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.
Dakota Rural Action has been a close ally of the Center for Rural Affairs since the South Dakota grassroots organization was established. In particular, Dakota Rural Action is a key ally in South Dakota on livestock market reforms, beginning farmer and rancher initiatives and on anti-corporate farming laws. Visit them online today. 
