Interesting that the farming-dependent rural counties have a lot of overlap with population loss counties.
I write about rural people, places, policy, and politics. No billionaires. No bullies. Smartassery encouraged. Read my newsletter on rural politics and policy: https://thecocklebur.substack.com/
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Interesting that the farming-dependent rural counties have a lot of overlap with population loss counties.
Want to know which rural counties are the most farming dependent in the U.S.? Here's the data, courtesy of USDA's Economic Research and my latest rural newsletter. thecocklebur.substack.com/p/what-drive...
In Laramie County, Wyoming, concerned citizens are pushing back barnraisingmedia.com/what-happens...
No one should duckduckgo putlocker or something similar to it.
@bryceoates.bsky.social on the overlap between farm-heavy counties and rural depopulation. What Drives the Rural Economy? Here are the U.S. Counties Where Farming is the Anchor. open.substack.com/pub/thecockl...
For what it's worth, here are the top 10 U.S. cities for violent crime: Memphis, Detroit, Baltimore, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Albuquerque, Houston, Nashville, Denver, DC. thehill.com/homenews/adm...
#EPA Plans To Dramatically Reduce Wetland Protection Miranda Wilson reports for @eenews.bsky.social www.eenews.net/articles/epa...
The fire risk is quite high, though, as we've only had about a half of inch of rain since the beginning of May.
Same in Corvallis. 90 Thursday but dropping off downright nice into the 70s after that.
Really, really depends on local payments. Corn Belt acres have higher CRP annual payments. Great Plains (wheat) areas much lower annual payments. So it really matters whether you're talking about Illinois or eastern Montana.
Very common, Jeff. CRP landowners do have maintenance to do (with government cost-share). And the hunter/habitat type is definitely a chunk of CRP landowners too. Good point.
No upper limit.
Depends a lot on the region. And new CRP enrollment would expire at the end of this month without some form of Congressional action.
Many farms have all of their program crop acres (USDA term for crop acres eligibles for government payments + crop insurance) in CRP. These are typically "retirement" farms. Other big row croppers have small portions in CRP that are typically wet and underperforming.
This #LaborDay, it’s hard to deny that this year has been especially hard for food and farmworkers, many of whom are immigrants. 🧵⬇️
Absolutely! But lucky for me and all my Missouri kin, we get the full 100% this week when after years of emptiness. The Kansas Chickenhawks are returning to Faurot Field in this era of retro Civil Wars. M. I. Z. . . .
Trump recently ordered the Department of the Interior to halt work on a huge wind farm. 1,000 union workers had already completed 80% of the project. Now they're fired. He made sure the oil and gas billionaires got their tax breaks, though. Happy Labor Day, I guess.
Happy Labor Day, from me and my newsletter. thecocklebur.substack.com/p/happy-labo...
Perfect. You're right that the Dems won't criticize tapping the Commodity Credit Corporation bucks via secretarial authority. Butter knives to a pistol party and all that.
Come on, now. They're going get their bailout again once the new fiscal year rolls around. This is just angling for the big "thank you, Dear Leader" to come.
They would probably just mark him down for somehow not expressing the platonic ideal of onion anyway. Damned fair judges. "What's wrong with my son's 30-pound-extra acorn-fed, very round, very jowly pig? Don't we get bonus points for being different?"
Damn. I always wanted to do that when I was farming but never did. My Dad got state champ mixed alfalfa hay for a couple of years there. He was one of only 2 entries, but still.
My "favorite" is when Big Ag types like Frank "set the record straight" through bad information, noninformation, disinformation, and bogus political rhetoric clothed as information. Same with the political leaders they hire and/or collaborate with on Big Ag issues.
Very common game in my life. Sort of like the transitional answer to horseshoes. Easy to transport. Simple for kids to understand and play and have a way to connect with people they might not otherwise hang with. More people are open to it than other party-like games in my experience.
I agree with you, by the way. Just pointing out we have a long way to go. And I echo comments that this issue will drive dirty energy production and pollution to places where poor people tend to live.
Unfortunately, that's usually only on the household user. Giant energy users like data centers, hospitals, big industry, etc. get volume discounts. In a lot of rural areas, that usually means the school, the grocery store, and factory/manufacturing plants.
