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Suzette's Letter, August 7, 2018

Publications

New! https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/topic_files/USDARD/USDARD_884/2018/08/03/file_attachments/1049627/USDA%2BPrograms%2Bin%2Bthe%2BLocal%2BFood%2BSupply%2BChain%2B-%2BFINAL__1049627.PDF">Local Food Supply Chain Flyer
Producers and USDA partners can now find and access USDA resources electronically with the interactive Local Food Supply Chain flyer. This resource helps refer individuals to programs and funding sources across USDA. Resources are relevant to those interested in selling direct to consumers, local institutions, retailers, or distributors who plan to market the food as locally-raised or -grown to meet increasing consumer demand for local food.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QwVMyypPxKe05VPCfIzpusPhi71bN87sZ_0bk1Y2JDcI3myhn2lZnxScCCR8oYDBjeMdh502HGTaRJNTLpw_kVydLRYOpO1BtTpqhnh8ISkwDnGfvHw1am8zW8rzkP5QNzffNpgWLV9xrXgpXUH3i2q9MSI56KxKRhvFOQlVigGjy0KsBQq3PEk4jyZU9bdyVQugq8scfkuS7DlpqoQUCeb8tRmzDQ6a-L4322Sb6WOYwVHUoZpdv5kW9Y9GZbYGNI5sRc1lJaq5iI5n6aBYvA==&c=9CVg3nICdruqtLfjwhPAC8_swuPg3qxeu6xkDzi3YET9WKRIiSOAkQ==&ch=QKu5Lc_Gt3sVboAqGJ9OTtqJnSV3E5no-v1MFc6UvKMfIqbZal6p5w==">Including asset appreciation and tax-loss benefits raises average farm household economic returns for all types of farms 
Of the roughly 2 million U.S. farm households, more than half report negative income from their farming operations each year. Most farms are small, and the proportion incurring farm losses is higher for households operating smaller farms—where most or all of their income is typically derived from off-farm activities. However, many households offset their off-farm income with these farm losses, thus reducing their taxable income. Also, in many years, farm real estate values have increased, which bolsters the economic returns for farmland owners. When these tax-loss benefits and changes in farm real estate values are taken into consideration, the returns to farming increased in 2015. For example, for residence farm households, estimated average returns increased from a negative $2,241 to positive $13,619. The increases in average returns for intermediate and commercial farm households were even greater. Finally, the share of total farm households with positive returns from their farm operation rose from 43 percent to 70 percent, primarily due to the broad increases in farmland real estate prices in 2015.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001HznG-C-AUL4CPvwGm_xC6QDJPS5gcktRdkCnvop1mG1obSZDQ5Io4Q04sZhE4mZWNWQLDymWaIDOv0-HorDs4q7itMTuexElqiv7SoYNN4SpY5HB9OJJKXbMbZ_0ehORire_8dall-pS2K43tc0mT1rHOSfS2ljeXIs2m25kp4ybXzyYtAn44rmil5GCTwt3H70sl7fj2kp1q8j9e50MPkg9hYXRbCi6nTUpo8erDYCNzKwbVPlszxoDSEcH3KugvWDTYdIkxV1_fVCReFhctA==&c=7HDW_CdWlqsdOoUbPoU5OuHQtt34JAAlAAkyKcw8HdNX1P1_RsSk6A==&ch=WeTIRjvj7gM1lPnHKiM9DxeG8l82iMd6ewGqqnrcklRHUPyccNQrWw==">Although farm wages have increased, labor costs as a share of farm gross cash income remained relatively flat 
Farm wages have risen since 2000, reaching an annual average of $13.32 per hour in 2017. However, farm labor costs as a share of farm gross cash income do not show an upward trend over 2000-16, as rising wage rates for farm workers have been offset by a number of factors, including rising labor productivity and output prices for some commodities. For all farms, labor costs averaged 10.1 percent of gross cash income in 2016, compared to 10.6 percent in 2000. For the more labor-intensive fruit, vegetable, and horticulture operations, labor costs in 2016 amounted to 26.7 percent of gross cash income, compared to 28.6 percent in 2000. For farms specializing in dairy, the labor cost share of gross cash income was 10.2 percent in 2016, compared to 9.5 percent in 2000.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001QJF_RHzyM9G9bzuLGK_bBJnceNT5KdVbL0lTuMBa6sln2rSTKMOfYnXbXSLCfLTcQGuy5d3_zES72HlnNVYrIyzZtCzHSE2VcM9Nx8sMCJxAMlWC0r7m8lYkOo5LuPK9hfE9HcrqIiQONRDXFG_NTdvIhZj8fjg1kK62KIu_SnMGNGFBuEFZp28qq8d0lCmU71Jn6NhZrHnAMdI7Tk-Q_n5bZC9Rb0y6FBUI6NJe1foAP7VZkhOEPw0Bqsg8vvOTdgrZdoaLiOGdoeR9BomdJw==&c=kMH6-Cf3sd9dyWp4HOynzkgU4PzvUdCcshj14ZfgosA91XLCY1KmBQ==&ch=k69lOu9p8eiWKs-MDgNq1YnfO-7GpnicCElC8tb4TQTG_YYYCV-Q1Q==">Households with children make tradeoffs between time and money in their purchases of restaurant meals 
Childcare requires a lot of time, and some households respond to this constraint by cutting back on time spent shopping for food, cooking, and cleaning up afterwards. ERS researchers used data from USDA’s 2012-13 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) to look at the factors that affect demand for convenience and found that households with two children spent 48 percent of their food budgets on restaurant food, while households without children spent only 41 percent. Longer waiting times for food and less child-friendly settings and menu offerings may be among the reasons that households with children spent less on full-service restaurant meals than those without children, regardless of the number of children. As the number of children increases, the monetary cost of eating out seems to outweigh the time savings, especially for households with more than two children. Households with one child spent 37 percent of their food budget on fast food, while households with two children spent 40 percent. The share spent on fast food did not increase after two children.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001HznG-C-AUL4CPvwGm_xC6QDJPS5gcktRdkCnvop1mG1obSZDQ5Io4Q04sZhE4mZWNWQLDymWaIDOv0-HorDs4q7itMTuexElqiv7SoYNN4SpY5HB9OJJKXbMbZ_0ehORire_8dall-pS2K43tc0mT1rHOSfS2ljeXIs2m25kp4ybXzyYtAn44rmil5GCTwt3H70sl7fj2kp1q8j9e50MPkg9hYXRbCi6nTUpo8erDYCNzKwbVPlszxoDSEcH3KugvWDTYdIkxV1_fVCReFhctA==&c=7HDW_CdWlqsdOoUbPoU5OuHQtt34JAAlAAkyKcw8HdNX1P1_RsSk6A==&ch=WeTIRjvj7gM1lPnHKiM9DxeG8l82iMd6ewGqqnrcklRHUPyccNQrWw==">Although farm wages have increased, labor costs as a share of farm gross cash income remained relatively flat 
