Illinois publisher closes newspapers in five states, leaving some towns as 'news deserts'

The Brookings Register was the area's last local news source. 

Update: "Recently shuttered newspapers across Wyoming and South Dakota are set to publish again, after buyers stepped up within days to prevent the rural communities from becoming 'news deserts,' where little or no local media remains," reports Sarah Raza of The Associated Press. 

As of last week, 31 communities in the Midwest and the West no longer have a newspaper. "News Media Corp., which owns local newspapers across five states, said it will close 14 operations in Wyoming, seven in Illinois, five in Arizona, four in South Dakota and one in Nebraska," report Sarah Raza and Jack Dura of The Associated Press.

While newspapers have closed all around the United States, when a rural area loses its only local news source, the void is unlikely to be replaced by another paper or online publication. "The U.S. has lost over one-third of its print newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists since 2004," Raza and Dura explain. "NMC’s closure affects longtime newspapers that were often the primary source of news in numerous small towns, worsening the problem of news deserts in rural areas."

The company's CEO, J.J. Tompkins, listed the current financial woes of the news industry alongside a failed bid to sell the company as the reason for the sudden closures. "Hundreds of employees were terminated immediately, and Tompkins wrote that the company will make 'reasonable efforts to pay you all remaining compensation you have earned,'" Raza and Dura write. Even upper management at many of the papers told AP they did not see the closure coming.

The Brookings Register in South Dakota was the town's last news source. The town's mayor said "the closure of his town’s newspaper 'absolutely' leaves a big hole in the community," AP reports. "He liked the newspaper’s commentary for fostering conversations. The reporters did a great job telling readers what was going on in Brookings, a city of about 25,000 people." 

Boar's Head plant in tiny Jarratt, Va., will reopen soon, but the company's poor sanitation record remains a concern

Boar's Head positions itself as an upscale
company, but state inspections show many problems.

Boar's Head deli meat indefinitely closed its Jarratt, Virginia, plant last September after 10 people died and dozens were hospitalized after eating listeria-tainted liverwurst from the facility. The plant, which was the major employer in the small town of 600 residents, is now slated for reopening. But a closer look at other Boar's Head facilities reveals a troubling pattern.

Jonel Aleccia of The Associated Press reports, "Boar's Head plants in Arkansas, Indiana and elsewhere in Virginia have been flagged for the same kinds of sanitation problems that led to the outbreak, with the most recent report in June."

Inspections since the beginning of 2025 report problems with "meat and fat residue left on equipment and walls, drains blocked with meat products, beaded condensation on ceilings and floors, overflowing trash cans, and staff who didn’t wear protective hairnets and plastic aprons — or wash their hands," Aleccia reports. Similar conditions were repeatedly reported at the Jarratt plant prior to the nationwide listeria outbreak.

Recent inspection findings from Boar’s Head sites in Forrest City, Arkansas, New Castle, Indiana, and Petersburg, Virginia, "surprised outside food safety advocates who said that factory conditions should have improved," Aleccia explains. Instead, the reports "raise new questions about the company’s promises to address systemic problems."

Barbara Kowalcyk, who directs a food safety and nutrition security center at George Washington University, told Aleccia, "What jumped out to me is there is an organizational culture issue that needs to be changed. . . .Usually that culture has to start at the top.” 

Company officials refused to talk to the AP about the recent inspections, Aleccia reported.

Meanwhile, the USDA has lifted its forced suspension of the Jarratt facility, and the company is hiring for positions at the plant.

Emergency departments in some rural areas don't have 24/7 on-site physician coverage

A hospital in Ekalaka, Mont., sits at the intersection of two dirt roads. 
(Photo by Arielle Zionts, KFF Health News) 

Many rural emergency rooms are no longer run by attending physicians, but instead depend on care by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. "A recent study found that in 2022, at least 7.4% of emergency departments across the U.S. did not have an attending physician on-site 24/7," reports Arielle Zionts for KFF Health News. "More than 90% were in low-volume or critical access hospitals — a federal designation for small, rural hospitals."

The 2022 report represents "82% of hospitals that responded to a survey sent to all emergency departments in the country, except those operated by the federal government," Zionts writes. "The study is the first of its kind, so there isn’t proof that such staffing arrangements are increasing, said Carlos Camargo, the lead author and a professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School."

The idea of an emergency department without a doctor on staff remains controversial, and not all states allow it. "Some doctors and their professional associations say physicians’ extensive training leads to better care, and that some hospitals are just trying to save money by not employing them," Zionts explains. Indiana, Virginia, and South Carolina have passed laws that require all their EDs to have a 24/7 physician on-site.

Even when states require their EDs to staff a round-the-clock doctor, that doesn't make finding one easy. "In the Dakotas, more than half of emergency departments were running without 24/7 attending physician staffing," Zionts reports. In response to the regional shortage, Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health launched an emergency medicine residency to help increase its ED physician numbers.

Some rural health advocates say lawmakers need to be sure that employing full-time ED physicians 24/7 is feasible for their region before passing legislation that requires it. Zionts adds, "Camargo said some doctors say that if lawmakers are going to require 24/7 on-site physician coverage in ERs, they need to pay to help hospitals implement it."

Measles made its way back into the U.S., but new ways to prevent the disease may be on the horizon.

Illustration of infectious diseases under a microscope
(Adobe Stock)

Once thought to be eliminated in the U.S., measles has returned, leaving its unpleasant symptoms and tell-tale itchy rash in its wake. With more people contracting and spreading the disease, ways to avoid or treat it have revived. "As vaccination rates fall and infections rise, scientists are racing to develop drugs they say could prevent or treat the disease in vulnerable and unvaccinated people," reports Dominique Mosbergen of The Wall Street Journal.