Who will now raise their hand to become the next politician in the "make'em squeal" caucus of one?
Corresponding with farm income trouble, let's not forget about Trump policies and rising food prices. (See mainstream economist food price projections in article below): www.aol.com/finance/see-...
Not for me. I vote no. You need the art and font to pick the correct game/puzzle for the current mood.
"Tariffs squeeze fertilizer-loving agriculture as Trump policies bottom out farm income." Something like that, but with more oomph.
Glad you have a reliable AI assistant in your desk. I find my AI assistant/pocket Constitution to also be helpful.
This is a terrible thing, and also a predictable outcome of overproduction. I am assuming we'll see a large "aid program" in 2026 using Commodity Credit Corporation funding at USDA. Mostly benefitting the largest corn, soybean, and wheat farmers.
Things are not OK in farm country: Karl Adam, SD Bankers Association president said many farmers are looking at losses of $125 - $200 per acre for their corn, due to prices falling from above $7/bushel to less than $4/bushel currently southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/08/28/g... #rural #farming #sodak
I think it's funny/terrible/ridiculous/should-be-scandalous/stupid that the Trump Cabinet bootlickers fired all these federal workers and now they grandstand about their new hires to do things for us. And also predictable. Republicans love a ribbon-cutting to solve problems they create.
During the August recess, Republicans told voters that the estate tax threatens 2M family farms. Truth: Only 0.2%—wealthy mega-farms—are affected. The Rural New Deal expands land access for small & mid-size farmers, not billionaires. Read More→ buff.ly/765Rzgl
And Mississippi does have a lot of cooperatives and anti-capitalist types, even if they don't admit it on whatever social media sites they are allowed to use these days. F-- Tate Reeves, btw. That guy is a chump.
I do find Mississippi underrated. And I love many Mississippians.
Sorry for your Mississippi/Southern troubles. I have had similar and also lovely times in MS. Gotta say I once on the same day had my least favorite breakfast of all time (rice with weird and flavorless gravy) and one of my fave desserts (watermelon-citrus-salty-icey-something).
Record-high prices for beef in the grocery store, record-high profits for the world's largest beef packer.
Chicken, Richard, as you point out. Chicken.
Cracker Barrel has biscuits and gravy. And cornbread.
Oh good. Gavin Newsom.
Always read @georginagustin.bsky.social. Whether through @insideclimatenews.org or from places that re-post like @motherjones.com in this case, she's one of the best agriculture reporters around.
The degree to which conservationists who identify as "hunters and anglers" refuse to say "Republican" is just mind boggling. Want to save public lands, tell the truth. Republicans are the problem. Their platform is privatizing public resources.
I'm a very-early bird. And that often means I listen to East Coast NPR when I get out of bed even though I live in the PNW. I get a lot of news reports from the Beltway b/c of this. Today, I heard about "juvenile curfews" and that just pisses me off/rubs me the wrong way/demonstrates Trump bs.
Honestly, my kids introduced me to Takis. I also dig them. It's the "at least we have some spice" thing. Like Flamin' Cheetos and whatever "spicy" Dorito flavor is happening. I do wonder if Takis are to certain parts of the country what Casey's taco pizza is to those of us from MO, IA, etc.
And they were the most popular and readily available and cheapest snack I sold as a parent concession volunteer for numerous clubs and teams.
@bryceoates.bsky.social nails it. Development is the biggest threat to farmland. Much of ag land is not growing food. This is about using farmers/food supply to attack solar. And these programs are enormously popular among farmers. open.substack.com/pub/thecockl...
Booooo. That sucks. Food waste always makes me spin (other than the occasional composting of rice dregs, which I have come to terms with over the years). Expensive cheese and nuts would send me off the rails.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins Takes Steps to "Protect Farmland". . . From Farmer-owned Solar Panels??? The Trump Administration is continuing its war on the clean energy boom in rural America by restricting solar investment.
Excellent op-ed on public grocery stores from @civileats.com by @rajpatel.org and @grocerynerd.bsky.social. Props to @lisaelaineh.bsky.social for sharing through email newsletter.
