By some of the media headlines we’ve seen over the past several years, you could easily think rural America is a thing of the past. “The Graying of Rural America” … “Can Rural America Be Saved” … “Rural America Is Falling Behind” …
The truth is, the facts reflect something very different: They show a rural America on the road to recovery and growth. Thanks to eight years of strong and strategic investment from USDA, we’ve seen important trend lines shift to demonstrate positive change in a few major indicators of economic recovery:
For the first time since the start of the Recession, rural populations have stabilized.
The total number of people living in rural counties remained essentially unchanged between July 2014 and July 2015, following several years of rural net migration that began with the housing-market crisis. This improvement in population change coincides with rural economic recovery and, if current trends continue, we will begin to see gradual population growth in rural and small-town America in the coming years.
The rural unemployment rate dropped below 6 percent for the first time since 2007.
After reaching nearly 10 percent in 2010, rural unemployment has fallen to under 6 percent in 2015. Rural counties added over 125,000 jobs in both 2014 and 2015, after job losses averaging 200,000 per year during 2008–2013.
From 2012–2014, rural child poverty fell by 3 percentage points.
Rural child poverty, which had been trending upward from 2003 to 2012, has since begun a slow but steady decline. From 2012 to 2014, average incomes for families with children climbed 6 percent, nearly regaining their 2003 levels in rural areas. This income growth reduced child poverty considerably and demonstrates a very strong growth trend.
Two million fewer people live in a state of food insecurity today compared with a recession peak in 2011.
Food security for households with children, and households overall, is the strongest it’s been since before the Recession and we hope to have more good news to support this later in the month. That means more American families have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food on a daily basis. SNAP participation is also down by 4 million people since it peaked in FY 2013.
Join us throughout the month of September as we tell the important story of eight years of significant and transformative investments across the nation that have empowered rural America to continue leading the way, strengthening America’s economy, as well as the small towns and rural communities that so many call home. Follow along on usda.gov, on the USDA blog and by using #USDAResults, or catch up on Chapter IX on our Medium site.
Throughout the month you can join us as we tell the important story of how eight years of significant and transformative investments across the nation have empowered rural America to continue leading the way, strengthening America’s economy, as well as the small towns and rural communities that so many call home.
How do we build a new, 21st century economy in rural America to complement the production of food, fiber and fuel? USDA’s answer is called the Four Pillars — a simple, four-part strategy for growth.
Trade between nations regularly involves meeting strict government requirements that often create logistical obstacles for all parties involved. U.S. seed businesses often experience this when doing business with our cousins to the north. Canada is one of the largest importers of U.S. seed – with tons of seed worth millions of dollars being imported each year.
“Secretary Vilsack swore me in to be the Under Secretary for Rural Development, and I'm so proud of the work we've accomplished.” Lisa Mensah, Under Secretary for Rural Development. Read her story.
From Recovery to Renewal: Rural America’s Partner for Prosperity
Eight years ago this month, the US economy went into free fall. The crash of the housing market led to a chain of historic levels of bankruptcies and layoffs. The stock market would eventually lose 20% of its value; family incomes, investments, and home values were being crushed. Along with that, the hopes and dreams of many families.
Unique Mural Captures Essence of the Sustainable Recreation Movement
Recently, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell visited the agency’s Southwestern Regional Office in Albuquerque, NM, to review the status of a number of different programs. However, on this visit, the setting was very different than the normal business setting of a boring conference room.
Discovering New Opportunities in Thailand – from Grains and Greens to Seafood
In mid-August, I traveled to Southeast Asia and witnessed firsthand the great strides being made to help increase food security and trade. I also came to appreciate the immense potential for future trade opportunities in the area. I returned with a reaffirmed sense of urgency to continue building upon recent gains in trade with Thailand.
USDA Proudly Supports the LGBT Community in Oregon and Nationwide
I recently had the privilege of representing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development at the Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival in southwestern Oregon. We stood side-by-side with our counterparts at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Service. When this festival began 25 years ago, the idea of a government agency participating was unthinkable.
