The decline in the nation’s rural population first began in 2010, before reaching its lowest level in 2011-2012. Rural areas lost nearly 62,000 residents that year, alone. However, since then it’s begun to reverse. The Economic Research Service at the USDA made that announcement in its annual report titled “Rural America at a Glance.” As recently as 2016-2017, the ERS says rural counties added population for the first time this decade due to people moving in as the economy improved. The rural unemployment rate peaked at 10.3 percent in 2010, dropping steadily since then to 4.3 percent in 2017. After peaking in 2013, rural poverty rates across all racial and ethnic groups have also declined since then. However, the overall graying of rural America is still continuing. Rural areas are attracting retirees and losing new people coming into the workforce. Rural counties are still more attractive to retirees who are looking for scenic or lifestyle amenities.

U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue applauded the proposed rulemaking from the Department of Labor regarding the H-2A Visa Program. The proposed new rule would require American employers looking for temporary help to advertise their job openings to domestic workers online, instead of in expensive newspaper ads that reach a limited audience. This is one of the first steps in H-2A regulatory reform that was promised in May through a joint statement from the Secretaries of Agriculture, Labor, State, and Homeland Security. Perdue says one of the biggest concerns he hears about from farmers during his travels around the country is the shortage of legal farm labor. “Our farmers and ranchers are the most productive in the world and they want to obey immigration law,” says Perdue. “When American workers aren’t available, farmers turn to the H-2A program that is overly bureaucratic and cost prohibitive. Using regulations like this is one way to modernize H-2A to reach more American workers while providing relief to farmers from one of the high costs of the program.” Perdue says it’s good to see government using 21st Century technology, rather than limiting farmers to placing notices in want ads.

A coalition of ag groups, agribusinesses, and related industries sent a group of representatives to Cuba for a three-day conference aimed at increasing sales and cooperation between the two nations. Reuters says the conference was held in spite of President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to tighten trade sanctions against the island nation. The U.S. Ag Coalition for Cuba wants the trade embargo lifted and they want more trade between the two nations, so they sponsored the trip. Going as far back as 2000, U.S. farmers and agribusinesses have sold $5.7 billion worth of food to the communist nation. It was back in 2000 that an amendment was added to the trade embargo allowing cash-only sales. Cuba imports up to $2 billion in food every year and American farmers and ranchers want a bigger slice of that pie. Paul Johnson, a co-chair of the Ag Coalition for Cuba, says, “Rural America supported President Trump and want him to remember those same people also want him to open up the Cuban market.” Johnson says trade hasn’t reached its full potential with Cuba, and changes underway in the Cuban government represent an opportunity ahead for American farmers and ranchers.

The National Pork Board, United Soybean Board, and National Corn Growers Association announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on a sustainability research platform that will benefit all three organizations and their producers last week. This research program will include the sharing of completed research, coordination on current and planned research and define ways to share and communicate results with each organization’s members. Leadership from the three commodity groups agree that it is prudent to consider specific ways in which they might work together more effectively to ensure alignment and collaboration in sustainability research and how the results can and will be communicated and shared. An overarching goal of proactive, continuous improvement is a shared focus among pork, soybean and corn producers. Through combined communications efforts and outreach, the organizations can increase the education, capacity and motivation of pig and grain farmers to adopt conservation measures that deliver benefits to the environment and to farm resilience and profitability. A task force of farmer representatives from NPB, USB and NCGA will be formed and, with support from each organization, will be responsible for managing and evaluating the activities outlined in the MOU. Additionally, the task force will track progress and evaluate the value and impact of the MOU upon completion of all activities.

As Congress is back in D.C., both House and Senate Ag leaders are promising to take action on a new farm bill during the upcoming lame-duck session. While the negotiations are in the stretch-run, questions remain on just how dug in the president is on stricter SNAP work requirements for program recipients. During a press conference, Trump blamed Democrats for farm bill delays because of their opposition to stronger work requirements. The president says he wants “work requirements” in the bill, a demand that some interpreted as a subtle veto threat. Politico says many food and agricultural lobbyists are shrugging off President Trump’s latest comments. They’re betting Trump wouldn’t veto a farm bill without the new work requirements if it landed on his desk. Bob Greenstein, founder and president of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, says Trump’s threat to refuse to accept a bill if it doesn’t contain those work provisions doesn’t make sense. “If he refuses to accept such a bill, the farm bill would then die in the lame duck, and the next Congress, with a Democratic House, will start over,” Greenstein says. The resulting new farm bill would be even less to the president’s liking.