Trump crony and rich USDA autocrat Brooke Rollins wants to send poor people literally to the fields to work-- even those most Medicaid recipients already have jobs. jimhightower.substack.com/p/is-ag-secr...
Here's the detail for eligible voters that voted in 2024 for states with vote-by-mail: CA--62.1% CO--73.1% HA--50.3% NV--65.8% OR--70.7% UT--64.2% VT--70.9% WA--70.2%
Only CA and Hawaii have lower voter turnout than the national average (2024 digits) in terms of eligible voters. They're in the Dem camp, obviously, but still. National average is 62.1% of eligible voters.
"Voter fraud because of mail-in voting" and "DC + CA needs military police because of crime" and "we feed the world" and "immigrants = criminals" are all cut from the same cloth obviously. And they're all repeated rightwing nutjob talking points historically that muddy the waters.
I do miss the showing-up-factor of in-person voting on election day. I also miss pre-smart-phone happenstance people meeting and road trips where you could land a campsite on public land without reservations. But, hey, we all have to live in 2025 I guess.
When you live in these states you regularly "vote by mail." Voter turnout is higher in these states. Because of a lot of reasons, but mainly because you can vote when you're not working and don't have to stop at the local school or church during a narrow window where polling places are open.
Let's say you're from California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, or Washington state. And you vote by mail. And you understand how awesome it is. And convenient. And have literally zero voter fraud. And you can look up ballot measures + judges, etc. before you cast your ballot.
📌 Read our new memo on Trump's manufacturing promises: rethinktrade.org/trumptradema...
If you've ever wondered about putting baba ganoush on your fried egg sandwich, I'd say go for it.
@bryceoates.bsky.social reports on an important #FarmBill program left behind in the Republican budget bill. Without Action by September 30th, One of USDA's Largest Private Lands Conservation Programs Would Start Winding Down. open.substack.com/pub/thecockl...
Wait til he becomes a fullout John Prine nerd and you are in trouble Sister.
Hell yeah. Here I Go Again listening to Every Rose Has Its Thorn. www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2r2...
I meant Homeland Security. My bad.
If he wanted to actually be effective, Donald Trump should just replace Kristi Noem with Barack Obama as head of ICE and that would really shake things up for 2026/8 elections.
Also, ballot measures are weird. I'm an Oregonian from Missouri where MO people passed ballot measures against concealed handguns, anti-corporate campaign $$, raising the minimum wage, anti-corporate farming pollution, etc. Then the state legislature just overturned it in the next session. So, . . .
It depends. Same as "is that actually maybe gonna happen." I'd say more likely then WA where they have no state income tax. But who-the-fuck-knows? OR newbie here.
I would absolutely vote for whatever brown guy who supports raising pay for the poors and working class in New York City. And for housing and for taxing the rich and all that. But mostly, I could give 2 shits about NYC politics and their impact on national politics.
There's a lot of difference between Millions, Billions, and Trillions.
Love this. I am a divorced man (mutual, happy, excellent friends). I can answer your question. My ex-wife has bought me socks for birthdays since. The only socks that have been purchased in my world other than one pair I got free for buying my first new pair of shoes in 3 years.
Warms the heart and soul.
Free tickets to the CA Central Valley via Amtrak and Greyhound for all then? ? ?
Yes. Absolutely.
I agree. But "sclerotic?" Are you some kind of fancy pants PhD or something? I don't believe I'm ever written or typed that word.
Love making up some saag paneer. One of my faves. And butter chicken (whatever the hell the real name actually is). I haven't got my naan 100% consistent yet, but always pretty edible no matter. Totally join you with props to Indians and their cooking gifts to all of us.
New report from @rethinktrade.bsky.social drops some data and infographics on the growing U.S. food trade deficit. Growing under Trump, too. Featuring @khetti.bsky.social + @wallachlori.bsky.social. Also, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has thoughts. So do I.
ICYMI: Rethink Trade's Katie Hettinga released an eye-opening analysis on how the U.S.'s reliance on food imports have worsened. 📌 Read it now: rethinktrade.org/food-deficit/
And to the Rollins Medicaid points--how many farmworkers are provided health care coverage by the farm owners who employ them? Farmworker "benefits" are more likely to be about often un-enforced heat breaks, shade tents, and wage theft than they are about actually giving workers health care.
