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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Flight data offers another look at Colorado’s snowpack. The view is grim.
April 13, 2026
Research groups, news organizations and water officials have been blaring warnings about the worst snowpack in history and water supply concerns heading into the summer.
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Measure D to decide the future of cannabis farming in San Benito County
April 10, 2026
Aims to overhaul current tax structure for cannabis cultivation.
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U.S. farm bankruptcies increased in 2025. What does that look like in Oklahoma?
April 10, 2026
Of the 315 farms that filed for bankruptcy, three were in Oklahoma, according to a report from the American Farm Bureau Federation. Though the Oklahoma number seems small, it’s still an increase.
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Big Meat’s Ties to USDA Top Official Revealed
April 09, 2026
Mindy Brashears, USDA’s food safety lead, has deep financial and advisory affiliations to the industry she regulates, a new ProPublica database shows.
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How to Find Black Farmers in Your Area and Support Them
April 08, 2026
With the federal government consistently eliminating resources, Black farmers are encouraging their communities to shop local.
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Manure Digesters Help Cut Methane — But They Also Leak
April 08, 2026
On average, methane emissions fell by about 25%. But methane leaks from manure digesters can be so potent that they need to be constantly monitored, researchers say.
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Diesel and fertilizer cost spikes put squeeze on NC corn farmers
April 06, 2026
War in the Middle East is driving up price of liquid nitrogen used to produce corn fertilizer. Some NC farmers could switch crops in 2026.
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Plan for Largest Dairy in Minnesota History Raises Water and Pollution Concerns
April 01, 2026
Riverview’s mega-dairy expansion in Morris would store 250 million gallons of liquid manure and use water volumes equal to 75% of the local supply.
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Trump made meatpacking investigation a campaign promise but antitrust staff has been gutted
March 31, 2026
Four companies own 85% of US beef production. Independent ranchers say consolidation has narrowed their market options, and past federal antitrust cases have largely ended in fines rather than meaningful changes.
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Gas prices on the rise as the snow melts and birds return
March 27, 2026
Gary Lee shares how rising gas prices impact the North Country as snow melts and the Adirondacks gets into spring.
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Iowa’s High Cancer Rate Linked to Nitrate, Pesticides, PFAS and Radon, New Report Finds
March 25, 2026
The new analysis combines science on environmental risk factors with the lived experiences of Iowans battling cancer.
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Hawai‘i Farmers Confront $11M In Flood Damage Without A Safety Net
March 24, 2026
Crop insurance is hard to attain in Hawaiʻi, and federal programs are tailored to mainland agriculture.
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Ten Million Tons of Manure In California Are Unaccounted for, New Report Shows
March 12, 2026
Stanford researchers found serious loopholes in factory farm regulation — and it’s not just in California.
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In Leipsic, watermen have toiled for generations to dredge the deep
March 12, 2026
But in this tiny bayfront town, rising costs, fewer licenses and changing waters threaten a way of life built on crabbing and fishing.
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A shrinking Colorado River is forcing farms to change
March 12, 2026
From low-flow nozzles to baling hay at night, see how farmers are adapting to less water.
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