A little over 20 years ago, looking for ways to treat measles wasn't a consideration, but now some biotech companies and universities are working on measles prevention without the typical MMR vaccination. Mosbergen writes, "The drugs are still a ways from becoming available to patients but could offer alternatives to people who are immunocompromised, don’t respond to the measles vaccine or are vaccine skeptics."

Not all medical professionals see new measles treatments as a positive development because they could "further drive the drop in vaccination. Nationally, 92.5% of kindergartners received the measles, mumps and rubella . . . shot in the 2024-25 school year," the Journal reports. "In 2019-20, the vaccination rate was over 95%, which is the rate encouraged by health authorities to prevent community transmission of measles."

Invivyd, one of the companies working on a new measles treatment, uses measles "antibodies that are lab-made versions that can be delivered intravenously or as an injection and boost immunity immediately," Mosbergen explains. "They could benefit newborns and immunocompromised people who can’t be vaccinated, as well as the minority of people who don’t respond to the vaccine or whose immunity has waned."

Scientists haven't studied the measles virus as much as other communicable diseases because the vaccine was so effective, but to develop new treatments, researchers have "been forced to better understand measles," Mosbergen reports. "The body’s immune response to measles, for instance, hadn’t been well understood."

'On the Front Porch' discussions return on Aug. 21. Pipa and Orrell begin with big change in northern Appalachia.

Tony Pipa (left) and Brent Orrell return on Aug. 21

After a summer of traveling to rural destinations, Tony Pipa from Reimagine Rural and Brent Orrell of the American Enterprise Institute are back 'on the front porch,' discussing the trials, successes and ongoing challenges of rural communities across the United States.

The new season dives in with Pennsylvania activist and author Tataboline Enos, who discusses her latest book, “Proudly Made: A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds.”

Set in northern Appalachia, Enos' memoir recounts the story of a region rich in public lands that was struggling to survive decades of depopulation and business decline. Through hard work, planning and collaboration, the community forged a new and brighter path forward by harnessing the spirit of the land and the people.

Enos will share details of how this community created change.

The group will share a blueprint for other rural communities looking to leverage outdoor recreation opportunities for economic development. Virtual participants can submit questions before the event via email to events@brookings.edu

Register here for the online event on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 3 p.m. E.T.

For more rural inspiration, Pipa's Reimagine Rural podcast returns for its third season beginning on Aug. 19. The podcast's first two stops are in western North Carolina, where residents and businesses are navigating post-Hurricane Helene recovery.

Season 3, Episode 1 focuses on a community working to restore outdoor recreation in Old Fort, N.C. Episode 2 explores how Canton, N.C., is maintaining its identity and resilience after multiple disasters.

New Reimagine Rural podcast episodes are released every three weeks throughout the fall and can be accessed on platforms such as Spotify and Apple.

Child sex trafficking and abuse ring uncovered in Bibb County, Ala., leaves community stunned

Bibb County, Ala.
(Wikipedia map)

 

After their county sheriff, Jody Wade, announced his office had uncovered an alleged child sex trafficking ring that included at least 10 children ages 3 to 15 years old, residents of Bibb County, Alabama, were at a loss for what to think or do, so they met at a small Presbyterian church and prayed.

"There were Baptists and Methodists and some who claimed no denomination at all, heads bowed and eyes closed in a rare show of interfaith unity amid criminal allegations considered so evil that some openly wondered if Satan himself had taken up residence here," reports Holly Bailey of The Washington Post.

“We can’t assume that just because we’re in small towns that everything operates like it did in the days of ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’” Robert Turner Jr., the district attorney for Alabama’s 4th Judicial Circuit, which includes Bibb County, told WAKA-TV.

The closely-knit rural county was shocked to hear a child sex trafficking ring 
was operating on the outskirts of town. (Ala. Conservation photo)

At the center of the finding was an isolated, underground storm shelter on the "dusty outskirts of Brent, an adjacent town of about 3,000 people located an hour south of Birmingham," Bailey explains. For at least the last three years, children were taken into the bunker and "allegedly drugged and abused in an operation that included sex trafficking [and] torture."

After the bunker was discovered and one of the defendants agreed to cooperate, "seven people were arrested and charged with a laundry list of crimes, including numerous charges of rape, sexual abuse, trafficking and kidnapping," Bailey reports. "The defendants include the parents of at least four victims."

Wade warned the community that the initial "revelations are probably only 'scratching the surface,' with additional victims and more arrests expected," Bailey writes. He told her, “I know God’s forgiveness is boundless, but if there was a limit to it, I think we reached it.

West Virginia is among the first states to ban some synthetic food dyes from school lunches

Many dyes from nature can replace artificial colors.
(Adobe Stock photo)

West Virginia schools took certain food dyes off the school lunch menu starting on Aug. 1. "West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a sweeping new law in March banning seven artificial dyes from school meals," reports Jonel Aleccia of The Associated Press. "Other states have enacted similar laws that would strip artificial dyes from school meals, but West Virginia’s action is the first to take effect."

The brief timeline between March and August sent state and school nutrition directors on a crunch time search to root out any school menu items that "contained any trace of petroleum-based synthetic dyes, including Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3," Aleccia explains. Once those items were removed, directors began working out substitution options that kids would still eat.

Health advocates have pushed to get synthetic dyes out of U.S. food for years, "citing mixed evidence of potential harm," Aleccia reports. "West Virginia’s ban on synthetic dyes was cheered by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has successfully pressured food makers to agree to remove artificial colors from their products."

Still, banning certain dyes won't suddenly make Americans healthier. "Nutrition experts agree that removing artificial colors from foods doesn’t address the main drivers of America’s chronic health problems," Aleccia writes. "Those stem largely from ingredients such as added sugars, sodium and saturated fat."

Nationally, the push against synthetic dyes is more of a baby step toward better nutrition. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary "has joined Kennedy in the push to get artificial dyes out of food, despite limited proof of health effects," Aleccia reports. In a recent podcast, Makary called the removal of petroleum-based food dyes "steps in the right direction.”