Farm wages have risen since 2000, reaching an annual average of $13.32 per hour in 2017. However, farm labor costs as a share of farm gross cash income do not show an upward trend over 2000-16, as rising wage rates for farm workers have been offset by a number of factors, including rising labor productivity and output prices for some commodities. For all farms, labor costs averaged 10.1 percent of gross cash income in 2016, compared to 10.6 percent in 2000. For the more labor-intensive fruit, vegetable, and horticulture operations, labor costs in 2016 amounted to 26.7 percent of gross cash income, compared to 28.6 percent in 2000. For farms specializing in dairy, the labor cost share of gross cash income was 10.2 percent in 2016, compared to 9.5 percent in 2000.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001W7kJaUj0NY2pbH2zvQxLCDH7Y3SnnYBbicwpcGHHgULZsiFc5no5Bs-HYEK0MCOtnsekBW1Lp81bQI2Wrw9rnSC1KRj4vJGFAUNH5Vj5EnPXiFSdqSZKtF99VsqI6w7ir8FAH127iBpu6cx-OUMkugVj6sqD9ODvXYWAjr6nhF115xXyWe-G3crrb7MuK6ojkhtkFaW_mUy3zBQSQDZMu6saBre4SCpBT4tH127-bt96OjkwZWbVewogWI4n6KfihMHlL-IdHbKx7H-U9CIIZA==&c=-oQB-orUK-f93B1AJC38oS5dnP7PRz5oeonBnLNX1kjsHB-kkMIpCw==&ch=68m45HlAW6T6cbTrun_ORZdsm5qgMLeyV3rI_QnpmKvpcAwY19jHsA==">Elder veterans tend to reside in rural counties and near military bases 
Veterans constitute a rapidly aging and increasingly diverse group disproportionally living in rural America. Nearly 18 percent of veterans lived in rural (nonmetro) counties in 2015, compared to 15 percent of the U.S. adult civilian population. Veterans were also overrepresented in some rural counties: about 10 percent of all rural civilian adults were veterans, but in some rural counties, that share reached as high as 25 percent. The U.S. counties with the highest shares of veterans tended to have significant concentrations of elder veterans (65 years or older), relative to the Nation as a whole. About 24 percent of all U.S. counties—often completely rural counties not adjacent to metro areas—had concentrations of elder veterans. By comparison, 28 percent of all U.S. counties—predominantly large urban counties (not shown)—contained concentrations of working-age veterans (18 to 65 years old). Areas with concentrations of both groups were mostly in rural counties adjacent to metro areas (19 percent). Many of these counties contained or were near military installations, reserve bases, or training areas.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001k-II0Ue_DbuqvSy6_UDjBZdqAxCEGzsVxFr0YRcvVC9o9staic8z08eRjY5qzzZHAd-weBdIhnEIbXsGZ4hOKqkdZlP7y6nQgA8XKfdqfGCRxmAxZyuALtMpp1HAGxnNYToStx5PpvMoPafBWbsgNFjf0uZp__B5WF475ehNa8k1rOWVX-cQEeW1S7MKI7A8IdA4hemMQfdqDAqsxDcPcsX4v1ESLVfNoVlH3excHtcLAxW0tZ_wXaFVM2pb2BVl-30pHf-jKSA7_stslcLeTA==&c=3R7PSg-m0dEJkfAOrJxecsRKsxvmuhOQl9UrwKwi07WHVGJ6ge_n0A==&ch=D1q2yICyhcxTiZ88_ditR8B0mcvTD5TIgZDFAHEL4YdPgWX_qP4njg==">Expenditures for USDA’s food assistance programs declined in fiscal 2017 
USDA administers 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs that together form a nutritional safety net for millions of children and low-income adults. Federal spending on these programs totaled $98.6 billion in fiscal 2017, 4 percent less than the previous fiscal year and almost 10 percent less than the historical high of $109.2 billion set in fiscal 2013. Fiscal 2017’s decline was likely largely due to continued growth in the U.S. economy. Spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which accounted for 69 percent of Federal food and nutrition assistance spending in fiscal 2017, totaled $68.0 billion, or 4 percent less than in fiscal 2016 and 15 percent less than the historical high of $79.9 billion set in fiscal 2013. Spending on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) fell to $5.6 billion in fiscal 2017, 6 percent less than in fiscal 2016. Spending on the three largest child nutrition programs—the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program—remained about the same.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001sqWsvfcsyCJmB3sGHW_C4tHLfKPqf0pAhngJor_5pDrZmDVB0WLzC9Wh-9H1NCoKph-q9zcJQFUqCsefSPzeqgaXOof7RiUQNWiLeuf3nZXeiZ_YlMJa5KDgFMtR6uSzFlP46f-TteF_FD4yJexTbbwCxce8Ezl5yG8GBBPgknHhM1g8uznYX2r7TMTujKitJmO5k1RTYD2voqJh90FkqjJbx03cD7sWhDKPl6GAJmUiolsysd9p-RpuALxo7tkzGHepTpsq8JD2WlF_HeAa4w==&c=c4wp1zPgXdfdMw7j2QbTYVG5pMKEpy1je7QIGqdNNBkpKWgbrovRLA==&ch=NSjDBdmOsC6obQ77XRtxhCQMjRPXBGz8EFYtlxuVe_x0_kRyEOC4LQ==">Food prices less volatile than transportation prices 
The 1970s were a decade of volatile prices for consumers’ top three spending categories—housing, transportation, and food. Annual food price inflation during the 1970s averaged 8.1 percent, and food prices rose by 10 percent or more in 3 of the 10 years. Yearly price changes for housing costs, which include rents, utilities, and household furnishings, averaged 7.6 percent during the decade and peaked at 15.7 percent in 1980. And price changes for transportation (prices of vehicles, gasoline and diesel fuel, and public transportation) topped 10 percent in 1974, 1976, and 1979 and jumped 17.9 percent in 1980. Since that time, prices for food and housing have become comparatively more stable than transportation prices, which continue to be volatile from year to year. Food prices in 2016 and 2017 changed little as decreasing prices for food commodities and energy offset rising costs for other food processing, marketing, and food service inputs. At the same time, a strong U.S. dollar lowered the cost of imported foods.

