Rural Development Highlighted by USDA

By Dennis Mclaughlin
Published on November 1, 2006
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PHOTO: FOTOLIA/JOHN SANDOY
The USDA briefing recently discussed rural development and the Farm Bill.

Learn the latest from the USDA briefing on rural development.

It’s an established trend — Americans are moving beyond the ‘burbs’ to rural areas. But it’s not fatter paychecks they’re chasing. While rural population overall has grown since 2000, incomes have lagged — rural dwellers make around three-fourths the income of their metropolitan counterparts.

For one in five rural counties, farming is the primary source of livelihood for its residents. Elsewhere, rural manufacturing employment has dropped, although the decline seems to have stabilized. Only in rural recreation counties with lakes, beaches and mountains, has there been rapid growth in employment and income.

It will come as no surprise to Grit readers that people migrating to rural America are seeking something different — like more space to do the things they value in life. Many are small-farm oriented and put a lot of stock into sustainable living. It remains to be seen, however, how many of these folks will cherish their relative isolation when they discover they’re not wired to the Internet.

These observations and concerns were highlighted in a USDA brief presenting its perspective on rural development in preparation for the upcoming Farm Bill 2007 debate. The USDA is focusing on:

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