Rural America
A Farmer’s Almanac for the End of This World
The Earthbound Farmer’s Almanac offers a place for sharing stories, experiments and strategies for food autonomy in our age of ecological devastation.
Joseph Bullington
Big Dairy is Milking California Dry
A small town fights back against dairy expansion.
Ian Whitaker
How Land Swaps Turn Public Lands into Private Playgrounds
Land exchanges, a management tool used by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, too often benefit rich landowners at the public’s expense.
Erica Rosenberg
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
In Montana, an Avalanche of Wealth Is Displacing Workers
The people who feed, clothe and clean up after the West’s rich newcomers can’t afford to live alongside them.
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
Roundup Caused Her Cancer, but Bayer Won’t Pay Settlement Because She’s an Undocumented Farmworker, Lawsuit Says
Elvira Reyes-Hernandez was diagnosed with cancer after working for years with the weed killer on Virginia tree farms.
Sky Chadde
Queering the Family Farm: Meet the LGBTQ Midwest Farmers Taking Food Justice Into Their Own Hands
“We’re not just raising food. We are creating safe spaces for people.”
Bennet Goldstein
Oversight Has Led to Better Housing for Migrant Farmworkers. Why Aren't Some States Doing It?
With no national regulation, employers often provide subpar housing to the migrant farmworkers who sustain the billion-dollar food industry.
Johnathan Hettinger and Sky Chadde
Oil Companies Have Plundered Louisiana's Coast. They Owe Us Reparations.
Native and Black communities suffering the most from coastal damage need reparations for past abuse while we fight for systemic change.
Courtney Naquin
These Poop Lagoons Can Poison Waterways, but Regulation Is Patchy
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) produce dangerous amounts of animal waste, but only one third of them have a federal permit.
Madison McVan
The Rural Vote Is Again in Play
The midterms showed that rural voters must be an integral part of the Democratic strategy if they want to win in 2024.
George Goehl
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Announcing In These Times’ New Agreement with the National Writers Union
Freelance contributors are essential to the quality and success of In These Times and independent media, and this agreement is one way to demonstrate their value to our publication and our commitment to transparency.
For more information about the National Writers Union, visit nwu.org.
Read the full agreement, which reaffirms a floor for the rates of our freelance editorial content, as well as our current rates (which are higher) and submissions guidelines below.