Events and Learning

First Nations Native Arts Initiative Q&A Webinars| http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FsPbrbbihdFZq5F0D4o6PWZ4HDnZmHJ0">August 15, 2018 1PM Mountain Time | http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FsPbrbbihdFZq5F0D4o6PWZ4HDnZmHJ0">August 23, 2018 11AM Mountain Time 
First Nations will award about 15 Supporting Native Arts grants of up to $32,000 each to Native-controlled nonprofit organizations and tribal government programs that have existing programs in place that support Native artists and the field of traditional Native arts, as well as a demonstrated commitment to increasing the intergenerational transfer of knowledge of traditional Native artistic practices and perpetuation and proliferation of traditional Native arts. First Nations invites interested applicants to join one or both of the remaining Application Q&A webinars. 

https://www.arc.gov/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=635">"Health in Appalachia" Website Tutorial Webinar 
ARC invites partners and other stakeholders to a webinar about https://healthinappalachia.org/">healthinappalachia.org, a new website that allows users to explore health data in their community and build downloadable reports, maps, and charts on 41 health measures at the county, regional, and state levels for the 13 Appalachian states. The tutorial webinar will be held on Friday, July 27, at 10:00 a.m. ET.

https://rurallisc.cmail20.com/t/r-l-jykdmdk-hikdlkyuih-tj/">Disaster Recovery and Preparation Webinars 
The Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is hosting a series of two online webinars on Disaster Preparation and Recovery. The webinars will cover why disasters are important for housing counseling; the potential effects of disasters on communities, agencies and counselors; and the six areas in which housing counseling has played a key role in disaster recovery to help participants gain a broad understanding of the agency disaster preparation and recovery role, including pre-disaster agency planning, identifying and collaborating with key stakeholders, and recognizing opportunities for disaster recovery housing counseling services. The webinars will take place on September 11 and September 13, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM EDT.

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sy58DHhDSA6Tz4tNWDhFzg">Cooperatives and Business Succession Strategies | July 19, 2018.  Time: 12 - 1 p.m. CDT. 
Over the next two decades, an estimated 70% of privately held businesses will change hands, many as a result of retiring baby boomers. Who will take over these businesses, and will they remain in their communities?  This webinar will look at the conversion of businesses to cooperatives owned by the employees as one effective method for retaining businesses, jobs, and wealth in local communities.  This webinar is the third in a series that explores cooperative solutions to challenges in rural and urban communities.

  • Cooperatives and Community Infrastructure Needs: September 19, 2018 
  • Cooperatives and Community-Owned Businesses: October 17, 2018 
  • All webinars will be held at 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Central Time.

Suzette's Letter, July 16, 2018

Publications

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bRb35vh0Vm48tMIe20vezdW0hePzxaOExn6UqOUOIbjZJodQQL5oggbbe3vSNeYAvKvSSz2eCTkZORvIjaB4dpXjuaG8UsQJd5ur_JlQFfTAA5a0-ThjQGCKgs1rUSjZgagt78U4zHB6iCpu_3KS0wXSGgjcLAUv502zYBkwB6qjboh0d_v1byAqicXY3R2AUx6DUnuhVVLsXasWYTkp9TRQpF8yJ0gH6k-pGw2uqaY7EerlG3a7qImsN5pGg_JfwmTK9pAyaUAUUTC3jp8NtA==&c=UJ81SH_6tZSvCkRz4omdcJ6Q91YkjeIwCD1xWAIgv7hNg2FQyS5d1w==&ch=rI8WCiw0uYZgh3_JnWNo5PMC5RSZKyMjABMj7qWhm2vk2of_m-01IA==">Net cash farm income forecast to fall below 1970-2016 average level
Farm sector net cash farm income is a measure of the profitability of farming and, hence, the ability of farmers to meet their loan obligations, invest in new machinery, remain in production, expand their operations, and provide for family living expenses. Beginning in 2010, inflation-adjusted farm sector net cash income rose to near record highs, peaking in 2012. Much of this growth was due to commodity cash receipts, which increased by $113.2 billion from 2009 to 2014. Between 2012 and 2016, however, farm sector net cash income fell 33 percent to $97.3 billion. This is the largest multiyear decline since the 1970s in both absolute and percentage terms. Slowing global demand, a strengthening dollar, and large inventories depressed crop as well as animal and animal product prices and contributed to the decline. Although the decline is large, when viewed over a longer time horizon, net cash farm income has returned near levels seen before the record growth from 2010 to 2013. ERS forecasts net cash farm income in 2018 to be 7 percent below the average across 1970-2016. 

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001i9mHBBPKEECXFePaPVa7l9t0F2w8-woZ0sFuT0eMg2c27LAXmG8y3dkUGEYBWW0tV-al2Z6jWxyOVeVd-PWh143Kmn-4PhIF1XDqX6AsXGCQDC4Pgrf2g1QQpuJgCAuJus9ZO_jLPpaNLfiu7BKd8SRMv6aAQZAr-BYhI_lbeEAIS09zfHE6Y7ewBc6zdS2cP16Bt-yJ_3_T4a91FiCgo1uh1dT1aYA5dkgONSOWDQrzw6kCyBD7SxY-LBBZU9NRoANc-zG44gLU98IxcB8Rqw==&c=fx4pGQKHY7oYal_lvogg6b2Pff3Y0RWfJUwdbWMymCobatt60Q2zEw==&ch=m3Mcf0Wwikf98xaVXIfRGnDmTwVw6zkLp1EJZYfWRNS6ksC2f0NNuw==">Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, average income tax rates are estimated to decline for households across all family farm sizes In 2016, family farm households faced an estimated income tax rate of 17.2 percent on average. However, the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 eliminates or modifies many itemized deductions and tax credits, while lowering tax rates on individual and business income. The TCJA also expands some business provisions. Had the TCJA been in place in 2016, ERS estimates that family farm households would have faced a lower average income tax rate of 13.9 percent. The effects of the TCJA varies by farm size, with the greatest reduction for households operating midsized farms. The average income tax rate for households of midsized farms would have decreased by 5.8 percentage points. By comparison, the average income tax rate for households operating large farms would have decreased by 3.4 percentage points, for small farms by 3.0 percentage points. The expansion of the standard deduction is a primary reason households operating smaller farms are estimated to face lower income tax rates, while those operating large farms benefit more from reductions in individual tax rates and a new provision allowing a portion of farm income to be excluded from household taxable income (income from farming is taxed at the individual level for family farms). Midsized farms are expected to benefit from all these provisions. 

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001I_F6AR47ND88WijJYo-0WO4OZSwLC49ddsCg9fEQ8dN_TkC58csvV2dsj6FwDzkVpksGeHB3OOfRoSLBo4J463OZQvOosyjNwLVXQmneenRIgTyq6zoiKnl4xY1czEKEpFdvWyAZC8tem8N5DNQ4e4xX4pHknHyhzj8HzoTvVNRO1NBf3QWS22m4Vsg7JZcuLLppR3hA8qX9t6kxLRIzgMAV5qxcxjTEKTrM5i_x1COnWmRovr8YFdUu8k9FKJaBHXaMxnzLRZt2iCu4lP1_XQ==&c=s6YkvOzTSM0FH8UrxRjjPpUdWdQkrUCUvzOP8nr3t8KOyVGseFueXA==&ch=VVylkUrmnb8XbbfE9G8FmoIq0qL7piCX-XoE21b6sM2sOKjQZNXIfg==">Time constraints due to employment are associated with greater preference for convenience foodsWhen consumers are pressed for time because of employment demands, many respond by spending less time on food shopping, preparation, and clean up. In a recent study, ERS researchers used data from USDA’s 2012-13 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) to look at the factors that affect demand for convenience food. The researchers found that households that are time constrained by employment spent more on restaurant food and less on grocery store food. Households where all adults were employed spent about half of their food budgets at restaurants, whereas households where a primary shopper was unemployed spend only 36 percent. The share of the food budget spent on non-ready-to-eat foods, such as raw meats, seafood, dry beans, pasta, and other foods requiring cooking and preparation time, also presents a picture of households making a tradeoff between time and money. Households where all adults were employed spent 10 percentage points less of their food budgets on non-ready-to-eat foods compared to households where a primary shopper was not employed. 

