Rural America

In Dairy Country, a Network of Hmong and Latino Workers Fight Covid-19

Dairy production in Wisconsin relies on immigrant labor, a contradiction in a state that has seen the rise of nativist, anti-immigrant politics.

Esther Honig

As Meatpackers Stoked Fears of a Shortage, U.S. Meat Exports Increased

Citing imminent shortages, the meat industry lobbied to keep packing plants open as Covid-19 tore through workers’ ranks. At the same time, U.S. meat exports increased.

Madison McVan

Why 40 Years on the Superfund List Hasn’t Saved Tar Creek

Residents of northeastern Oklahoma continue to be poisoned by toxic mine runoff from one of the nation’s first Superfund sites.

Tara Lohan

Caught in the Drain: How a Plan to Reuse Wastewater Could Strangle the Santa Fe River

As climate change tightens its grip on the arid West, water managers are focusing on wastewater as a source of “new” water for cities.

Denise Fort

Toward a World Without Roadkill: Appalachians Make the Case for Wildlife Crossings

In Appalachia, highways fracture the habitat of bears, elk, deer and other wildlife. Locals are pushing to make roads safer for animals and drivers.

Frances Figart

How a Rural Colorado Community Self-Organized a Successful Vaccination Effort

Immigrant community groups, forced to organize by the constant threat of ICE, have played a central role as vaccine information networks.

Dave Marston

Study: “Salmon Remain on the Brink of Extinction. And Time Is Running Out.”

Between dams and warming waters, West Coast populations of wild salmon have plunged by 98%. What will it take to stop the decline?

Tara Lohan

“In for a Fight": Rural Wisconsinites Resist Influx of Industrial Hog Facilities

Despite local efforts to block new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), corporate agriculture interests are legislating and intimidating their way out of accountability.

Simon Davis-Cohen

Boycotting the Boycotters: In Oil-Friendly States, New Bills Aim to Block Divestment from Fossil Fuels

You may divest from fossil fuels — but you may not be able to do business with the state of Texas.

Erika Bolstad

A Pesticide-Laced Flea Collar Has Been Linked to Almost 1,700 Pet Deaths. Why Hasn’t the EPA Issued a Warning?

Some experts say the collar reveals a fundamental problem with EPA’s pesticide regulation process.

Johnathan Hettinger

Towns Across the West Face a Housing Crisis. More Sprawl Is Not the Answer.

The lack of affordable shelter in the region has dramatic economic and public health repercussions. Some places are working to solve the problem by building more densely.

Jake Bullinger

Indigenous Water Protectors Face Off Against the “Pandemic Pipeline”

Biden halted Keystone XL, but Enbridge’s Line 3 would pipe the same tar sands oil into the U.S. and across Anishinaabe treaty lands.

Clara Liang

Racing to Save Languages and Cultures, Native American Tribes Rapidly Roll Out Vaccines

Covid-19 has killed Native people at a faster rate than any other group in the U.S., but vaccine rollout in Indian Country has so far been a success story.

Alex Brown

An Open Letter to Biden from Indigenous Peoples

Trump wrecked the relationship between the U.S. government and Native nations. Here's how the Biden Administration can repair this damage.

Rural America In These Times

From Mad Cow Disease To a Failed Pandemic Response

Health officials did too little, too late to control an outbreak of mad cow disease in the 80s. Sound familiar?

Frank Carber

Here’s How Biden Could Help Fix the Rural Healthcare Crisis

Since long before Covid, rural health has suffered from federal misunderstanding and neglect.

Lauren Hughes and Sameer Vohra

Growing Food in Self-Defense

For years, Black folks in this small South Carolina town have tended gardens and raised animals to build personal resilience and protect their culture.

Gillian Richards-Greaves

Is the Walmart Family Capturing the Colorado River?

The Walton Family Foundation has been pouring millions into nonprofit groups concerned with the Colorado River — including media outlets that cover the issue.

Dave Marston