Just because Jell-O fruit cups and older versions of  Cool Ranch Doritos won't be served, doesn't mean school lunches will all turn beige. "Some suppliers had already removed artificial dyes from some school foods, swapping them for products colored with beet juice or turmeric." 

Opinion: Federal policies targeting farming workforce and income need to be addressed before a bailout is needed

New federal policies seem to take aim at farming
incomes. (Photo by Richard Bell, Unsplash)

U.S. farmers face a rocky future as federal policies cut into sector labor and profitability. "Agriculture stands out as acutely vulnerable to President Donald Trump’s avalanche of tariffs, mass deportations and potential new regulations," writes The Washington Post editorial board. "Farmers don’t need a bailout. They need relief from overregulation and excessive immigration enforcement."

Soybean and corn farmers are "panicking about Trump’s trade wars, which expose them to retaliation from China, Canada and Mexico, their most important export markets," the board writes. Ranchers and produce growers have stood by and watched as "agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended en masse across fields to detain and deport agricultural workers."

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suggested that Medicaid recipients, who will soon need to meet program work requirements, could replace the migrant workers ICE deported. Her comments "landed like an insult in farming communities," the board adds. 

Dave Puglia, president of Western Growers, a lobby group for produce growers in the West, told the Post, “The men and women who harvest our crops are highly skilled. To anybody who believes they can pick and pack in the field, go try it.”

The current administration’s solution for farmer woes is to send subsidy payments, but those will only help certain types of farms. "Trump’s tax bill included $66 billion in new spending for farm programs," the board writes. "While the generous income support programs may keep many farmers from switching political allegiances, the hit from the Trump administration’s policies won’t be easy to fix."

Using agriculture as political fodder is "unusual in American politics," the board adds. "Yet to be seen are the full economic consequences of going after America’s food producers. . . .On priorities that come at the expense of farmers, it is likely to do some real damage to the food supply. The better approach is to avert the damage, rather than wait to bail out farmers once they grow desperate."

Alpha-gal syndrome, also called the 'red meat allergy,' is spreading. Lone star and black-legged ticks are to blame.

Cases of suspected alpha-gal syndrome based on confirmed laboratory evidence. (CDC map via The Conversation)

Despite being unable to jump or fly, ticks are surprisingly good at hiding in vegetation and attaching to people as they walk or hike past. When a tick attaches to a person's flesh and begins to suck blood, the tick injects its saliva -- and anything it contains -- into the person's body. Certain ticks expel alpha-gal sugar molecules into their host's body, which can, months later, leave the person allergic to specific proteins.

"This delayed allergic reaction is called alpha-gal syndrome. While it’s commonly called the 'red meat allergy,' that nickname is misleading, because alpha-gal syndrome can cause strong reactions to many products, beyond just red meat," writes entomologist Lee Rafuse Haines for The Conversation. Dairy products, gelatin and even some prescription medications can trigger a response.

Alpha-gal syndrome isn't a disease; it's a reaction to the "alpha-gal sugar molecule [that] exists in the tissues of most mammals, including cows, pigs, deer and rabbits. But it’s absent in humans," Haines explains. "When a big dose of alpha-gal gets into your bloodstream through a tick bite, it can send your immune system into overdrive to generate antibodies against alpha-gal. In later exposure to foods containing alpha-gal, your immune system might then launch an inappropriate allergic response."

Once a person is exposed to the alpha-gal sugar protein through a tick bite, it can take months for an allergic reaction to occur. Syndrome symptoms can "range from hives or swelling to crushing abdominal pain, violent nausea or even life-threatening anaphylactic shock," Haines adds.

Alpha-gal syndrome is commonly blamed on the lone star tick bites, but other ticks can spread it as well. In North America, tick bites from the lone star tick and the black-legged tick, also called a deer tick, can cause alpha-gal syndrome. Scientists are also looking at other species of ticks found in the U.S. as possible culprits.

Even as alpha-gal syndrome spreads in the U.S., not all medical professionals have experience with it. Haines writes, "A study in 2022 found that 42% of U.S. health care practitioners had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome." 

News watchdogs report more 'pink slime' media sites, which can confuse readers and erode trust in local news

Pink slime can confuse and misinform readers.
(Graphic by Bill Miller, GBH Creative)

With its cluttered headlines and oodles of lower gas price offers, the North Boston News online website does its best to mimic a legitimate news organization. A deeper read of the site reveals articles written by nameless "staff" and stories credited to journalists who can't be found on the internet.

"North Boston News is one of a growing number of what journalist watchdogs are calling 'pink slime' journalism," report Phillip Martin and Nicole Dauphinee of GBH News, a PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts. These websites masquerade as local news websites, but their creators and funding stem from "partisan groups or hostile governments, largely with the help of automated services."

Most "pink slime" sites have titles that connect with the region they allegedly represent. "In Massachusetts, such sites include websites with names like the Bean Town Times, the Cape Cod Ledger and the Springfield Record," GBH reports.

In 2024, NewsGuard, a New York-based company that verifies information online, identified 1,265 'pink slime' outlets in the country. By comparison, there are only about 1,200 daily newspapers operating in the U.S.

A company called Metric Media owns North Boston News, along with "58 other websites that claim to provide community news across New England," Martin and Dauphinee explain. "The company says on its homepage that it has more than 1,300 sites across the nation, with an aim of giving 'every citizen a voice in their community.'"

But Metric Media doesn't seem to have any people for citizens to contact. GBH reports, "Nobody replied to GBH News’ emails requesting comment sent to the addresses listed on several of the 14 sites covering news in Massachusetts, including the North Boston News."

A quick look at the North Boston News doesn't tell a reader much about the area, but it does have repeated stories and jumbled jargon paired with political-looking photos. North Boston News and other sites like it can confuse people about what trustworthy, local news looks and reads like, which can erode overall trust in any media source.