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001MUL9SMnO49AKhAyLWPaJI1TXoHT3V7GAxzzSHvfRgTkiC4CSzral4DxXeOCRZDOhgoZurUGcic0aC5XCksI5v8S7kKH4MAjss72ElGn4nVAr6hN0Xe1QDsBJU3x77qke3mQiINky6HfCV5SG7iLnJyT5xzTBAeWuEUxkF_AemYcQOX3w5IR_DP_Zw2UNWBx6U_l4kQuMWAF7sAntEZ7yriOtp_QnXfKBH4AaDGjMVft3IbsalDcycFtPSbXnIS4KB7HReuqWY__8IbalYtn6_g==&c=GbT-w2806_D8UHJ0mCssjhCh4O8EE96_RKPFB-T6yE5ONbR9SOjfqQ==&ch=2Oc2EV4OunBZI4PGkso2Oc2xrAnDe_xZo1n3t_2Md3W5cJ_EFFRCPg==">Ownership of oil and gas rights among farm operators varies across StatesThe ability of landowners to profit from oil and gas development on their land depends on whether they own the oil and gas rights associated with their property. Nationally, 5.4 percent of farm operators reported owning oil and gas rights in 2014. In counties with oil and gas production, the share was higher at 11.4 percent. The share of operators who reported owning oil and gas rights exceeded the national average in States where oil and gas counties were abundant—including Oklahoma and Pennsylvania (about 14 percent each) and Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, and North Dakota (about 10 percent each). Separate ownership of the surface and subsurface rights is more common in the Western United States, particularly when shale formations lie above or below conventional oil and gas fields with a history of drilling, because oil and gas rights may have been sold previously. By comparison, the Marcellus shale play extends into areas of Pennsylvania with little history of drilling. Unified ownership is likely much higher there, increasing that State’s share. 

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001yMDv4NdXCpaPas3hM1YlJexUUfrd96QosW2iGlvf4fbxrycYWyE2Q_F1TFfvlrnoayZ5J2y0GzFvlXq7dZs4_ru_pGTTjnOfCzoildRlVXN-EZZAapAuwIfffnRzqsZhKrSqMy5j1DFFzlBBFpnO32_L3wQf94f1fYIarhZjqrU_Yg8nqdlfS8ht9hfCuHfHSkW3LySLKM463ahZ5gwIJp7qtx0yXEPUBzJRucehKnF5dif3v8YIrnG202QtLWw5dCGJ0ah_SbB3w9jr6Getiw==&c=SrfBcuBeDB1JzC0RaJ6ZsaYEpCoXuOWXCanWWhI06Y64KeOgSwKLtQ==&ch=D62g3w7uXIktTwml48xhUWwQQfPngTCJpGEWXtq2W8aR8L1lI7JotA==">Farm debt-to-asset ratio forecast to stabilize in 2017-18 The debt-to-asset ratio compares the farm sector’s outstanding debt relative to the value of the sector’s aggregate assets. An indicator of the farm sector’s level of risk exposure, this ratio provides a measure of the sector’s ability to repay financial liabilities (debt) via the sale of assets. A lower debt-to-asset ratio indicates fewer assets are financed by debt and suggests the sector would be better able to overcome adverse financial events. After reaching a low of 11.3 percent in 2012, the debt-to-asset ratio increased gradually to 12.7 percent in 2016 as the growth rate for debt exceeded the growth rate for assets. ERS forecasts the debt-to-asset ratio to remain relatively unchanged in 2017-18, as farm sector assets stabilized at $3.1 billion (adjusted for inflation) between 2016 and 2018. Still, the ratio remains well below the peak in 1985 (22.2 percent) as farm sector asset values have nearly doubled since 1985. About 80 percent of the value of farm sector assets is attributable to the market value of farm real estate assets, which increased 115 percent from 1985 to 2016 and is forecast to increase 2 percent in 2017 and remain flat in 2018.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=86062">Food stores—except specialized food stores—grew in number between 2009 and 2014
The numbers of different types of food stores and changes in those numbers over time have implications for the economic well-being of communities for reasons related to employment opportunities, tax revenues, and business development. Between 2009 and 2014, the number of grocery stores in the United States grew by 4 percent to 65,975, and the number of convenience stores grew by 4 percent as well to 124,879. Supercenters and warehouse club stores saw their numbers jump by 18 percent to 5,307 stores in 2014, while specialized food stores (bakeries, seafood markets, dairy stores, etc.) saw a 6-percent decline in store numbers. Preference for one-stop shopping by some consumers may be influencing the increase in supercenters and warehouse club stores and the decline in specialized food stores. ERS’s Food Environment Atlas provides a spatial overview of a county’s food retailing landscape by mapping the number and density of these four store types.

Events and Learning

https://www.workforcegps.org/events/2018/06/21/15/09/WIOA-Co-Enrollment-Cohort-Lessons-Learned">WIOA Co-Enrollment Cohort - Lessons Learned
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitation Services Administration collaborated to form a State Cohort on Co-enrollment among Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and partner programs.
July 18 / 2:00 PM ~ 3:30 PM ET

https://ruralbehavioralhealth.org/webinars/webinar-2-impact-opioid-epidemic-children-and-youth-rural-communities-how-schools-and">Rural Behavioral Health Webinar Series
The second webinar in the 2018 Rural Behavioral Health Webinar Series: "The Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Children and Youth in Rural Communities-How Schools and Communities are Responding" will be held July 19, 3:00-4:30 PM EDT.

https://www.events.rcac.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=1416">Disaster Recovery and Preparation Webinars
The Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is hosting a series of two online webinars on Disaster Preparation and Recovery. The webinars will cover why disasters are important for housing counseling; the potential effects of disasters on communities, agencies and counselors; and the six areas in which housing counseling has played a key role in disaster recovery to help participants gain a broad understanding of the agency disaster preparation and recovery role, including pre-disaster agency planning, identifying and collaborating with key stakeholders, and recognizing opportunities for disaster recovery housing counseling services. The webinars will take place on September 11 and September 13, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM EDT.

https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/webinars/teen-birth-infant-mortality?utm_source=racupdate&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=update070318">Rural Insights from the National Center for Health Statistics on Teen Births and Infant Mortality
In case you missed it: We have a recording of last week's webinar with the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Speakers discussed key rural findings on teen childbearing and infant mortality, two important indicators of maternal and child health.

