"Your independent source for rural and small town news"
“If both rural and urban people have the same set of facts with which to express their concerns, perhaps they can reach common conclusions,” writes Gilles Stockton in his new book, Feeding a Divided America: Reflections of a Western Rancher in the Era of Climate Change.
American family farmers have been left holding the bag from the corporate-driven anti–family farm policies of the last 60 years.
“One of the first things settlers noted about Iowa was the purity of the water. In those 180 years since the first settlement in Iowa, the waters have been abused. I think there is a visceral sense that [clean water] is a part of our heritage, and it’s being threatened.”
Amid the alarming threats posed by CAFO pollution, a new group is mobilizing Iowans to protect the Driftless area's vulnerable ecosystem
Barn Raiser is proud to be alongside 17 other newsrooms across the country whose work will be supported by U.S. Democracy Day this year! Check out the other newsrooms here:
After reviewing more than 70 excellent applications for our first-ever pro-democracy reporting stipends, the U.S. Democracy Day team…
A small town union leader on building Vermont’s labor movement for a new generation
For Jeremy Rathbun, a public sector union leader in Middlebury, young leaders play a key role in revitalizing the state's labor movement
RuralOrganizing.org policy director Annie Contractor is advancing a progressive agenda in rural America for the 2024 election and beyond by channeling activism into policy.
With RuralOrganizing.org, Annie Contractor is helping build the progressive movement through rural-centered policy.
"Like the huckster from the big city (Trump), Vance is the “small town” shill who says the right things as he picks your pocket. Together, they would be the most dangerous duo of con men in American political history."
What makes Vance dangerous is his compelling life story. But his allegiance to corporations and Big Ag gives Democrats an opening among working class voters.
Relic hunters build camaraderie by uncovering history in rural Pennsylvania
Metal detectorists in rural Berks County, Pennsylvania, build comradery by uncovering long-lost history in unassuming locations.
What Worthington’s history of welcoming immigrants can teach us about overcoming a polarized culture
In less than two decades, Worthington has become home to hundreds of first- and second-generation immigrants who have reshaped local culture
The Bureau of Land Management plans to raze 380,000 acres of pinyon-juniper forests vital to Nevada tribes
The Bureau of Land Management's chaining practices could eliminate nearly half a million acres of ecologically rich pinyon-juniper forests.
"It's the same old story—Reagan helps the rich, and Lord help the rest of us."
At the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Jim Hightower denounces the failure of the Reagan administration to address the farm crisis.
What makes Vance dangerous is his willingness to tear down government institutions to bolster his faux populist image and clear the way for corporate interests. Now that Biden has dropped out of the race, Democrats have a chance to seize the moment and double down on their support for rural America and the working class.
What makes Vance dangerous is his compelling life story. But his allegiance to corporations and Big Ag gives Democrats an opening among working class voters.
For Iriel Edwards, a decision to take up farming in Louisiana was fueled by a desire to connect to the deep ecological knowledge of her ancestors
For Iriel Edwards, movements of food and racial justice are key to connecting people with ancestral and deep ecological knowledge.
Historian sheds new light on the dark tale of the Bell Witch
The Bell witch began as a local folk tale but has since gained international appeal. A new history sheds light on how the legend of the Bell witch captured the imagination of so many.
Changes in the new USDA map provides evidence of a warming planet
According to the new USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map half of the country is now in a zone with warmer minimum winter temperatures.
Lake City officials are now eyeing year-round arts initiatives to secure economic growth
In Lake City, South Carolina, the festival and competition ArtFields has transformed this agriculture community into an arts destination.
The jury’s out on the overall benefits of, or drawbacks to, mangrove migration
Mangroves have now skipped up the east coast from Florida into Georgia. The consequences are fascinating, and far-reaching
In Berks County, Pennsylvania, metal detecting helps build community and comradery by uncovering long-lost history in unassuming locations.
Metal detectorists in rural Berks County, Pennsylvania, build comradery by uncovering long-lost history in unassuming locations.
With the rise of the book-banning movement, rural libraries are under attack.
In a special report, Barn Raiser explores the vital role rural libraries play in their communities—and the threat posed by book banning.
Reflections of a lifelong Montana rancher on the corporate takeover of our food system and what it means for the future of our nation and planet
American family farmers have been left holding the bag from the corporate-driven anti–family farm policies of the last 60 years.
BLM plans to raze 380,000 acres of pinyon-juniper forests vital to Nevada tribes
The Bureau of Land Management's chaining practices could eliminate nearly half a million acres of ecologically rich pinyon-juniper forests.
For Jeremy Rathbun, a licensed class III wastewater operator for the town of Middlebury and a district vice president in the Vermont State Labor Council, young leaders play a key role in revitalizing the state’s labor movement.
For Jeremy Rathbun, a public sector union leader in Middlebury, young leaders play a key role in revitalizing the state's labor movement
Myth-making in the early American republic
In the early American republic, new political myths helped shape American individualism. But those myths could also challenge its legitimacy.
New group mobilizes citizens to protect Iowa’s “last island of ecological integrity”
Amid the alarming threats posed by CAFO pollution, a new group is mobilizing Iowans to protect the Driftless area's vulnerable ecosystem
Polluters should be held responsible for the billions per year in estimated cleanup costs.
Cleanup to meet the EPA's new PFAS rule will cost billions of dollars every year for generations of Americans unless the polluter pays.
“Cannabis and h**p offer solutions to many challenges in an industrial society”
Cannabis can transform our materials economy and textiles industry, return carbon to the soil, provide sustainable housing material, nurture health and well-being and set us on a path to restorative justice. That’s why we call it the New Green Revolution. We call it the “New” Green Revolution ...
A coalition of Native tribes and environmental groups are suing the Bureau of Land Management to stop the controversial practice of “chaining,” which destroys vital pinyon-juniper ecosystems.
The Bureau of Land Management's chaining practices could eliminate nearly half a million acres of ecologically rich pinyon-juniper forests.
Republicans are targeting Inflation Reduction Act climate funding that mostly benefits red state farmers
Republicans want to siphon conservation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act into a backdoor subsidy for corporate ag in the farm bill.
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