Some organizations, like Newsguard, "are making efforts to better educate people about which webpages can be trusted. The information watchdog offers an online tool that helps readers determine the credibility of certain sites," GBH reports. "The app displays website trust ratings and scores next to links on search results and social media feed pages."

New tax law marks $60 billion for farm subsidies, but little of it is expected to reach smaller farming operations

New farm subsidy money won't reach many smaller
farmers. (Adobe Stock photo)

While the new tax bill sets aside $60 billion in farm subsidies, how the money is divided is just as crucial for farmers who need assistance. Some experts worry that uneven subsidy distribution "could worsen disparities between farms in an industry already struggling with consolidation," reports Linda Qiu of The New York Times. Who gets what depends on what crops are grown. "Large farms, particularly those in the South, [are] poised to reap the most benefits."

In Gaines County, Texas, 600 farms are set to receive "an additional $258 million in government payments over the next decade," Qiu writes. "Along the coast of California, 1,000 farms in Monterey County will collectively receive just $390,000 in additional payments, according to one analysis."

Smaller farms are unlikely to get the help they need to fend off harm from volatile markets and increasingly high input and labor costs. Qiu reports, "Owners of smaller farms and independent producers who grow fresh fruits and vegetables or raise livestock have expressed concern that the distribution of funding will only deepen the consolidation of an industry that has lost over 300,000 farms in the past two decades."

The largest chunk of subsidy funding "will go toward increasing payments to farmers enrolled in price and revenue support programs covering 22 commodity crops, or major crops like corn and soybeans," Qui adds. "Farmers of those crops, which are concentrated in the South, are expected to see the biggest benefits." For many of those farmers, the additional income will provide support in difficult times and prevent farm bankruptcies.

But for other farmers, the bill lends no such cushion, and many believe the subsidies are a handout for large agricultural operations. Qui reports, "The National Family Farm Coalition, which supports smaller farms, warned that the law was short-sighted, unnecessarily favoring large corporations."

Vincent H. Smith, an agricultural economist at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, told Qiu, "“The monies are not flowing to small- and medium-sized family farms. They’re flowing overwhelmingly to the largest producers.”

AI isn't coming for 'blue-collar' jobs. The skilled trades sector boasts 'high-tech, 21st-century, rewarding, well-paying jobs.'

Human work may change as AI enters
new markets. (Unsplash graphic)

Artificial intelligence may upend parts of the U.S. labor market, but "blue-collar" jobs are growing and expected to be less vulnerable to AI intrusion. "AI is supposed to displace millions of workers in the coming years — but when your toilet won't flush at 2 a.m., you're not going to call ChatGPT," reports Ben Berkowitz of Axios. "Companies are already boasting of saving hundreds of millions of dollars a year by using AI instead of humans."

AI might be able to regurgitate its "white-collar work" programming with razor-like precision, but putting on a new roof or installing electrical wiring won't be its domain. "The 40 most-vulnerable jobs (translators, historians, sales reps, etc.), basically all of them office work," Berkowitz writes. "The 40 least-vulnerable jobs (dredge operators, roofers, etc.), just about all of them manual labor."

Reinvigorating American labor and manufacturing has "become a key Trump administration economic talking point: Blue-collar wages are rising faster now than at the start of any other administration going back to Nixon," Berkowitz reports.

Even before the AI mega-data center expansions, there was a skilled trade worker shortage. "AI will, ironically, only make [the shortage] worse," Berkowitz explains. "Factories alone are short about 450,000 people a month, per the National Association of Manufacturers."

Jay Timmons, the CEO of NAM, told Berkowitz, "We're really talking about high-tech, 21st-century, rewarding, well-paying jobs. Manufacturers are really embracing what's coming, and they accept the responsibility."

Efforts to ramp up the number of American trade workers "will require a large-scale, national effort — not just for up-and-coming students, but for mid-career folks forced into a pivot," Berkowitz explains. "Everyone from politicians to CEOs recognizes just how badly they need tradespeople to keep the economy running." 

University extension services could help balance rural and urban priorities, but schools have been slow to expand

Expanding university extension services could help balance
rural and urban opportunities. (Photo via the Yonder)

When universities keep extension services limited to agricultural outreach, they miss opportunities to balance their educational mission to serve urban and rural populations equally.

An Ohio State University study completed in 2021 and repeated with roughly the same 400 respondents in 2025, asked respondents if universities should favor urban or rural residents. In 2021, 70% of respondents "answered that 'there should be no difference between how rural and urban communities are prioritized,'" reports Nick Fouriezos of The Daily Yonder. In 2025, 83% of participants said both populations should receive an equal focus.

"Nearly all of the respondents who wanted a balanced approach still held that stance four years later — meaning that most of the shift came from people who previously felt universities should favor one geographic region over the other," Fouriezo explains. Researchers believe the increase in respondents who support an equal division of university resources "underscores that universities aren’t structured to deliver the balance that the public wants."

Stephen Gavazzi, whose team conducted the survey, told Fouriezo, "It’s so easy to look at the university structure and realize: We’re not set up for that."

Extension services are the primary tool many universities use to reach rural populations. Fouriezo writes, "When extension programs only focus on agriculture, rural communities miss out on everything else the university offers — from business development to social work to engineering."

While some states have moved their extension offerings out of agricultural colleges, others are reluctant to make the change. Fouriezos explains, "Switching would require universities to admit their current structure doesn’t match their mission, or what the public expects from them."

When university administrations limit extensions to their agricultural college, they leave all their other colleges behind, which limits learning choices for rural residents. Fouriezos reports, "That narrow ag-centered focus doesn’t reflect the current diversity of rural towns and their communities, which have become important hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship."