http://www.eda.gov/programs/university-centers?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">2018 EDA University Center Competition Webinar Recordings for Austin and Denver Regions Now Available Online! Earlier this month the EDA University Center program office hosted two webinars to provide information about EDA’s 2018 University Center program and https://www.eda.gov/files/programs/university-centers/FY18-UC-NOFO-FINAL.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">Notice of Funding Opportunity. The first webinar focused on EDA’s Denver Region University Center competition and the second on EDA’s Austin Region University Center competition. EDA's University Center Economic Development Program helps bring research to work by making the resources of universities available to the economic development community. Institutions of higher education have extensive resources, including specialized research, outreach, technology transfer, and commercialization capabilities, as well as recognized faculty expertise and sophisticated laboratories. EDA’s University Center (UC) program marshals these resources to support regional economic development strategies in regions of chronic and acute economic distress. The UCs, which EDA considers long-term partners in economic development, are required to devote the majority of their funding to respond to technical assistance requests originating from organizations located in the economically distressed portions of their service regions. Most UCs focus their efforts on assisting units of local governments and nonprofit organizations in planning and implementing regional economic development strategies and projects. Actions provided by UCs include targeted commercialization of research, workforce development, and business counseling services. Other UCs may focus their efforts on helping local organizations with conducting preliminary feasibility studies, analyzing data, and convening customized seminars and workshops on topics such as regional strategic planning and capital budgeting.

https://smartgrowthamerica.org/watch-the-recorded-webinar-on-understanding-your-opportunity-zones/">Smart Growth America – Opportunity Zones Webinar http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/">Smart Growth America recently delivered a webinar on the new federal Opportunity Zones program.  The webinar shed light on several of the program’s unanswered questions; it addressed the Opportunity Zones program’s economic context and incentives, as well as the policies and practices needed by stakeholders to achieve equitable development outcomes in America’s most distressed communities. 

https://uwexics.adobeconnect.com/ps0p8aunhmhy/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal">Cooperatives and Community Housing Needs Webinar A webinar hosted by the University of Wisconsin, Center for Cooperatives on housing has been recorded, and is available https://uwexics.adobeconnect.com/ps0p8aunhmhy/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal">here.

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sy58DHhDSA6Tz4tNWDhFzg">Cooperatives and Business Succession Strategies | July 19, 2018.  Time: 12 - 1 p.m. CDT. Over the next two decades, an estimated 70% of privately held businesses will change hands, many as a result of retiring baby boomers. Who will take over these businesses, and will they remain in their communities?  This webinar will look at the conversion of businesses to cooperatives owned by the employees as one effective method for retaining businesses, jobs, and wealth in local communities.  This webinar is the third in a series that explores cooperative solutions to challenges in rural and urban communities.

  • Cooperatives and Community Infrastructure Needs: September 19, 2018 
  • Cooperatives and Community-Owned Businesses: October 17, 2018 
  • All webinars will be held at 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Central Time.

Suzette's Letter, June 29, 2018

Innovation Matters

Funding Opportunities*

https://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/what-guides-us/find-grants-sponsorships.html#fbid=FJatOqLb9xE/hashlink=fbid%3Dt5xemMjhnTF">Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Bank of America Charitable Foundation is offering grants to nonprofit organizations as they work to preserve and increase access to a mix of affordable housing options and connect individuals and families with the tools and resources to achieve their financial goals. Deadline: applications accepted between 6/4/2018 and 6/29/2018.

http://dra.gov/funding-programs/states-economic-development-assistance-program/sedap-application-guidelines/">Delta Regional Authority Economic Development Assistance Program
The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is  offering grants to help Delta communities create jobs and improve infrastructure through its Delta Regional Authority Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP). SEDAP may be used to fund projects for basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, broadband, and business development including entrepreneurship and workforce training. Priority areas include innovation and small business, regional approaches and emergency funding needs. Applicants must be located in the 252 counties and parishes served by DRA in order to be eligible. Deadline: 6/29/2018.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-economic-development-loan-grant-program">USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) Program
Funding is being provided under USDA’s Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) Program. The goal of this program is to support rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. The maximum loan is $2 million. The maximum grant is $300,000. Applications are due June 30, 2018, and should be sent to the USDA Rural Development State Office where the project is located. Additional information on how to apply is available on page 23625 of the May 22 Federal Register.

https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/community-giving/housing-foundation/">Wells Fargo Housing Foundation Homeownership Counseling Grant Program
The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation Homeownership Counseling Grant Program supports local nonprofit housing organizations nationwide that help create affordable and sustainable homeownership opportunities for low- to moderate-income families. The program focuses on homebuyer counseling, homebuyer education, and foreclosure prevention activities. Deadline: requests may be submitted from 6/1/2018 through 6/30/2018.

https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/funding/3601?utm_source=racupdate&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=update020718">Smart Rural Community Showcase Award
Honors rural communities that have achieved high levels of broadband activity and have used it to support innovative practices in industry sectors, such as healthcare, safety and security, and economic development. Application Deadline: Jul 1, 2018

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities-technical-assistance-and-training-grant">USDA Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program
USDA Rural Development will make grants to public bodies and private nonprofit corporations, (such as States, counties, cities, townships, and incorporated towns and villages, boroughs, authorities, districts, and Indian tribes on Federal and State reservations) to provide associations Technical Assistance and/or training with respect to essential community facilities programs. The Technical Assistance and/or training will assist communities, Indian Tribes, and Nonprofit Corporations to identify and plan for community facility needs that exist in their area. Once those needs have been identified, the Grantee can assist in identifying public and private resources to finance those identified community facility needs. Deadline: July 2nd.

https://ami.grantsolutions.gov/HHS-2018-ACF-ACYF-CY-1354">Department of Health and Human Services Basic Center Program
The Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families' Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) announces the availability of funds under the Basic Center Program (BCP). THE BCP works to establish or strengthen community- based programs that meet the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth up to age 18 years of age and their families. BCPs provide youth with emergency shelter, food, clothing, counseling and referrals for health care. Basic centers can provide temporary shelter for up to 21 days for youth and seeks to reunite young people with their families, whenever possible, or to locate appropriate alternative placements. Additional services may include: street- based services; home-based services for families with youth at risk of separation from the family; drug abuse education and prevention services. THE PRIMARY purpose of the BCP is to provide counseling services to youth who have left home without permission of their parents or guardians have been forced to leave home, or other homeless youth who might end up in contact with law enforcement or in the child welfare, mental health, or juvenile justice systems. Deadline: 7/4/2018.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=305135">Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Assistance Program
Funding for a single entity to provide targeted in-depth assistance to vulnerable rural hospitals within communities that are struggling to maintain healthcare services. Application Deadline: Jul 16, 2018

