Center for Rural Affairs:Oct. News: Values, Community, Health Care & Farm Policy

View this newsletter online at this link or download a PDF of it. Read the Blog for Rural America | Support the Center | More About Us Greetings, When the Center for Rural Affairs takes on a tough issue, we set our position based on honest evaluation guided by our values. Then we fight hard, and sometimes that angers friends who hold strong partisan allegiances. We've drawn sharp criticism from some Republican partisans over our support for health reform and climate change legislation. Two years ago, we were under fire from some Democratic partisans over our criticism of congressional Democrats for continuing big payments to mega-farms. We expect the heat. And while we don't like to disappoint friends, we are determined to put principle over party, intellectual honesty over ideology. In each of these instances, we were guided by our statement of values - values that reflect the best in rural America and the true interest of rural people. Read more about how values guide our work. HEALTH CARE Health Care: What If Rural Really Mattered? After August's rancorous health care debate, it seems time to return to the question, what would it look like if rural really mattered in the health care debate? Continue reading. What Can Health Reform Do for Your Community? The status quo is not sustainable. We cannot afford more years of 20 percent premium increases or continue to subject Americans to the risk of losing health insurance. Well crafted reform can provide the following benefits. Read more. COMMUNITY Sustaining Small Town Grocery Stores A small grocery store anchors one end of Main Street in the town the Center for Rural Affairs calls home. If you live in a rural community, you understand that our grocery store is arguably one of the most important businesses in town. Read more about how communities are keeping grocery stores open. Center Offers Community Development Guide The Center for Rural Affairs' new Community Development Resource Guide was created to help communities achieve their goals. After all, rural community development begins with the people living in the community. Continue reading and download the guide. POLICY & AGRICULTURE Renewable Energy Will Create Rural Jobs The most important issue awaiting action by this Congress for rural development in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota is renewable energy legislation. In 2006, President Bush emphasized the nation's need for greater energy efficiency and a more diversified energy portfolio. This led to a collaborative effort to explore a modeled energy scenario in which wind provides 20 percent of U.S. electricity by 2030. Continue reading. Corporate Farming: Tyson to Pay $2 Million Fine In August, Tyson Foods ended a dispute with the federal government over violations of a 2002 consent decree and federal pollution discharge permit by agreeing to pay a $2,026,500 fine. The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the agreement to resolve wastewater issues that occurred in 2003 and 2004 at Tyson's Dakota City, Nebraska, beef packing plant. Continue reading. Development Matters: Harvest Offers Way to Give As we come to the end of the crop growing season things are busy. There is a real variation of crop conditions across the country, from very dry to very lush. As a farm person who loves the seasons, it is great to watch production come to harvest. I have always marveled at the bounty of the land. Continue reading. Training USDA Conservation Staff on Organics Working from an Organic Farming Research Foundation grant, the Center for Rural Af­fairs created a unique training opportunity for USDA Natural Resources Conservation staff on organics. Continue reading. Help the Center grow: The Center for Rural Affairs is only as strong as all of us working together for a stronger rural America. That's why we need YOU to help us reach new people interested in family farming and ranching and rural communities. You can help out by forwarding this newsletter to others you know that may be interested. Ask them to sign up to receive the newsletter directly at http://www.cfra.org/signup Deadline Nearing for Value-Added Grants The U.S. Department of Agriculture recent­ly announced the availability of $18 million for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. The deadline to apply is November 30, 2009. Find out more. Across the Nation Pennsylvania: Students in Elk County Pennsylvania, about 120 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, were served a meal of entirely locally grown food on September 16, 2009. Ridgeway Area School District Superintendent Tom Butler used the locally grown meal to teach the community about the importance of nutrition and supporting local farmers. (more) Washington: Every year, more than 100 canoes from Coastal Salish tribes in Washington and British Columbia paddle for days from all directions to gather at Suquamish near Seattle. This year five of the canoes carried U.S. Geological Survey equipment to measure the health and quality of the water between Washington and British Columbia, often called the Salish Sea. (more) South Carolina: Each year in South Carolina about 45,000 dove hunters harvest 900,000 mourning doves. Dove hunters stimulate the South Carolina Lowcountry economy and encourage land conservation to provide habitat for doves, quail, ducks, turkey, marsh hens and other birds. (more) Arizona: Each spring, farmers in Chandler and Casa Grande herd thousands of domestic sheep to cooler northern Arizona and back south in the fall. The Western Watersheds Project is suing sheep farmers to block their herding path, which runs across U.S. Forest Service land. (more) Small Business in Nebraska Marvin and Candy Blecha purchased the hardware store in Humboldt, Nebraska, in fall of 2006. Prior to their purchase, store hours were sporadic and supplies and inventory were limited. Marvin, a machinery mechanic, saw a way to keep Humboldt's downtown square alive with business and to help his hometown economy grow. He and his wife Candy understand the importance of supporting their community and growing the business economy in Southeast Nebraska. Find out more. Find the Center on the Web   Flash Focus Rural Monitor The Great Plains Are Great, Not Plain NPR.org Blog: The Picture Show | By Claire O'Neill Patience Urged On Rural Roads St. Joe News | By Andrew Gaug Neb. Lawmakers Told Action Needed for Health Care The New York Times | By Associated Press Action Plan to Help Keep Rural Life Vibrant Yorkshire Post Blog for Rural America A Faithful Perspective on Health Care: Part III By Sabrina Miller Newest Data on Health Insurance - Who Has It, Who Doesn't and Where Uninsured Rates are Growing By Jon Bailey Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Remembers By Steph Larsen Respect Doesn't Sell Newspapers By Steph Larsen The Center for Rural Affairs was formed in 1973 by rural Nebraskans concerned about family farms and rural communities. Today, we work across all of rural America to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities. 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