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Our system of industrial agriculture is no accident. It has deep historical roots going back to the advent of the railroads in the 19th century. barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
Why America Doesn’t Grow Its Own FoodAs in other colonial relationships, our system of industrial agriculture does not benefit the rural people who raise our livestock or grow our crops.barnraisingmedia.comTaylor Farms and other large produce corporations have long exerted political power to weaken food safety regulations barnraisingmedia.com/the-bigger-t...
The Bigger the Corporation, the Bigger the Diarrhea OutbreakTaylor Farms and other large produce corporations have long exerted political power to weaken food safety regulations.barnraisingmedia.comTaylor Farms and other large produce corporations have long exerted political power to weaken food safety regulations. The consequences are now hitting home in the largest foodborne illness outbreak in three decades. @clairek.bsky.social
The Bigger the Corporation, the Bigger the Diarrhea OutbreakTaylor Farms and other large produce corporations have long exerted political power to weaken food safety regulations.barnraisingmedia.comData centers, Big Ag and the New World screwworm take center stage for rural voters barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
A Young Populist Heats Up the Texas Agriculture Commissioner RaceCan Democrat Clayton Tucker make waves in the Texas Agriculture Commissioner race in November?barnraisingmedia.comOur system of agriculture is designed to punish farmers and rural communities barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
Why America Doesn’t Grow Its Own FoodAs in other colonial relationships, our system of industrial agriculture does not benefit the rural people who raise our livestock or grow our crops.barnraisingmedia.comAs in other colonial relationships, our system of industrial agriculture does not benefit the rural people who raise our livestock or grow our crops. barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
Why America Doesn’t Grow Its Own FoodAs in other colonial relationships, our system of industrial agriculture does not benefit the rural people who raise our livestock or grow our crops.barnraisingmedia.comIn a new memoir Our Knives Will Save Us, Nephi Craig shows how personal catastrophe and the powerful Apache culture of his upbringing set him on a path to reinvent indigenous cuisine and heal his people. barnraisingmedia.com/apache-chef-...
Apache Chef Brings Truth to the TableIn Our Knives Will Save Us, Nephi Craig shows how cooking helped him transcend catastrophe and reveal a deeper understanding of his family and people.barnraisingmedia.comMichigan Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens have offered conflicting visions over the role of A.I. and corporate power. Voters are paying attention. @milesmacclure.bsky.social reports:
Data Centers Divide Democrats in Michigan PrimaryMichigan Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens offer conflicting visions over the role of A.I. and corporate power.barnraisingmedia.comMany progressives hope Clayton Tucker, running for Texas agriculture commissioner, will do something that hasn’t been done in a generation: attract rural Texas voters to the Democratic ticket. barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
A Young Populist Heats Up the Texas Agriculture Commissioner RaceCan Democrat Clayton Tucker make waves in the Texas Agriculture Commissioner race in November?barnraisingmedia.comBarn Raiser sat down with “America’s most popular populist” Jim Hightower to get his thoughts on the political landscape of rural America today and why populism is central to preserving our democracy. barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
Jim Hightower on Texas Politics and What’s Next for the CountryHe’s also been an editor of The Texas Observer, president of the Texas Consumer Association, national radio commentator, columnist, and bestselling author. He currently publishes Jim Hightower’s…barnraisingmedia.com"Today, too many young and emerging farmers face extreme distrust of Congress," Michelle A.T. Hughes writes, "questioning whether our country’s lawmakers will choose to break free from the corporate monopolization and industrialized farming system." barnraisingmedia.com/the-senate-m...
The Senate Must Pass a Farm Bill That Serves Young and Beginning FarmersSenate leaders must invest in what agriculture is becoming, not what it used to be.barnraisingmedia.comChris Jones, a retired water scientist, is rewriting the political playbook in Iowa, taking on the state’s water and cancer crisis by challenging the power of Big Ag. barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
Chris Jones Leads Fearless Campaign Against Big AgChris Jones, a retired water scientist, is rewriting politics in Iowa, taking on the state’s water and cancer crisis by challenging the power of Big Ag.barnraisingmedia.comThe U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest size in 75 years, while the country’s trade deficit has reached record highs. That’s not a market working the way it’s supposed to. That’s a supply chain hollowed out from the inside. Here’s how we can rebuild it. barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
America Can Grow Its Own Food AgainThe U.S. trade deficit has reach record highs. That’s a supply chain hollowed out from the inside—here’s how we can rebuild it.barnraisingmedia.comDate palm workers in California’s Coachella Valley face deadly work conditions to give their family a better life: “Every day I tell [my children], if they try hard they can become a doctor, a firefighter, or whatever they like, but not a palmero.”
The Most Dangerous Job in Coachella ValleyDate palm workers in California’s Coachella Valley face deadly work conditions, immigration raids and job uncertainty, all to make their family can have a better life.barnraisingmedia.comIn rural Stella, Wisconsin, what was once routine—drinking water from one’s own well—has become a source of fear, as residents grapple with widespread PFAS contamination in their water. I barnraisingmedia.com/is-sludge-po...?
Is Sludge Poisoning Your Well?The start of a nightmare William Casey Crump, long-time resident, landowner and chairperson of the Stella town board, thinks back on those first days when state testing revealed the contamination.…barnraisingmedia.com"The people themselves in the countryside, in small towns, in rural counties, and on farms and ranches want an honest system of democratic agriculture. And, first of all, that means taking on the monopolies." barnraisingmedia.com/2026-electio...
Jim Hightower on Texas Politics and What’s Next for the CountryHe’s also been an editor of The Texas Observer, president of the Texas Consumer Association, national radio commentator, columnist, and bestselling author. He currently publishes Jim Hightower’s…barnraisingmedia.comThe books—old and new—that our readers and staff enjoyed last year. barnraisingmedia.com/our-readers-...
Our Readers’ Favorite Books of 2025I loved it for its beautiful language and the story of a dull life with no escape, a near dead experience and being conned by a crazy visitor which in the end opened doors to possibilities that were…barnraisingmedia.comFarmers are searching for immigration reform like a lost desert wanderer scanning the horizon for water. But the oasis always turns out to be a mirage. Will this finally be the year for meaningful reform? barnraisingmedia.com/farmers-faci...
Farmers, Facing Labor Shortages, Push for Immigration ReformFarmers, feeling the pinch on labor, are venting their frustration with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.barnraisingmedia.comFollowing the abandonment of Howard Dean’s “50 state strategy” and the resulting Democratic divestment from rural districts nationwide has entrenched an exclusivity in the party. barnraisingmedia.com/two-paths-fo...
Two Paths Forward for Democrats in 2026Despite the Democratic Party’s success in 2025, the experiences of rural candidates in Virginia show the party’s challenges ahead.barnraisingmedia.comTroy Jackson, former president of the Maine State Senate, has emerged as leader to replace Graham Platner in the race for the U.S. Senate from Maine. Curious who he is? Read this Barn Raiser profile of Jackson from February, covering his earlier bid in the Maine primary for governor.
The Candidate From Rural Maine Fighting Big MoneyTroy Jackson, a 5th generation logger from Allagash, Maine, is challenging his opponents in the governor’s race to reject corporate and dark money.barnraisingmedia.com