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=305905">Mine Health and Safety Grants
Grants to prevent fatalities, disease, and injury from mining and secure safe and healthy working conditions for miners through laws, regulations, safety improvements, education, and training. Application Deadline: Jul 16, 2018

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=306024">STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program
Grants to train school personnel and educate students to prevent student violence, develop and operate anonymous reporting systems concerning threats of school violence, and develop and operate school threat assessment and crisis intervention teams. Application Deadline: Jul 23, 2018

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=306023">STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program
Grants for the development and operation of school threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and the development of technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. Technology may be in the form of an app, hotline, or website, and the proposed technology solutions may be those that could be used during an incident to assist in securing the safety of those involved, including sharing information with first responders. Application Deadline: Jul 23, 2018

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program">USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program (RCDG)
This program helps improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping individuals and businesses start, expand or improve rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses. Nonprofit corporations and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. Public bodies, for-profit business and individuals are not eligible. USDA expects to award up to $5.8 million for FY 2018. The maximum grant award is $200,000. Grant and matching funds can be used for developing and operating a Rural Cooperative Development Center. Paper applications are due July 30, 2018. Electronic applications are due July 24, 2018.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant">USDA Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant Program
The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance to socially- disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Eligible applicants include cooperatives, groups of cooperatives and cooperative development centers. This program supports Rural Development’s mission of improving the quality of life for rural Americans and commitment to direct agency resources to those who most need them. A socially-disadvantaged group is one whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. A majority of the applicant’s board of directors or governing board must be comprised of individuals who are members of socially-disadvantaged groups. For FY 2018, USDA plans to award up to $3 million in grants. The maximum grant award is $175,000. Grants must be used to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Paper applications are due July 30, 2018. Electronic applications are due July 24, 2018.

https://www.amerisourcebergen.com/abcnew/foundation">The Amerisource Bergen Foundation
The Amerisource Bergen Foundation is offering funding for innovative and constructive projects that address education, prevention, and/or the safe disposal of opioids. Deadline: 7/31/2018.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=306037">Service Area Competition Funding for the Health Center Program (Areas Served with a Project Period Start Date of January 1, 2019) 
Grants to health centers to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services to an underserved area or population. Application Deadline: Aug 6, 2018

https://www.arts.gov/grants-organizations/our-town/introduction">National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town
NEA is supporting creative placemaking projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes through its Our Town grants program. This funding supports local efforts to enhance quality of life for existing residents through arts engagement, cultural planning, design, and/or artist/creative industry support, or to build and disseminate knowledge about how to leverage arts, culture, and design as mechanisms for strengthening communities. All applications require partnerships that involve at least two primary partners: a nonprofit organization and a local governmental entity. One of the two primary partners must be a cultural (arts or design) organization. Our Town offers matching grants starting at $25,000 for Place-Based and Knowledge Building projects. Deadlines: submit SF-424 by 8/9/2018; submit materials to Applicant Portal 8/14-21/2018.

https://www.aha.org/about/awards/rural-hospital-leadership-award">Rural Hospital Leadership Award
Provides an educational stipend to a small or rural hospital administrator or chief executive officer to attend an AHA Annual Meeting or Health Forum Leadership Conference. Application Deadline: Aug 31, 2018

https://www.arc.gov/images/grantsandfunding/POWER2018/RFP/POWER-RFP-2018.pdf">ARC commits $20M for new round of POWER grants
The Appalachian Regional Commission has released a request for proposals for the 2018 POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Program. In this round of funding, ARC will commit up to $20 million to support efforts that create a more vibrant economic future for coal- impacted communities in the ARC region by cultivating economic diversity, enhancing job training and re- employment opportunities, creating jobs in existing or new industries, and attracting new sources of investment.

https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/opportunities/instructions/oppFOA-ETA-18-04-cfda17.274-cidFOA-ETA-18-04-instructions.pdf">Department of Labor YouthBuild Program
DOL is offering grants to nonprofit and public agencies through YouthBuild to provide construction skills training for at- risk youth, ages 16-24. This year, all applicants can include a Construction Plus component. Deadline: 9/18/2018.

http://www.lisc.org/media/filer_public/46/ec/46ec164b-0f76-4b4c-9704-11410601d760/growing_rural_communities_fund_final_9-6-16.pdf">RURAL LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation)
Rural LISC created the Community Facilities Fund to provide capital to help develop and improve essential community facilities in rural areas. Rural LISC utilizes this fund to provide permanent and construction-to- permanent financing for rural community facilities, including health care centers, hospitals, educational facilities, and other nonprofit and public facilities in rural communities with populations under 20,000. Deadline: ongoing.

http://giving.walmart.com/apply-for-grants/local-giving">Walmart Foundation
The Walmart Foundation’s Community Grant Program is offering grants to nonprofit organizations and agencies that work in one of the following areas: hunger relief and healthy eating, health and human service, quality of life, education, community and economic development, diversity and inclusion, public safety, or environmental sustainability. Awards range from $250 to $5,000. Deadline: applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

https://corporate.homedepot.com/grants/community-impact-grants">Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation provides funding for nonprofit organizations and public agencies in the United States that are using the power of volunteers to improve communities through its Community Impact Grants program. Priority is given to projects that benefit veterans and/or diverse and underserved communities. Projects should be volunteer-friendly, engage people at all skill levels, and be expected to have a strong and lasting impact. Awards of up to $5,000 will be given in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services. Deadline: awards are made on a rolling basis.

https://firstnations.org/">First Nations Development Institute
First Nations today announced it has received a one-year, $100,000 grant from the http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=74YHV4ix3kJEPDVjmHNSJt81pvhoKVN5">Agua Fund as renewed funding to assist Native American communities in South Dakota and on the Navajo Nation (Arizona, New Mexico and Utah). The funding allows First Nations to work with selected communities toward increasing control of their local food systems for improved health and well-being, as well as for asset-building and economic development purposes. First Nations expects to issue a request for proposals for this grant program in the near future. Eligible entities will be Sioux or Navajo tribes, Sioux or Navajo-controlled nonprofit organizations, or Native community-based groups committed to increasing healthy food access in Sioux or Navajo communities. First Nations will offer capacity-building training to the four selected participants, while two of these groups will receive direct grants of $30,000 each. The project will focus on tribal hunger, nutrition and healthy foods access, and will engage in activities such as conducting community food assessments and expanding initiatives for food-related business development. Participants will be selected based on their potential to serve as a positive model with replicable or adaptable components for other Native communities, as well as on their communities’ needs related to tribal hunger, food insecurity and healthy foods access.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-loan-grant-program">Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loan and Grant Program
The Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loan and Grant Program can provide funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. To learn more about this program, contact your local state USDA Rural Development office.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-loan-guarantees">Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantees Program
The Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantees Program can help private lenders provide affordable financing to qualified borrowers to improve access to clean, reliable water and waste disposal systems for households and businesses in rural areas. To learn more about this program, contact your local state USDA Rural Development office.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=300263&utm_content&utm_medium=email&utm_name&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term">Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, Fire Prevention and Safety Grants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grants Programs Directorate is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The Grant Programs Directorate administers the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant Program as part of the AFG Program. The purpose of the FP&S Grant Program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards by assisting fire prevention programs and supporting firefighter health and safety research and development. FP&S Grants are offered to support projects in two activities: (1) activities designed to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate the incidence of death, injuries, and property damage caused by fire and fire-related hazards ("Fire Prevention and Safety Activity") and (2) research and development activities aimed at improving firefighter safety, health, or wellness through research and development that reduces firefighter fatalities and injuries ("Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity").

