ACROSS THE STATES
North Carolina: The State House voted 108-0 to ban the construction of new waste lagoons for hog farms. Despite being the second-largest producer of pork, North Carolina has had a moratorium on new lagoons for 10 years. The recent vote makes it permanent. All existing lagoons are grandfathered in. (Read more in this month’s Corporate Farming Notes.)
Maine: The largely-rural state recently enacted new legislation that authorizes tax credits to refund college loan payments for any Mainer who obtains a degree in the state, and then lives in and pays taxes in the state after graduation. Termed Opportunity Maine, the legislation offers an answer to the student debt crisis while also giving young people a reason to stay in the state.
Massachusetts: Access to high-speed internet service remains a challenge for many rural areas. In Massachusetts, a new study indicates that access to broadband internet is correlated with growth in jobs, businesses, and property values. That has rural advocates in the state arguing that it is “morally wrong and economically stupid” that the state doesn’t yet have a plan to fix the problem.
In the West: As we go to press 42 large wildfires are burning in states including California, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. In some states the fires threaten grasslands and other natural resources that ranchers and rural communities depend on.
Mississippi: Similar to a growing number of rural areas of the country, the Mississippi Delta is in need of a few good medical professionals. While the national average ratio for doctors to people is about 1 to 350, in the Delta it is 1 to 970. The Delta has some of the nation’s highest rates of infant mortality, heart disease, and other serious illnesses.
Kentucky: Governor Ernie Fletcher is campaigning for state incentives for companies that build coal-to-liquid plants in the state. Some Kentuckians close to coal mining are speaking out against the new proposal. Local activists argue that investing in coal is a failed economic development strategy that has lead to depopulation, school consolidation, and soaring cancer rates. Something better is in order for their new economic development strategy, they argue.
Contact: Brian Depew, briand@cfra.org to comment on any of these news items. For more ongoing news from rural America visit the Blog for Rural America, www.cfra.org/blog.
Maine: The largely-rural state recently enacted new legislation that authorizes tax credits to refund college loan payments for any Mainer who obtains a degree in the state, and then lives in and pays taxes in the state after graduation. Termed Opportunity Maine, the legislation offers an answer to the student debt crisis while also giving young people a reason to stay in the state.
Massachusetts: Access to high-speed internet service remains a challenge for many rural areas. In Massachusetts, a new study indicates that access to broadband internet is correlated with growth in jobs, businesses, and property values. That has rural advocates in the state arguing that it is “morally wrong and economically stupid” that the state doesn’t yet have a plan to fix the problem.
In the West: As we go to press 42 large wildfires are burning in states including California, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. In some states the fires threaten grasslands and other natural resources that ranchers and rural communities depend on.
Mississippi: Similar to a growing number of rural areas of the country, the Mississippi Delta is in need of a few good medical professionals. While the national average ratio for doctors to people is about 1 to 350, in the Delta it is 1 to 970. The Delta has some of the nation’s highest rates of infant mortality, heart disease, and other serious illnesses.
Kentucky: Governor Ernie Fletcher is campaigning for state incentives for companies that build coal-to-liquid plants in the state. Some Kentuckians close to coal mining are speaking out against the new proposal. Local activists argue that investing in coal is a failed economic development strategy that has lead to depopulation, school consolidation, and soaring cancer rates. Something better is in order for their new economic development strategy, they argue.
Contact: Brian Depew, briand@cfra.org to comment on any of these news items. For more ongoing news from rural America visit the Blog for Rural America, www.cfra.org/blog.
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Ohio enacts state food policy council
Governor Strickland establishes Ohio Food Policy Advisory Council
Peninsula, OH - Healthy food options may soon be available to more Ohio residents. Governor Ted Strickland announced the creation of the Ohio Food Policy Advisory Council yesterday at the Ohio State Fair. The state now has a framework to plan, proactively, for the future of healthy food systems and productive farm businesses. With growing concerns about food safety, loss of farmland and food insecurity, food policy councils are seen as a way to address many of these pressing concerns. “Ohio can create more prosperity by tapping into the growing demand for local food. Food policy councils focus on food systems as an economic development strategy that links farm production, conservation and farm viability with public health, food security and community well-being. The Strickland administration has taken a proactive step in planning for health and prosperity in the state” said Amalie Lipstreu, Program Coordinator for the Countryside Conservancy’s Farmland Center.According to the Governor, Ohio’s food and agriculture sector of the economy is a 93 billion dollar industry. “By supplying more food demand with locally grown and raised products we can increase prosperity across the state exponentially. This is a common sense approach to growing the green economy” according to Lipstreu.In addition to positive economic impact, the council’s work will also include protecting Ohio farmland, examining barriers to getting healthy food to families in need and increased health for Ohio residents by supporting efforts such as farm to cafeteria programs.The council will be comprised of representatives from government, food and farm businesses, hunger advocates and civil society organizations. The Countryside Conservancy is a small think and do tank working to envision and establish fresh, common sense, civic approaches to land-use, farming, and local food systems throughout Northeast Ohio. The Farmland Center programs are devoted to halting needless loss of farmland in Northeast Ohio by engaging community groups with informational programming, by providing technical assistance to communities and by offering a small, sensible, persistent voice championing state level policies which strengthen local farming and food systems.
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