BEND, Ore. – Veterans and community members in the Bend area are meeting this week to make plans for a sustainable farming operation as part of the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch.

Since 2013, the nonprofit group has worked to create a combination farm and ranch on land purchased outside of Bend, and a four-bedroom home on the property is being converted into a hospice for veterans needing end-of-life care.

The idea is to staff it with veterans. Now it's time to decide which types of crops to grow and animals to raise.

Founder Alison Perry says the group pondering those questions is a good mix.

"There's kind of this blending of the old guard and more conservative and then, there also are people who have tried innovative things and have learned by trial and error,” she explains. “And then, there are people like me – complete idealists who say, 'Let's do it, regardless of how hard it is.'"

Options being considered for the ranch include the Navajo-Churro, a hardy breed of rare sheep, as well as well as raising lavender, hops and bees on the land.

Perry says a greenhouse is on the wish list to allow for growing vegetables. The planning meeting takes place this Friday.

Perry notes it would be easier to use conventional farming methods, but that isn't what the group has in mind. Instead, it has decided on permaculture – working with the land instead of changing it to create certain growing conditions.

As a trauma therapist who worked for the Veterans Administration for six years, Perry says for veterans recovering from trauma, the approach is a learning experience on several levels.

"There's a very interesting mindfulness in permaculture or sustainable agriculture practices that requires taking your time,” she points out. “It's a much more relational process. It's systems-based, so you're looking at how systems work together."

Perry adds the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch would like to put a tiny house on the property for a foreman as finances permit and the farm and ranch operations get up and running.

The hospice facility should be open by year's end.



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A small Pennsylvania community is hoping Congress will remember the needs of rural areas as lawmakers negotiate the final, contentious debt ceiling deal.

Jamie Kinder, mayor of Meadville, said larger cities tend to get more attention and funding from federal and state governments, and small rural areas like hers are more likely to be left out. She added her town has benefited from Bipartisan Infrastructure Act dollars, which have funded projects and programs in the community.

Kinder contends federal funding for small, rural areas must continue.

"We have used that federal money; we bought a fire truck," Kinder pointed out. "That's what helped us be able to bring the EMS service into Meadville. We don't have a lot of money, we have no way of bringing in revenue for a city, right? They tie your hands at the state level. So, the only way you get money in a city is through property tax."

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Pennsylvania is expected to receive about $13.2 billion over five years in federal funding for highways and bridges. In Meadville, road resurfacing on one major street is part of more than $12.5 million in state work scheduled this year by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Kinder emphasized Meadville relies on funding from the federal government, noting her town's economic needs are just as great as those in larger cities and suburban areas.

"We are a small community of 13,000," Kinder said. "And just because we are small doesn't mean that our citizens aren't worth as much, right? So, we want to make sure that we're giving the same opportunities to rural places as we are big cities and urban places."

Kinder added the town has also received grants to purchase ambulances and equip the fire station and historic Market House with solar energy. Meadville has also created a climate action plan focusing on its future.

State grants could bring high-speed internet access to nearly 15,000 Washingtonians.

The State Broadband Office is awarding $121 million to 19 projects largely designed to ensure broadband for rural communities.

Director of the Washington State Broadband Office Mark Vasconi said an even greater number of communities will need to be served after this round of grants.

"We received over $300 million worth of requests," said Vasconi. "So, I think that shows the need that's out there and, frankly, we were glad that we were able to award the projects that we did."

The state has a goal of ensuring every Washingtonian has access to 150 megabits per second speed internet by 2028.

According to the latest Federal Communications Commission broadband map, 93% of Washingtonians have access to internet with speeds of at least 100 megabits per second.

Vasconi said internet availability will equalize access to services for the people who live in Washington.

"You have access to services, access to information that you otherwise would not have," said Vasconi. "It's really essential in order to conduct your daily life, whether that be health care information, educational information, banking information."

Funds are going to counties and electric co-ops - as well as the Spokane Tribe, which is receiving about $3.4 million. The state is funding the project with investments from the federal Coronavirus Capital Project Fund.




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Young farmers in the United States face extensive structural barriers affecting their mental health, according to a new survey from the National Young Farmers Coalition.

A lack of affordable health care and housing as well as access to land is taking a toll on farmers just starting their career, as well as farmers of color.

Jac Wypler, farmer mental-health director for the National Young Farmers Coalition, said mental decline can lead to poor decision-making and higher risk of injury.

"Farmer mental health truly can lead to farms being less viable," Wypler pointed out. "Farmers being less capable to do the work of the farm, as well as leaving the farming profession."

Wypler noted low pay for farmworkers and even food insecurity are also leading to farmer burnout. Advocates have created a bilingual mental health hotline for farmers at 1-800-FARM-AID and are cultivating a growing network of young farmer leaders working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

The 2018 Farm Bill was the first to direct funding toward farmers' mental health and advocates are hoping the 2023 Farm Bill will offer even more.

Wypler acknowledged Americans' appreciation for farmers and the challenges they face grew during the pandemic, but stressed continued support is needed.

"A functioning healthy food system requires healthy farmers and farmworkers, and that includes their mental health," Wypler contended.

Cultivemos, a network for farmer and farmworker well-being in the Northeast, has regranted federal dollars to more than ninety organizations working to improve farmers' mental health through training and peer mentoring.


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