https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/solutions-and-innovation/disaster-recovery-and-rebuilding#rapid-recovery-funding">Disaster Response Loans
Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Mercy Loan Fund and Neighborworks® Capital have partnered to offer $15 million in rapid-response loans for community organizations to accelerate recovery from last year’s hurricanes and wildfires. Loan recipients can use the financing for repairing, designing, and planning affordable housing developments; repairing existing or planned developments of other kinds; and relocating offices so organizations can return to work. Unsecured loans up to $500,000 will be available.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=300327&utm_content&utm_medium=email&utm_name&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term">2019 National Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program
The Secretary of Agriculture has a congressionally designated advisory council that assists the U.S. Forest Service in establishing the grant categories and recommendations of final proposals for the Forest Service to consider. This is the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (Council). The Council serves to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the status of the nation’s urban and community forests and related natural resources. The Council seeks to establish sustainable urban and community forests, by encouraging communities of all sizes to manage and protect their natural resources, which, if well managed, improves the public’s health, well-being, economic vitality, and creates resilient ecosystems for present and future generations. .

Publications

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=86062">Food stores—except specialized food stores—grew in number between 2009 and 2014
The numbers of different types of food stores and changes in those numbers over time have implications for the economic well-being of communities for reasons related to employment opportunities, tax revenues, and business development. Between 2009 and 2014, the number of grocery stores in the United States grew by 4 percent to 65,975, and the number of convenience stores grew by 4 percent as well to 124,879. Supercenters and warehouse club stores saw their numbers jump by 18 percent to 5,307 stores in 2014, while specialized food stores (bakeries, seafood markets, dairy stores, etc.) saw a 6-percent decline in store numbers. Preference for one-stop shopping by some consumers may be influencing the increase in supercenters and warehouse club stores and the decline in specialized food stores. ERS’s Food Environment Atlas provides a spatial overview of a county’s food retailing landscape by mapping the number and density of these four store types.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=89187">Rural poverty remains regionally concentrated
Rural Americans living in poverty tend to be clustered in certain U.S. regions and counties. Rural (nonmetro) counties with a high incidence of poverty are mainly concentrated in the South, which had an average poverty rate of over 21 percent between 2012 and 2016. By comparison, urban (metro) counties in the South had an average poverty rate of about 16 percent. Rural counties with the most severe poverty are found in historically poor areas of the Southeast—including the Mississippi Delta and Appalachia—as well as on Native American lands. The incidence of rural poverty is relatively low elsewhere, but generally more widespread than in the past.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=89053">Older operators often run small family farms, particularly retirement and low-sales farms
A notable characteristic of principal farm operators (those most responsible for running the farm) is their relatively advanced age. In 2016, 36 percent of principal farm operators were at least 65 years old, compared with only 14 percent of self- employed workers in nonagricultural businesses. Older operators ran 37 percent of all small family farms—those with annual gross cash farm income (GCFI) before expenses under $350,000—including 68 percent of retirement farms and 38 percent of low-sales farms. By comparison, older operators ran 21 percent of large family farms (GCFI of $1 million to $4,999,999) and 23 percent of very large family farms (GCFI of $5 million or more). Improved health and advances in farm equipment enable operators to farm later in life than in past generations. The farm is also home for most farmers, and they can gradually phase out of farming by renting out or selling parcels of their land. Some larger, more commercially oriented farms run by older farmers may have a younger, secondary operator who might eventually replace the principal operator.

Events and Learning

https://ruralbehavioralhealth.org/webinars/webinar-2-impact-opioid-epidemic-children-and-youth-rural-communities-how-schools-and">Rural Behavioral Health Webinar Series
The second webinar in the 2018 Rural Behavioral Health Webinar Series: "The Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Children and Youth in Rural Communities-How Schools and Communities are Responding" will be held July 19, 3:00-4:30 PM EDT.

https://www.events.rcac.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=1416">Disaster Recovery and Preparation Webinars
The Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is hosting a series of two online webinars on Disaster Preparation and Recovery. The webinars will cover why disasters are important for housing counseling; the potential effects of disasters on communities, agencies and counselors; and the six areas in which housing counseling has played a key role in disaster recovery to help participants gain a broad understanding of the agency disaster preparation and recovery role, including pre-disaster agency planning, identifying and collaborating with key stakeholders, and recognizing opportunities for disaster recovery housing counseling services. The webinars will take place on September 11 and September 13, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM EDT.

Suzette's Letter, May 19, 2018

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Economic Conditions and Program Policy Help Drive Average SNAP Benefit Levels

USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides low-income households with monthly benefits to supplement their resources for purchasing food. Benefit amounts increase with household size and decrease with household income. Between 1980 and 2017, average monthly benefits grew from $34 per person to $126 per person. Much of this increase reflects the fact that SNAP benefit levels are updated annually for food price inflation so that their purchasing power does not erode. However, even when benefits are adjusted for inflation, average per person benefits rise and fall as characteristics of SNAP households, such as income, change in response to economic conditions and policy changes. Measured in 2017 dollars to adjust for inflation, average monthly SNAP benefits increased from $99 per person in 1980 to $119 in 2008. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided all recipients with increased SNAP benefits, and average inflation-adjusted SNAP benefits jumped to $143 per person in that year, climbed to $152 in 2010, and then began falling as the ARRA increase was phased out and economic conditions improved. Inflation-adjusted and nominal benefit amounts have been similar in the past few years, as food price increases have been small.

 

  1. Center for American Progress “A Compass for Families: Head Start in Rural America Report”

“A Compass for Families: Head Start in Rural America Report” details the importance of Head Start programs to rural communities. The report details the services Head Start provides for rural families, such as child care, connection to health services, and transportation, among others, and features county level data and rural-urban comparisons.

  1. Distance to Grocery Stores and Vehicle Access Affect Low-Income Shoppers’ Food Spending

Difficulty accessing large grocery stores may increase a household's reliance on smaller stores and restaurants, possibly resulting in a diet of low-nutritional quality and related health problems. ERS researchers used data captured in USDA's National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) to examine if differences in how far low-income households live from large grocery stores and whether they own a car influences their food spending behaviors. Among low-income households, the researchers found that access-burdened and sufficient-access households spent similar shares of their weekly food spending at grocery stores (57-58 percent) and at small grocery, ethnic, and specialty food stores (3-5 percent). Differences between the two low-income access groups did arise in spending at convenience, dollar, drug, and other small stores and at eating places. Access-burdened households spent a higher share of their food expenditures at convenience, dollar, drug, and other small stores than sufficient-access households and a smaller share of their food budgets at eating places. In 2012, 26.4 percent of U.S. households were low-income sufficient-access households and 4.7 percent were low-income access-burdened.

