skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

ND Drought: How Will It Affect Young Farmers?

play audio
Play

Thursday, August 17, 2017   

SOUTH HEART, N.D. – North Dakota farmer Bob Kuylen says he's mowed his lawn once this summer.

Normally it's at least once a week.

Kuylen farms near South Heart in the southwestern part of the state, colored the darkest red on drought maps, marking that the area is in the highest stage of drought.

Nearly the entire state is in some stage of drought, and almost half is in the extreme or exceptional categories, the two highest categories measured.

Kuylen, vice president of the North Dakota Farmers Union, says his top concern is the young farmers who might not be able to weather current conditions.

"If something doesn't happen with some kind of a cash influx to these guys where they can just go in survival mode for a year and give it a try again next year, I think we're going to lose a lot of them and that's concerning to me because agriculture's been tough the last 20 years and we lost a couple generations of farmers," he states.

At the beginning of August, the Farmers Union called for federal disaster payments to assist livestock and crop producers. Last week, Gov. Doug Burgum asked President Donald Trump for a disaster declaration, saying the state is "the epicenter of drought for the nation."

Kuylen says North Dakota farmers are used to facing adversity and harsh conditions, but the current drought is of a different magnitude.

"It's troubling, but we've survived through a lot of it and we'll probably do this one too, but it's going to be tougher because it's just been a string of things going on that have been putting the stress, the financial stress, on farmers," he states.

Unfortunately, climate models don't predict relief from the drought, especially as the state enters the dry season.

Kuylen just hopes young farmers don’t get too discouraged. Otherwise, he says, the future of agriculture will look a lot different than it does now.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021