RMA Engages Farmers at Annual Meeting of Southern Grassroots Cooperatives
Recently, I had the honor of representing USDA at the annual Federation of Southern Cooperatives and Land Assistance Fund (FSCLA) annual meeting in Epes, Ala. It gave me a chance to speak with a phenomenal group of hardworking farmers and ranchers, to hear their stories and share some of the improvements that USDA, under the Obama Administration, has put in place to help uproot inequality.
Taming Big-Data for Practical Scientific Research with Microchip Biology
At Fort Valley State University (FVSU) the next generation of leaders in agricultural and life sciences are coming face-to-face with technology that will help them solve the toughest challenges of the future.
Now is a Good Time to Look for and Report Signs of Asian Longhorned Beetle Damage on Trees
To some people the smell of summer is a fresh cut grass or morning dew, but to me summer is the scent of healthy trees in full bloom. It reminds me that summer isn’t over yet and there is still time to be outdoors. And with August as Tree Check Month for the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), it’s a good time to take a look at your trees to make sure they are beetle free.
In Conversation with #WomeninAg: Keyna Diop
Every month, USDA shares the story of a woman in agriculture who is leading the industry and helping other women succeed along the way. This month, we hear from Keyna Cisse Diop, the founder of Quali’Volaille, a poultry business in Senegal, West Africa. Passionate about engaging young women in agriculture, Keyna was selected for the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). After six weeks of courses at Purdue University, she is currently interning with USDA Rural Development in Columbia, South Carolina.
Seed Businesses Saving Money Thanks to Canadian Trade Deal
Trade between nations regularly involves meeting strict government requirements that often create logistical obstacles for all parties involved. U.S. seed businesses often experience this when doing business with our cousins to the north. Canada is one of the largest importers of U.S. seed – with tons of seed worth millions of dollars being imported each year.
Additional FSA Farm Loan Funding Now Available
Financial help is now available for some Farm Service Agency approved loan applicants awaiting farm operating loans. (Rod Bain and FSA Adminsitrator Val Dolcini)
Farmland Rental Trends And Access For Beginning Farmers
Is there a correlation between existing farmland rental agreements and opportunities for beginning farmers to gain land access? (Rod Bain and USDA economist, Dan Bigelow)
USDA Has Programs That Could Help Louisiana Farmers Hit by Floods
Farmers in Louisiana beginning to come to USDA offices to find out about programs that could help them. (Gary Crawford and Brad Pfaff)
Frugal farmers see bit brighter forecast for income (Des Moines Register)
Farm income losses this year should be less than expected, as farmers throughout the Corn Belt slash expenses in response to a prolonged slump in commodity prices. Farm profitability in 2016 will fall 12 percent from a year ago to $71.5 billion, according to Agriculture Department estimates released Tuesday. That's significantly better than was forecast in February, when profitability was expected to tumble to $54.8 billion.
Opioid Abuse Fight is a Priority, and it’s Personal for USDA Secretary (KUNR)
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in chair of the White House Rural Council. He’s leading a national initiative on rural opioid addiction. On a recent visit to Northern Nevada, he made a stop at the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. He then traveled to Las Vegas to give the keynote address at the state’s two-day drug abuse prevention summit hosted by Governor Brian Sandoval. Reno Public Radio’s Anh Gray talks with Secretary Vilsack to learn more about the opioid addiction crisis that’s gripping the nation.
USDA Announces Initiative to Provide Transitional Housing for Rural Americans in Recovery from Substance Use Disorders (WBIW)
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an initiative that will use USDA's rural development resources to help fill the need for transitional housing for people recovering from opioid and other substance use disorders. In January, President Obama tasked Vilsack, who is chair of the White House Rural Council, with leading a federal interagency effort focused on rural opioid use.