  1. Emergency Preparedness and Recovery: A Toolkit for Rural Communities

Planners4Health has published “Emergency Preparedness and Recovery: A Toolkit for Rural Communities” that provides information and resources to assist a long term recovery group (LTRG) responding to a disaster and implementing recovery plans in a rural community. The Toolkit addresses the infrastructure and health needs of rural residents in a disaster.

  1. Small Family Farms Accounted for Half the Farmland, But Only 23 Percent of Production

In 2016, 99 percent of U.S. farms were family farms, where the principal operator and his or her relatives owned the majority of the business. Small family farms—those with less than $350,000 in annual gross cash farm income (GCFI)—accounted for about 90 percent of U.S. farms, half of all farmland, and a quarter of the value of production. By comparison, large-scale family farms—those with $1 million or more in GCFI—made up only 3 percent of U.S. farms and 18 percent of farmland, but contributed 45 percent of production. Nonfamily farms, such as partnerships of unrelated partners and corporations, accounted for just 1 percent of U.S. farms and 10 percent of production. The 19 percent of nonfamily farms with GCFI of $1 million or more accounted for 88 percent of all nonfamily farms’ production.

  1. Kresge Foundation Journey to Creative Placemaking

Lessons from the Kresge Foundation’s Journey to Creative Placemaking – the integration of arts, culture, and resident-engaged design into community development and planning – are highlighted in a series of white papers launched recently by the Foundation’s Arts & Culture Program. The papers are geared toward helping grantmakers and creative placemaking practitioners more successfully integrate arts and culture into community development

  1. Low-Income Households Are Less Likely to Use Nutrition Information than Higher Income Households

A new ERS study used nine questions from USDA’s 2012-13 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) to create a Nutrition Information Use index. The index is based on answers from FoodAPS primary respondents related to their awareness and use of various nutrition education initiatives, such as USDA’s MyPlate guidance and Nutrition Facts labels. The index summarizes the answer scores into one score, giving more weight to more important questions. When answers to questions with more weight are above average (e.g., the person uses Nutrition Facts labels all the time), the score is positive. If the answers are below average (e.g., the person never uses Nutrition Facts labels), the score is negative. Index scores for FoodAPS households ranged from -2.3 to 3.9, with a higher score indicating a greater use of nutrition information. The average score for all households was 0.23, and 58 percent of households had scores between -1.0 and 1.0. Higher income households that did not participate in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) had an average index score that was two and half times higher than SNAP households and low-income non-SNAP households. However, index score differences did not seem to explain why higher income non-SNAP households’ food purchases were more healthful than the other two groups.

  1. Rural Child Poverty Map Was Most Concentrated in the Mississippi Delta

About one in four (23.5 percent) rural children in the United States were poor in 2016, compared to about one in five (20.5 percent) of urban children. Forty-one counties in the U.S. had child poverty rates of 50 percent or higher on average between 2012 and 2016. Thirty-eight of these counties were rural (nonmetro) counties, heavily clustered in the South (31 out of 38). The rural counties with the highest child poverty rates were Mellette County, South Dakota (70.9 percent); Issaquena County, Mississippi (68.7 percent); and East Carroll Parish, Louisiana (68.4 percent). Thirteen of the rural counties with child poverty rates of 50 percent or higher were in Mississippi—mainly along the Mississippi Delta region where child poverty rates have been persistently high, particularly among the black or African American child population.

  1. Mellon Foundation “Museums as Economic Engines: A National Report

To understand the role museums play in our economy, the Mellon Foundation supported a study by the American Alliance of Museums and Oxford Economics called "Museums as Economic Engines: A National Report." The report says that museums serve as economic engines, contributing $50 billion to the U.S. GDP, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars in tax revenues across the country.

  1. As Income Rises, Households Tend to Devote a Larger Share of Their At-Home Food Spending to Vegetables

ERS researchers used household-level data from Information Resources Inc. to investigate how food spending patterns differ by household income and age of the household food shopper. The researchers found that as per person income rises, households spend a larger portion of their at-home food expenditures on vegetables. This was true for all four generations examined, though the increase for Traditionalists was small. Poorer Millennials assigned lower shares of at-home food spending to vegetables than Traditionalists and Baby Boomers with similar incomes. Millennials with higher incomes apportioned more of their food budgets to vegetables, surpassing Traditionalists when per capita household income was around $30,000. The wealthiest Millennial households (per capita income greater than $50,000) dedicated about 8 percent of their food budgets to vegetables, compared to around 6 percent for the other generation groups in the same income decile. The rise in vegetable purchases among wealthier Millennials may reflect Millennials’ preference for healthy foods.

  1. Farm Share of U.S. Food Dollar Declined Again in 2016

On average, U.S. farmers received 14.8 cents for farm commodity sales from each dollar spent on domestically-produced food in 2016, down from 15.5 cents in 2015. Known as the farm share, this amount is at its lowest level for the period 1993 to 2016, and coincides with a steep drop in 2016 average prices received by U.S. farmers, as measured by the Producer Price Index for farm products. ERS uses input-output analysis to calculate the farm and marketing shares from a typical food dollar, including food purchased at grocery stores and at restaurants, coffee shops, and other eating out places. 2016 was the fifth consecutive year that the farm share has declined, though the 4.5-percent drop in 2016 was below 2015’s 9.9-percent fall. The drop in farm share also coincides with five consecutive years of increases in the share of food dollars paying for services provided by the foodservice industry. Since farmers receive a smaller share from eating out dollars, due to the added costs for preparing and serving meals, more food-away-from-home spending will also drive down the farm share.

EVENTS/LEARNING

  1. USDA Rural Development Innovation Center Website

Assistant to the Secretary for USDA Rural Development Anne Hazlett unveiled a new interactive webpage to identify best practices for building rural prosperity. The webpage highlights effective strategies that have been used to create jobs, build infrastructure, strengthen partnerships, and promote economic development in rural America.

  1. Utilizing Section 538 for Preservation and Rehabilitation of Section 515 Rental Housing Webinar

Housing Assistance Council is offering a webinar on USDA’s Section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program-Part II, Utilizing Section 538 for Preservation and Rehabilitation of Section 515 Rental Housing, on June 6, 2018 at 2:00 PM EDT.

More Articles ...

  1. Suzette's Letter, May 2018
  2. Suzette's Letter, April 2018
  3. USDA's Letter, February 14, 2018
  4. Suzette's Letter, September 9, 2017

  

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