U.S. consumers battle with ongoing high prices by foregoing splurges and focusing on money-saving strategies

Americans are worried about stubbornly high
grocery prices. (Adobe Stock photo)

Frustrated with continuously high food and staple pricing, many U.S. consumers are combating grocery store costs with money-saving tactics and spending reductions. "Consumer spending stagnated in the first half of this year, according to federal data issued last week, and the CEOs of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Kroger and Procter & Gamble, among others, are telling investors that their customers are more strapped — or appear to feel that way," report Katherine Hamilton and Natasha Khan of The Wall Street Journal. 

Eyeing an uncertain job market, ongoing inflation and anticipated tariffs, shoppers are opting to spend their dollars on "essentials and forego the extras," the Journal reports. "P&G, which sells daily-use items such as Tide, Charmin and Pantene, said it is noticing signs of slower spending across essential products, too."

Low-income and higher-income shoppers have pulled back on spending sprees to focus on making their budgets stretch further. "Americans are using up the goods in their pantry and seeking value by buying in bulk to economize or purchasing smaller packs to spend less," Hamilton and Khan explain. "At Kroger, shoppers are making more trips to the store but putting less in their carts. They are also clipping coupons again. . ."

The cost of living and worries over being able to afford it has become a common theme for many Americans. "A May poll of consumer sentiment conducted by consulting firm McKinsey found most people planned to adjust their spending in response to tariffs," Hamilton and Khan write. "Rising prices was the top concern of those surveyed, far outweighing issues such as immigration, international conflict and political polarization."

With used farm equipment in short supply, tractor thefts have become more common

Despite their size, farm tractor sometimes vanish without a trace.
(Graphic by Adam Dixon, Offrange)

A century ago, farmers had to worry about horse and cattle rustlers, but now, they need to look out for tractor thieves. "Used tractors are increasingly valuable and often left out in the open with their keys in the cab, ready to be stolen," reports Elissa Welle for Offrange. "In 2023, there were 1,221 reported thefts of special equipment, including tractors, each month."

New farming equipment is expensive, so many farmers seek out used equipment, which is in short supply. Over the past year alone, there has been "a 23% shrinkage of the inventory of used compact and utility tractors," Welle explains. "Mower, riding, or garden tractors were the top style of reported thefts in the category."

Despite their size, tractors are surprisingly easy to steal. Farmers often leave their keys in the tractor for easy startups or the next driver, with some older models even sharing the same manufacturer's key. "By grinding off the VIN, older tractors can simply disappear into the used farm equipment market," Welle reports. "Older models are often not equipped with GPS, leaving law enforcement little to go off."

Last year, farmers in California faced a rash of vanishing tractors, which ended when state law enforcement "broke up a farm equipment theft ring alleged to have stolen equipment totaling $2.25 million," Welle writes. 

Once a tractor is gone, it's hard to recover. "Only half of the value of the stolen equipment — $1.3 million — in California was recovered in the recent bust," Welle reports. 

Despite the increase in farming equipment theft in some areas, farmers don't like to talk about it. Farmer Steve Hess, who had three pieces of equipment stolen, "believes that his tractors didn’t go far. . . But despite his lived experience, talking about a stolen tractor is taboo in the farming community, Hess said, likening it to divorce," Welle explains. "He’s silenced many bustling farmer meetings with the announcement that his tractors got stolen."

Mega merger would create first coast-to-coast rail company in U.S.; farming and manufacturing sectors voice concerns

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads signed an 
agreement to merge. (Photo by Tyler Silvest, DTN CC)

Union Pacific has announced plans to merge with its smaller rival, Norfolk Southern. The $85 billion merger would create the nation's first transcontinental railroad while giving Union Pacific the power "to reshape the movement of goods from grains to autos across the country," report Sabrina Valle, Shivansh Tiwary and David French for Reuters. "If approved, the deal would be the largest ever buyout in the sector."

The mega deal, which would connect 50,000 miles of track across 43 states, "will face lengthy regulatory scrutiny amid union concerns over potential rate increases, service disruptions and job losses," Reuters reports. "The 1996 merger of Union Pacific and Southern Pacific had temporarily led to severe congestion and delays across the Southwest."

Particularly at harvest time, railroad changes, costs, delays and timing can directly impact farming incomes. The National Grain and Feed Association said in a news release "that it will undertake an extensive evaluation of the proposed merger to better understand its implications for our industry," reports Mary Kennedy for Progressive Farmer.

The American Chemistry Council weighed in and cautioned against further rail mergers. ACC leadership told Kennedy, "The impact of a transcontinental merger between two of these railroads threatens to leave American manufacturers, farmers and energy producers with even fewer competitive options to ship by rail. . . . Many rail customers are currently dealing with high rates and unreliable service. Further consolidation within the rail industry is likely to make these problems worse."

The proposed merger "reflects a shift in antitrust enforcement under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration," Reuters reports. "Executive orders aimed at removing barriers to consolidation have opened the door to mergers that were previously considered unlikely. . . .The Union Pacific merger would give the company a 43% market share, dominating most categories of commodities."

After an immigration raid takes more than half of its labor force, a meatpacking company looks at ways to begin again

Immigration agents raided Glenn Valley Foods on June 10.
(ICE photo via Nebraska Examiner)

After Immigration and Customs agents arrested roughly half its labor force, meatpacking company Glenn Valley Foods in Nebraska is looking for ways to start over. 

The company had religiously used the federal system, E-Verify, to cross-check employees' eligibility to work in the U.S., but federal agents still arrested 76 workers "who they said were undocumented immigrants using false identification," reports Eli Saslow of The New York Times.

Before the raid, Glenn Valley Foods was expanding with "new hires, new manufacturing lines, and new sales records [as] one of the fastest-growing meatpacking companies in the Midwest," Saslow writes. "But, in a matter of weeks, production had plummeted by almost 70%. Most of the workforce was gone." 