One View: Fight against opioid addiction needs dollars, partnerships (Reno Gazette-Journal)
In Nevada and across the country, opioid addiction is a fast-growing problem that disproportionately affects rural communities. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows opioids were involved in 28,648 deaths in 2014, meaning more Americans are dying from drug overdoses than in motor vehicle crashes each year. Nevada has been hit particularly hard by this epidemic. Tragically, 382 people in the Silver State died of drug overdoses in 2014. Chances are, readers of this column have been affected by a loved one’s addiction, or know someone who has. In fact, a recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that an astonishing 44 percent of Americans personally know someone who has been addicted to prescription pain medication.
NH chosen for housing in drug recovery program (AP/WCAX)
New Hampshire has been selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for pilot projects to provide transitional housing for people recovering from substance abuse disorders. The two projects are part of a USDA initiative that emerged from Secretary Tom Vilsack's visit to New Hampshire in May, where he visited Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua to hear about its drug court program.
Nevada included in new USDA drive to provide more transitional housing for drug recovery (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Nevada is participating in a new national initiative to provide transitional housing for rural Americans recovering from substance addiction, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday. Announcement of the initiative came on day one of a two-day Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit in Las Vegas called by Nevada’s Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.
Nevada USDA rural properties to be available as drug abuse recovery housing (Reno Gazette-Journal)
Residents recovering from substance abuse in rural Nevada will be getting new options for transitional housing through a new federal program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture named Nevada as one of four states chosen for a pilot program that would turn vacant USDA properties in rural areas as housing for people who are recovering from opioid, painkiller or other substance abuse disorders.
Depression Can Lead To Substance Abuse For Some Native American Youths (KUNR)
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the opioid epidemic in rural areas during a stop in Reno yesterday. Reno Public Radio's Anh Gray reports. Vilsack met with local leaders at the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. Veronica Domingues-Gephart works in behavioral health at the Reno-Sparks Tribal Health Center. She says in Indian Country, opioid dependency is often linked to depression and anxiety among young people. “What we have found is that often times the youth are suffering a lot from identity issues,” Domingues-Gephart says, “and the struggle in trying to improve their education in the public school setting.”
USDA Announces Initiative to Provide Transitional Housing for Rural Americans in Recovery from Substance Use Disorders (Gilmer Mirror)
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced an initiative that will use USDA's rural development resources to help fill the need for transitional housing for people recovering from opioid and other substance use disorders. In January, President Obama tasked Vilsack, who is chair of the White House Rural Council, with leading a federal interagency effort focused on rural opioid use. The initiative is the result of a conversation Secretary Vilsack had in May in New Hampshire at the Hillsborough County Superior Court, where individuals involved with the state's drug court program told him that a lack of access to affordable housing made it challenging for participants to successfully complete their recovery from addiction.
Ag Secretary Optimistic over Latest Farm Income Forecast (Growing America)
Responding to the latest Farm and Financial Income Forecast released by USDA's Economic Research Service, Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, gave credit to “the unique ability of American farmers and ranchers to plan ahead and make sharp business decisions in a challenging market.”
Agriculture Secretary Addressing Rural Opioid Abuse (KTVN)
The White House is taking aim at opioid drug abuse, which is a problem in Northern Nevada. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is visiting Nevada this week, to help address the problem in rural and tribal communities. Secretary Vilsack is leading the Obama Administration's nationwide initiative on opioid addiction and he serves as the chair of the White House Rural Council. Nevada is the fourth state Vilsack has visited since May, in order to bring together community stakeholders to address the crisis.
USDA Visits University of Arkansas to Tackle Farming Issues (NWA)
What is the future of agriculture in the United States? That's the question tackled at a forum at the University of Arkansas on Monday. The United States Department of Agriculture's deputy secretary was in town as part of a series of twelve meetings across the U.S. discussing how to transition farming to the next generation. The series is called the New Farmers and Land Tenure Fall Forum.
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