AgricultureEconomy

US Farm Country Faces Growing Challenges

Officials and Senator warn of costs, labor, and policy risks Former senior officials from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with a leading Republican senator, have issued a stark warning about the growing challenges facing America’s farm country, saying rural communities are under mounting economic and structural pressure that could reshape the nation’s food system. In a series of public remarks and policy discussions, the officials highlighted rising production costs, labor shortages, climate stress, and uncertainty over federal support programs as major threats to farmers and rural livelihoods. They cautioned that without coordinated action, the strain on farm country…

Books & LiteratureCulture

The Left Shoe First

“I used to tape motivational quotes above my bed. None of them mentioned prosthetics that squeak. The first time I stood on a prosthetic, I whispered to the limb as if it were a dog I had to convince to stay. I tied the left shoe first, always left first. Insurance. Or maybe an elegy. Today, I run again, step by step, letting the world decide whether to break or continue. And for the first time, it feels enough.”