Now, the company is piecing together a new workforce with a new human resource manager, Alfredo Moreno, who believes "the only way to truly prevent fraud is to scrutinize IDs with black lights and magnifying glasses to make sure they aren't fake, and then interview each potential employee in person," Saslow reports. "The government maintained that Glenn Valley employees had been using IDs that were stolen." 

The raid cost Glenn Valley days of business, but slowly, a barebones crew formed, and some lines restarted. Meanwhile, Moreno and his tiny HR staff are still using E-Verify along with their additional verification measures to try to hire as quickly as possible. Still, almost none of their applicants are U.S. citizens.

Since the raid, the company's owner, Gary Rohwer, has "received phone calls from strangers who accused him of 'stealing American jobs,'" Saslow writes. "But Nebraska [has] a work shortage, with only 66 qualified workers for every 100 positions. . . . 'There are some jobs Americans don’t want to do,' Rohwer tried explaining to one caller. 'We’re caught up in a broken system.'"

Given the new federal budget cuts, more affordable medical care for many Americans seems unlikely

Many Americans will pay more for health care in
the coming months. (Adobe Stock image)

Americans who hoped to see their medical costs decrease during the next four years are likely to be disappointed, as federal-level decisions aimed at cutting or reducing benefits take effect and other expenses are passed off to states and the public.

"Millions of people are expected to lose health insurance in the coming years as a result of the tax cut legislation, leaving them with fewer protections from large bills if they get sick or suffer an accident," reports Noam N. Levey of KFF Health News.

President Donald Trump "promised a rosier future while campaigning last year, pledging to 'make America affordable again' and 'expand access to new Affordable Healthcare,'" Levey writes. "Polls suggest voters were looking for relief."

People who purchase health insurance on state marketplaces can expect to see substantial increases over the next year, which may cause more people to drop coverage or opt for higher-deductible plans. Certain Medicaid enrollees may be required to cover copays up to $35.

For consumers who can’t pay their medical bills, there are fewer guardrails. Levey writes, "(In July), the Trump administration secured permission from a federal court to roll back regulations that would have removed medical debt from consumer credit reports."

Arika Sánchez, who oversees health care policy at the nonprofit New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, sees how negative credit report "dings" can hurt a family struggling to survive. She told Levey, "When families get stuck with medical debt, it hurts their credit scores, makes it harder to get a car, a home, or even a job. Medical debt wrecks people’s lives.”

Overall, medical debt is a national problem and not a partisan issue. "About 6 in 10 adults — Democrats and Republicans — say they are worried about being able to afford health care, according to one recent survey," Levey explains. 

When temperatures sizzle, outdoor laborers often continue to work; a new OSHA rule could help keep them safe

To help outdoor workers stay healthy amid U.S. heat waves, last year the country took steps "towards protecting millions of workers from the impacts of extreme heat on the job," reports Frida Garza of Grist. In July 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published "its first-ever draft rule to prevent heat illness in the U.S. workforce."

OSHA's proposed rule would "require employers to provide access to water, shade, and paid breaks during heat waves," Garza writes. "In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 986 workers died from heat exposure on the job from 1992 to 2022, or about 34 per year."

While the Trump administration has sought to undo several workplace regulations, the drafted heat protection rule has moved forward. "The agency is currently in the middle of soliciting input from the general public about the proposed policy."

Some labor experts say the proposal is moving through the process quickly, but labor advocacy groups "focused on workers along the food supply chain, say workers have waited too long for basic life-saving protections," Garza reports. "Even in a best-case scenario, regulations would not be on the books for another 12 to 14 months." In some cases, it takes several more years for a rule to be fully implemented.

Given the lengthy timeline, several advocacy groups are working to educate employers and give outdoor workers a voice in public forums. The group "WeCount" in South Florida "has spearheaded multiple campaigns to draw public attention to how sweltering temperatures impact outdoor workers in the region, including plant nursery workers," Garza explains. "WeCount members are trying to publicize the risks that agricultural workers take on."

Getting consumers to care about their workforce enough to take action is one of the best ways outdoor employees can lobby for heat protections. Garza reports, "The Fair Food Program, first established by tomato pickers in 2011 in Florida, has won stringent heat protections for farm workers in part by building strong support for laborers’ demands among consumers."

Quick hits: NASA needs farmers; 988 to use geolocation; opioid prescriptions required to have warnings; why child care needs national support

NASA's sub-agency, NASA Acres, would like to meet more farmers. (Graphic by Adam Dixon, Offrange)

If you're a farmer, NASA could use your help. The space agency has a growing sub-agency, known as NASA Acres, that is "designed to use satellite data to help U.S. farmers make sustainable decisions and be more profitable," reports Donavyn Coffey for Offrange. NASA Acres is recruiting farmers to participate in its Farmer Innovation Ambassador Team. The group will "weigh in on the problems that need solving, and to spread the word: NASA can help. The space agency is leveraging 50 years of satellite and data science to help any farmers willing to join in."

A change in location guidance aims to help 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline counselors route help based on where callers or texters are calling from, instead of their cell's area code. "The Federal Communications Commission voted to require text messages to the 988 suicide and mental health crisis hotline to be georouted to local crisis centers based on where they are sent from," reports Chris Teale for Route Fifty. "Over the past three years, the crisis line service has received 11.1 million calls, 2.9 million texts and 2.4 million chats via instant message."

New labels come with direct warnings about long-term
use of opioids. (Graphic via MedPage Today)

The Food and Drug Administration will require opioid makers to update their labels to include details that "highlight the safety risks of long-term use," reports Nicole Lou of MedPage Today. "Now, opioid drug labels should clarify that patients should undergo periodic checks for signs of addiction, abuse, or misuse of these painkillers." The labels will include less common but possible health complications that longer-term opioid use can cause, such as esophageal dysfunction and negative interactions with other medications. Opioid makers have 30 days to submit their new labeling for FDA review.

