Rural America
The mission of Rural America In These Times is to make the issues faced by rural America part of national discourse and to overcome the rural-urban divide.
We seek to build bridges, facilitate communication and foster cooperation between urban people who understand the value of a healthy and sustainable agricultural system, and the farmers in our rural communities that provide food that we all eat.
Latest Stories
Inside the Government’s Failing Program to Protect Farmworkers
Fifty years ago, the U.S. created a program to protect farmworkers from dangerous housing, wage theft and other rampant abuse. Internal documents show a failing system.
Johnathan Hettinger and Sky Chadde
How Old Oil Wells Become Taxpayers' Problem
Nationwide, oil companies have abandoned more than a million oil and gas wells—and the cost of cleaning them up.
Jonathan Thompson
The Vail-ification of the West
In part two of our series, we visit the Colorado ski towns at the extreme edge of rural gentrification.
Joseph Bullington
Los Trabajadores en Vail no Pueden Darse el Lujo de Vivir Ahí
En la segunda parte de nuestra serie, visitamos las ciudades de esquí de Colorado a borde de la gentrificación rural.
Joseph Bullington
En Montana, Una Avalancha de Riqueza Está Desplazando a los Trabajadores
Los trabajadores que alimentan, visten y aseean para los ricos recién llegados a occidente de Montana no pueden darse el lujo de vivir cerca de sus trabajos.
Joseph Bullington
East Palestine: “We Basically Nuked a Town with Chemicals So We Could Get a Railroad Open”
Companies should never again be allowed to do what Norfolk Southern did to this Ohio community.
Tish O'Dell and Chad Nicholson
In Coal Country, Young Workers Seek a Sustainable Future
Neither coal companies nor government have a “plan B” for many Appalachian communities. Meet the young leaders determined to find one.
Jonathan Blair
The Life-Threatening Consequences of Rural “Maternity-Care Deserts”
The number of mothers who receive no prenatal care is on the rise in North Carolina. Lack of access in rural areas is a big part of the problem.
Sarah Melotte and Shelby Harris