the program, it would ultimately enable connections with about 6,000 health-care providers," reports Fred Bazzoli of Health Care IT News. "The FCC last year launched a pilot program to provide funding for as much as 85 percent of an applicant's cost of deploying a dedicated broadband network to connect healthcare providers in rural and urban areas within a state or region."

UPDATE, Nov. 20: Kim Hart of The Washington Post reports on the first round of grants.

Television mini-series chronicles rural Watersmeet, Mich., and its Nimrods

Watersmeet, Mich., fits every definition of rural. It has a population of fewer than 1,500, and it sits among the streams and lakes of the state's Upper Peninsula. The tiny town and its high school basketball team, the Nimrods, will be in the spotlight when the eight-part miniseries "Nimrod Nation" debuts Nov. 26 on the Sundance Channel. The film was screened this week in Madison, Wis., reports the Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe. Members of the basketball and cheerleading squad as well as the film's director, Brett Morgen, were on hand, reports Jason Juno.

The Watersmeet Township School — which has less than 100 students — had been featured in a 2004 ESPN commercial that said, ''Without sports, who would cheer for the Nimrods?'' Those ads brought national attention to the school and its basketball, and they sparked sales of about $80,000 worth of Nimrod gear, reported The New York Times in 2004. The ads also brought Morgen to the town to film the 2005-06 basketball season.

"More a portrait of a small American town than a conventional sports documentary, 'Nimrod Nation' sympathetically observes life and conversation in the local coffee shops, hunting lodges and locker rooms as the long, cold basketball season unfolds," according to the Sundance Channel Web site.

A clip from the mini-series can be viewed here.

Denver Post investigation finds most felonies on Indian reservations go unpunished

When felonies occur on Indian reservations, only federal prosecutors, often hundreds of miles from the reservations in which they have jurisdiction, can bring the cases to court. In 65 percent of cases, they decline to prosecute, reports Michael Riley of The Denver Post. That leaves tribal prosecutors such as Vernon Roanhorse of a New Mexico Navajo reservation (at left in a Post photo by RJ Sangosti) powerless to handle anything except misdemeanors.

"Already some of the most violent and impoverished places in America, facing a steep rise in meth-fueled crime, the country's Indian reservations are also plagued by a systematic breakdown in the delivery of justice, a six-month investigation by The Denver Post found," Riley writes. "U.S. attorneys and FBI investigators face huge challenges fighting crime on reservations: They are viewed as outsiders who shouldn't be trusted; locations are remote; the high levels of alcohol use among victims, suspects and witnesses that accompany many serious crimes can also make them very difficult to prove, several U.S. attorneys said."

Added to those problems is the lack of professional tribal investigators. As a result, botched crime scenes or weak evidence doom cases from the start. In this report, Riley points to several rape cases that have not been prosecuted by federal attorneys. In some of those cases, tribal lawyers have brought misdemeanor charges but the punishments are weak. (Read more)

In the final article of the series, "Path to justice unclear," Riley explores two possible solutions: "Either pour in significant new federal resources to better fight reservation crime or rewrite federal Indian law to give tribes more authority to do the job themselves -- allowing them to prosecute felony crime, for one; giving them jurisdiction over non-Indians, for another."