Haspel's book launches Aug. 11.

While the national conversation about child care is decades long, few changes have been made to address the dearth of providers, poor wages for child care teachers and the overall cost to families who are lucky enough to secure care. "Researcher Elliot Haspel suggests child care is a lost American value," writes Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report, which reports on education. "Haspel's new book “Raising a Nation" presents 10 arguments — some of them well known and others less intuitive — for why child care needs to be a more supported part of American society."

In what could be a national first, energy company Holtec International looks to reopen the once-retired Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan by the end of this year. "The 800-MW Palisades plant received key federal approvals to open three years after shutting down," reports Eric Wesoff of Canary Media. "If Holtec succeeds, it would be the first nuclear plant in the U.S. to restart after being closed down. Remarkably, it would be just the second or third reactor to come back online in the global history of civilian nuclear power." 

Consumer enthusiasm helped inspire the  
combination. (Hershey/Mondelēz graphic)

Reese's peanut butter cups and Oreo cookies are slated for a mash-up, hitting grocery store shelves this fall. "Snack giants Hershey and Mondelēz are combining two of their top-selling products in a sugary marriage they say consumers have been begging for," reports Jesse Newman for The Wall Street Journal. The dynamic snack duo was partially inspired by "consumers’ own posts of their DIY combinations, such as a Reese’s peanut butter cup sandwiched between two Oreo wafers." 

USDA announces plan to move staff out of Washington, D.C.; many in Congress want more details, answers

Brooke L. Rollins

In a bid to lower costs and cut the federal workforce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will "relocate much of its Washington, D.C., workforce to five regional hubs and vacate several buildings in the area, including its flagship research center," reports Leah Douglas of Reuters. "More than 15,000 USDA employees, about 15% of its total workforce, have this year taken one of the agency's two financial incentive offers to leave."

The restructuring plan would keep roughly 2,000 USDA employees employed in Washington, D.C, but the "rest, about 2,600 people, will be relocated to hubs in Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah," Douglas writes. "The phased plan to relocate workers was made to bring USDA staff closer to its 'core constituents,' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a video to staff."

Despite the goal of cutting expenses, critics say relocating staff is costly, often inefficient and can mean less oversight guidance. Laura Dodson, an economist with the USDA Economic Research Service, told Douglas, "While this is bad for employees, it will be worse for the American public."

Meanwhile, lawmakers are weighing in on the restructuring plans, with many wanting to hear more about the plan and others opposing it, report Steve Davies and Rebekah Alvey of Successful Farming. 

John Boozman at Agriculture Committee Hearings
(Photo via Successful Farming)

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., and the committee’s top Democrat, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, are "calling for a hearing on the USDA’s reorganization plan, which Klobuchar said was 'completely unacceptable' and would 'decimate research work at the USDA,'" Davies and Alvey write. "Klobuchar said she got only a brief advance notice of the announcement for something that’s going to 'destroy the whole USDA.'"

Many lawmakers were caught off guard by the announcement and want to see the plan in detail. Representatives from states where new "hubs" would be located tended to see the announcement more positively. Some experienced agribusiness professionals cast doubts on how much cost savings or service assistance moving thousands of employees could accomplish.

Gbenga Ajilore, who served as a senior adviser in the office of the undersecretary for rural development, said "the messaging in the plan about making USDA a customer-focused agency conflicts with the fact that more than 15,000 people from across the country have taken buyouts," Successful Farming reports. 

Ajilore told reporters, "They’re moving people out of D.C. and moving them into pretty much big cities ... at the same time that they’re removing staff from these field offices that may end up being closed. I just don’t see how that’s going to work.” 

Northwestern timber industry hopes to revive as Trump administration eyes tariffs, more logging in national forests

Northwestern timber looks for a comeback.
(Photo by Spurwing, Unsplash)

Despite decades of decline, the U.S. northwestern lumber industry is hoping that changes under the Trump administration will revive the industry. "Sawmills have been closing across the Pacific Northwest over the past 30 years," reports Ryan Dezember of The Wall Street Journal. "Owners of the remaining mills have high hopes that President Trump will deliver relief by increasing logging in national forests and raising trade protections against Canadian exports."

Historically, northwestern timber harvesting has been a boom or bust industry for more than a century, with the government stepping in at times to prevent overlogging. In 1994, President Bill Clinton helped pass the Northwest Forest Plan, which "reduced logging on federal lands. In practice, there has been even less logging than the plan prescribed," Dezember explains. "Owners of the remaining mills have high hopes that President Trump will deliver relief by increasing logging in national forests."

Along with harvesting restrictions, cheaper Canadian lumber imports added to the region's timber decline, which has the Trump administration considering timber tariffs. Even if those specific tariffs aren't levied, an ongoing trade dispute is expected to increase Canadian lumber duties to "more than double in the coming weeks to about 34% for most producers," Dezember explains. 

Location of Skamania County in 
Washington. (Wikipedia photo)

While the anticipated duties on Canadian timber or even additional tariffs on its imports can help the area's lumber companies over the next few months, changing federal logging restrictions will take time and planning. "Boosting the federal timber harvest could take years and be impeded by litigation and red tape," Dezember reports. "Regional Forest Service supervisors have been directed to map five-year plans to contribute to a 25% increase in the overall volume of timber harvested from national forests to satisfy Trump’s call for greater wood production."

The slow bleed of logging jobs from the region hasn't just meant lost incomes; it has translated into community budget cuts. Skamania County, Washington, serves as an example. The county is "80% federal forestland and a further 10% or so is controlled by the state," Dezember writes. "That means that the county earns tax revenue on most of its territory from timber receipts, which have slowed to a drip. Recent budget cuts forced the local school district to lay off teachers and close two of its four schools."

