Rural Affairs
Room to Roam with No Money Down
Rural development loans from the USDA allow folks to pay 0% down on a properties out of the city.
The Hidden Homeless of Rural America
Unhoused people in rural areas of Kansas and Missouri often go unseen and unhelped.
On the Edge: More Suburbanites Embrace Rural Life
Soaring home prices and expanding remote work options are prompting more suburbanites to opt for rural communities to live.
What You Know About Rural America May Be Wrong
Younger Americans are considering rural life as an option, spurring what some observers are calling “brain gain” in seemingly unlikely places.
Rural Missouri Joins ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement
Rural communities are joining “Black Lives Matter” protests following the death of George Floyd.
Video Chats With Doctors Can Save Lives in Rural Areas
Telemedicine offers hope for improved medical care in rural areas, but adoption has been slow.
Rural and Hungry
The rush hits at noon. That’s when kids start pouring into the gym at Susquehanna Baptist Church. On a scorching Wednesday last month, they lined up to choose their lunches: pizza, subs or PB&J. Most picked pizza. The Independence, Missouri, church is one of more than 350 summer food sites around Kansas City that…
As High-Tech Farms Take Hold, Can Farm Towns Hold On?
Brandon Biesemeier climbs up a small ladder into a John Deere sprayer, takes a seat in the enclosed cab, closes the door, and blocks out most of the machine’s loud engine hum. It is a familiar perch to the fourth-generation farmer on Colorado’s eastern plains. He turns onto a country road, heading south to spray…
Great Plains Ranchers Look To Rebuild In Wake Of Massive Fires
Gena Kirk did not realize the largest wildfire in Kansas history was closing in on the Kirk Ranch on March 6 until she got a call from her brother-in-law. After realizing that her herd was in danger, she jumped into her pickup and sped up the hill where several of her cattle were grazing. As…
Corn Belt Farmers Wary As Leadership In Washington Shifts
As President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, goes in front of the Senate, it bucks a recent trend of Midwest leadership at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And it is making many in the farm country of the Midwest and Great Plans a little leery. Coupled with the…