http://ruralpopulist.org Rural News and Views Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:12:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This is a near quote of Michael Pollan on NPR's Fresh Air this week: There is a real issue of perception of elitism, and it is one of ironies of our society that junk food being sold by multinational corporations like McDonalds and Kraft appears to be populist, and food ... http://ruralpopulist.org/2008/10/25/michael-pollan-on-agribusiness-populism/ My little brother sent me the below photo of our family farm this evening. He found it online at an aerial map service. I remember the aerial photo of my family's farm that my grandparents used to have hanging on their wall. They paid an aerial photographer for it. Apparently such ... http://ruralpopulist.org/2008/04/08/depew-family-farm/ Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Horribly depressing. Film credit. http://ruralpopulist.org/2008/04/06/as-we-sow/ I had the following oped published in today's Des Moines Register: Livestock pollution turns off young Iowans BRIAN DEPEW, SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER I recently returned from a visit to my family’s farm. While there, I was dismayed to learn that three more livestock confinement buildings are being built within 2 miles. Once ... http://ruralpopulist.org/2008/01/13/livestock-pollution-turns-off-young-iowans/ I've only been through Magnolia, Iowa once or twice, and I don't know much about the town. Though, what I do know reveals a story all to common in the Midwest and Great Plains. Located in Harrison County in far Western Iowa, the population of the area reached its peak ... http://ruralpopulist.org/2008/01/01/rural-decline-one-school-at-a-time/ Guest Post by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin In the last few weeks I've traveled to over 26 cities and towns all over Iowa to meet face to face with residents and listen to their hopes, their concerns, and their feedback on the 2007 farm bill, which will strengthen investment and economic ... http://ruralpopulist.org/2007/09/10/tom-harkin-strengthening-america-with-investments-in-rural-america/ In our next post, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin will write about his hopes for the 2007 Farm Bill. A story in yesterday's Des Moines Register offers some policy-context to parts of his post. Talk of agriculture often dominates discussions about the farm bill, but yesterday Philip Brasher ... http://ruralpopulist.org/2007/09/10/beyond-agriculture/