Opinion: As the Trump administration puts the brakes on clean energy support, many rural farmers will feel the loss

Solar panels can help cut energy costs for farm operations like dairies. 
(Photo by S. Patrick, Portland Herald, Getty via The Conversation CC)

Wind and solar power add grid support and help farmers maintain steady incomes when weather, bugs or market upheavals make farming less profitable. Particularly for rural communities, taxes generated by renewable energy help local budgets pay for schools, roads and health care. "But some of that opportunity is now at risk as the Trump administration cuts federal support for renewable energy," writes Paul Mwebaze in his opinion for The Conversation.

In areas with wind turbines, farmers lease their land in return for payments. "Those historically were around $3,000 to $5,000 per turbine per year, with some modern agreements $5,000 to $10,000 annually, secured through 20- to 30-year contracts," Mwebaze explains. Roughly a third of the $3.5 billion paid out on wind turbine leases goes to rural landowners.

Solar energy adds to a farmer's bottom line by providing cheaper electricity throughout an agricultural operation. "Farmers use rooftop panels on barns and ground-mounted systems to power irrigation pumps, grain dryers and cold storage facilities, cutting their power costs," Mwebaze writes. 

In some rural communities, renewable energy is the "largest new source of economic activity, helping stabilize local economies otherwise reliant on agriculture’s unpredictable income streams," Mwebaze adds. The Iowa turbine blade factory, TPI Composites, serves as an example of how clean energy stimulates rural manufacturing. TPI "just reopened its plant in Newton, Iowa. Tax benefits in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act helped boost [the industry] and the jobs and local tax revenue they bring in."

The Trump administration has "rolled back many clean energy incentives. It phased down tax credits for distributed solar projects, particularly those under 1 megawatt, which include many farm‑scale installations, and sunsets them entirely by 2028," Mwebaze explains. "It also eliminates bonus credits that previously supported rural and low‑income areas."

Renewable energy is one way the federal government could continue to invest in rural America, providing energy for communities and generating a reliable income source for farmers and smaller municipal budgets. "I believe homegrown renewable energy offers a practical path forward," Mwebaze writes. "Wind and solar aren’t just fueling the grid; they’re helping keep farms and rural towns alive."

It's been a year since Buc-ees opened up in this small town; many residents consider the mega gas station a positive

Smiths Grove is Buc-ees' second location in Kentucky.
(Photo by Grace McDowell, BG Daily News)

A year after Buc-ees opened in the small town of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, many residents, including some who were initially wary of the sprawling development, shared positive views on the changes the mega gas station has brought to the area. Jack Dobbs of the Bowling Green Daily News reports, "Now, though, many are receptive to the store. . . . But some still have reservations."

Traffic dust-ups and crime were among community concerns voiced before Buc-ees opened, but pre-opening warnings turned out to be more dire than reality. Jason Franks, the chief of the Smiths Grove Police Department, told Dobbs, "With any new business, especially retail business, we’ve had more theft complaints, shoplifting calls, parking lot accidents, things of that nature, especially with that volume of vehicles coming in and out." Dobbs adds, "In all, though, Franks views the store as having been a boon for Smiths Grove."

Shelvie Payne, who has a 20-minute daily work commute to Smiths Grove, initially thought Buc-ees traffic would increase her travel time. Dobbs reports, "Payne takes the interstate every day to get to work, and said traffic conditions have improved in the area from what she has seen."

Payne added that she thought Buc-ees visitors helped her workplace attract more customers. She told Dobbs, "It’s brought in a lot more folks here on this exit that normally would have probably bypassed us."

Not everyone in town is sold on Buc-ees. "K.O. and Waz Blankenship run Psycho Granny’s Quilt Shop in Smiths Grove," Dobbs writes. "When asked what they thought the impact of Buc-ee’s had been, K.O. said 'negative, negative.'" She told Dobbs, “Business is dead, nobody’s walking (through town), we can’t talk them into coming in."

What happens to a mill town when the mill closes? Residents may have to accept change or move elsewhere.

Once known for its good-paying paper mill jobs and stinky smell, the small town of Canton, North Carolina, faced an uncertain future after the mill suddenly closed in March 2023. "Canton’s paper mill set the rhythm of life here for some 115 years," reports Emma Goldberg of The New York Times. Despite its sulfur-laden odor, "locals were proud of the mill, which employed hundreds in town and allowed its residents to build homes and send their children to college."

After the mill closed, residents weren't sure if the town could survive without the salaries the factory had provided for generations. "Canton lost its life source, and with it any sense of certainty about its economic future. It became one of more than 60,000 manufacturing hubs that have been wiped off America’s map since the late 1990s," Goldberg writes. "Just over a year after it closed, Hurricane Helene destroyed more than 30 homes and businesses in the area."

After its doors were shuttered, the mill sat vacant for two years until a developer from Missouri purchased it and worked to rally Canton residents to help reinvent the town. "Eric Spirtas closed the deal to buy the mill site," Goldberg reports. "He arrived in a flurry of ideas." 

Canton, N.C. is roughly 20 minutes from Asheville.

While Spirtas cheered for making Canton a must-see tourist destination, locals, including the town's mayor, Zeb Smathers, didn't see tourism jobs as a solution. Goldberg writes, "Smathers knows that many of the locals do not want hospitality jobs. They want high-paying manufacturing jobs. They talk excitedly about President Trump’s promises to make America once again a 'manufacturing superpower.'"

Now that the town's rotten-egg smell has disappeared, new residents and shops have moved in. "Canton’s main street has welcomed an apothecary, a record shop and a guitar store. Amanda Barta, who moved from Texas during the pandemic, opened a soap boutique weeks after Helene," Goldberg writes. 

Even as the town attracts new business, many former mill employees have taken jobs in nearby cities or moved away. At a recent Canton celebration, 77-year-old Gail Mull, a former mill worker who now serves as mayor pro tem, took a good look at the crowd and told Goldberg, "As my mother would say, these are not locals.”