That means only 6,000 farmers in the entire country would have estate tax liability if they died today due to all of the accounting and legal work-arounds. I am all for using the estate tax more aggressively so the rich kids don't have all of the advantages against other people who want to farm.
Yep. Nothing but GOP talking points from Secretary of Ag Rollins. "We're making Agriculture Great Again by protecting 2 million farmers from the 'death tax.'" Longtime GOP bs. USDA ERS says only 0.3% (that's 3/1000th--the wealthiest farmers) had estate tax liability in 2024.
Good choices all. Maybe since they stole "DOGE" anyway from that weird coin whatever it is, they should just call it "MAGA" and then let the fireworks begin.
Yep. And more drought too.
If the Republicans really wanted to make America great again, again, they would have put a provision in the Big Beautiful whatever to always make the 4th of July occur on a Friday.
Leaning towards "Patriot party" since it might cause the most splitting of otherwise GOP voters. Let them fight it out, that sort of thing. But probably should be called "Silicon Heartland" or "Transplanted Texicans" or "Martian Settlers." I don't know. I'm just spitballing. What you got?
It doesn't bother me at all if all the DOGE-lovers out there join up with that Musk jerk's political crusade. Have a party together you job killers.
Yep. Walmart, Amazon, and McDonald's are the biggest welfare kings in our country. They should get a bill to repay the cost of their millions of workers on Medicaid and SNAP.
Absolutely agree with @thedanicook.bsky.social here. Dems gotta get out on the ground and listen instead of talk. Real people have powerful stories to tell. Hospitals. Lots of jobs will be lost. People will be without critical medical care. Hunger will soar. Spotlighting people should be the plan.
NEW: As the megabill takes effect, food banks will be the first to see increased need. And since the pandemic, they’ve already scaled up to meet higher demand. For @politico.com, I spoke to food bank leaders about how they’re preparing.
Dude. If you're still there you gotta hit up Busu. Great Japanese-sh food. It's takeout but so so so good. Noodles and pickles and miso and fried rice. Yum.
I hate Trump (and Ernst) too but the comments here don't give me hope that you all will be supporting Ernst's opponent in a race the Dems have to win to have any chance in the 2026 Senate races. Iowa had 3 of 4 House Dems in 2018. 2 of 4 2020. They're a more likely pickup than my home state (MO).
It's about her re-election bid in 2026. Trump is more popular than her in Iowa. And squeals are part of her "I grew up on a pig farm" schtick.
I can't believe that bunch of Ozark hillbillies and flatland Bootheelers from Missouri elected this Jason Smith clown.
Today, Trump visits the proposed site of #AlligatorAlcatraz -near 19 Seminole & Miccosukee tradit villages. Miccosukee homelands are not “an uninhabited wasteland for alligators & pythons” says tribal leadership. Miccosukees have protected the area “for generations” www.instagram.com/p/DLQq5WRPBr...
We are actually not done with parliamentarian rulings, folks. Things could still get tossed from or added to or changed in the bill. Voting is ongoing on the Big Beautiful Bill in the Senate, Republican leaders want it passed tonight, it has massive consequences, & the text is *not even complete*.
SNAP also makes a bigger market for farmers. More than $100 billion per year bigger. Farmers get about 16% of the consumer food dollar, so that's at least $16 billion per year in farm income due to SNAP spending.
Yep.
Pretty much. The majority of farmers (cattle producers, homesteaders, local food veggie-fruit-livestock types) don't get any government payments other than occasional disaster or conservation assistance. It's only rowcroppers, and 10% of the largest growers get more than 70% of the govt payments.
Only about 15,000 farmers of all sizes nationwide grow these 3 crops. 15k out of 1.9 million farms nationwide.
Boosts farm subsidies to all program crops (cotton, rice, peanuts, corn, soy, and wheat), but the vast majority of benefit increases goes to those plantations. GOP couldn't get it done thru normal farm bill process, so they're doing it thru reconciliation. Big, big increase over regular spending.
Exactly. And also to increase immigration gestapo/ridiculous border wall funding + increase government payments to giant cotton, rice, and peanut plantations in the South.