skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

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

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

NE: Sustainable Agriculture and Farming

A field of sunflowers is shown on fourth-generation Koelling land in Ord, Nebraska. The Koellings grew their sunflower oil business with the help of the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program. (Photo courtesy of Alan Koelling, Simply Sunflowers)
Federal funds back renewable energy, efficiency upgrades for NE ag, small business

Nebraska ag producers and small businesses have until Sept. 30 to apply for the latest funding round of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural …

play audio
In an article on the Food and Water Watch website, reporter Rebecca Wolf writes,
New organic rules for livestock: What will they mean?

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Deborah Van Fleet for Nebraska News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Coll…

play audio

Use of cover crops, such as winter wheat, can help water and nutrients penetrate the soil and smother weeds, leading to better corn crops.  (Magnus/Adobe Stock)
NE youth hopeful for regenerative ag, sustainability after D.C. conference

Three members of Nebraska's student-run climate advocacy organization Students for Sustainability were among the youngest participants at the recent C…

play audio
In 2023, the Farm Service Agency enrolled 2.7 million acres to its Grassland Conservation Reserve Program out of more than 4.6 million acres offered by landowners. (MarekPhotoDesign.com/Adobe Stock)
Friday deadline for 2024 USDA grassland conservation program

Farm producers and landowners have until the end of this week to apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency's Grasslands …

play audio

Cover crops and other regenerative practices prevent erosion, improve soil health and can absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere and
Experienced NE farmer talks cattle, cover crops and regenerative agriculture

One of the goals included in Nebraska's Department of Environment and Energy's Priority Climate Action Plan recently submitted to the federal Environm…

play audio
Indigenous woman wearing a traditional dress. (SALMONNEGRO/Adobe Stock)
Omaha Maya organization receives $15,000 grant for regenerative ag practices

An Omaha Maya organization has received one of five $15,000 grants from the nonprofit GreenLatinos. Some 85 organizations applied for the grant …

play audio

Since 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program has awarded nearly $68 million in low-interest loans and $17 million in grants to rural microentrepreneurs. (Andriy Blokhin/Adobe Stock)
Renewing and revising USDA's RMAP benefits NE small towns

Dozens of Microenterprise Development Organizations from 28 states, including Nebraska's Center for Rural Affairs, have signed a letter urging …

play audio
As of 2021, there were more than 17,000 farms with at least one certified organic crop, compared with only around 150 certified biodynamic farms in the United States. (sjredwin1/Adobe Stock)
Biodynamic farming views farms as living organism for greater sustainability

By Ellie Kuckelman for The Reader.Broadcast version by Deborah Van Fleet for Nebraska News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-P…

play audio

Upcoming Youth Climate Summit to Focus on Solutions, Hope

A 2021 survey published in The Lancet showed almost half of U.S. youth ages 16 to 25 feel "heightened worry" about climate change. Sponsors of …

play audio
More than 100 U.S. crops depend on pollinators, which provided approximately $18 billion of value in 2020. In Nebraska, fruit orchards and melon crops in particular are dependent upon honeybee pollination. (kosolovsky/Adobe Stock)
Seasoned NE Beekeeper Abuzz Over Bee Lawns, Other Bee-Friendly Practices

Bees and other pollinators are indispensable to a huge number of crops, and in Nebraska as well as across the country their numbers have been …

play audio

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture expected to grant more than $800,000 in USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant dollars in 2023. (trongnguyen/Adobe Stock)
Students at Eight Rural NE Schools To Learn 'Specialty Crop' Production

Students in eight rural Nebraska schools will soon be getting hands-on experience in "specialty crop" production thanks to a two-year U.S. Department …

play audio
In addition to their use in crop spraying, drones can help farmers and researchers assess how their plants, animals and property are being affected by
Community Colleges Help Build NE 'Precision Ag' Workforce

Agriculture plays a huge role in Nebraska's economy, and it is the topic of a bill in Congress getting rare bipartisan support. The Community …

play audio

 

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