Latest Rural culture Stories

More than 35 years after Oregon began one of the nation's most ambitious land use planning programs, a new study suggests it's still difficult to demonstrate that it has accomplished one of its primary goals "“ protecting agricultural lands and a thriving forest, farm and ranching industry.There's some evidence that the laws have provided a "measurable degree of protection," scientists say in the report. However, there are also impacts that were little anticipated or considered four decades...

Additional 4,528 Acres on 40 Farms Now Protected from Development HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board today added 4,528 acres on 40 farms to the state's nationally recognized farmland preservation program, Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding said. The action keeps those lands in agricultural use and protects them from development. The latest farms to be preserved are located in Adams, Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Chester,...

Continued support for off-shore oil drilling by Gulf Coast residents who are dealing with one of the most devastating environmental disasters in U.S. history might seem surprising, but new research from the University of New Hampshire shows that local factors such as unemployment and population growth influence views about the value of environmental conservation and regulation.The research is presented in the most recent issue of the journal Rural Sociology in the article "Place Effects...

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by Doctors for All: Citing a federal government estimate that more than 3 million Californians cannot find doctors who will provide them essential medical care, health care and social justice advocates challenge the Senate to show the same level of compassion and leadership demonstrated by yesterday's passage of SB 726 (Ashburn) on the Assembly Floor. "Speaker John Perez and members of the State Assembly...

State Adds 34 Farms to Nation-Leading Program, Including 15,000th Preserved Acre in Lebanon County HARRISBURG, Pa., June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board reached a major milestone today by preserving the state's 4,000th farm, ensuring these vital agricultural operations will remain available to produce food and fiber for future generations, said Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding today. "Pennsylvania's farmland preservation program...

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania's nation-leading farmland preservation program today expanded to safeguard an additional 1,722 acres on 18 farms -- a move that Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding said will help to ensure secure sources of food, a cleaner environment and a more vital economy. "Preserving farmland secures our food production abilities, protects the environment and our natural resources, and sustains our local economies," said Redding. "As...

CHICAGO, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a report today that says the rural Midwest must "move past silos and smokestacks" to reinvent itself and compete in the global economy. The report calls on towns and counties, competing with each other for industry and manufacturing jobs and investments, to join forces to spur innovation and entrepreneurship. The report was released as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Directors...

Producer Panel Meets to Discuss Farm Transition Planning Need, Challenges HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Agricultural Preservation Board today voted to safeguard 3,346 additional acres on 36 farms from future development through the state's nationally recognized farmland preservation program. The latest farms to be preserved are located in Berks, Blair, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Cumberland, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mifflin,...

Unintentional suffocation of infants twice as common in rural areasThe death rate from injuries in rural areas of China is higher than in urban areas, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy. Rural males of all ages were 47 percent more likely to die from injuries than urban males, and the overall rate in rural females was 33 percent higher than in urban females. For babies under one year of age,...

Additional 3,332 Acres Preserved on 31 Farms in 19 Counties HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania's nation-leading farmland preservation program today set aside an additional 3,332 acres on 31 farms for permanent agricultural production, acting Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced. In the program's 21-year history, 428,708 acres on 3,928 farms have been preserved for agricultural use in perpetuity, safeguarding them from development. "Preserving...