In December, two nearby hospitals, one almost 40 miles away, the other 60 miles away, closed their doors for good. The closings were the latest in a trend that has seen 21 rural hospitals across Texas shuttered in the past six years, leaving 160 still operating.Lyle, who is CEO, can’t help wondering whether his Falls Community Hospital will be next.“Most assuredly,” he replied when asked whether he could envision his central Texas hospital going under. [node:read-more:link]

The EAT-Lancet Commission's alarmist, agenda-driven, speculative diet transformation appears to ensure sustainable hunger and malnutrition. "Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems." The paper calls for "transforming the global food system" to in part achieve the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement. [node:read-more:link]

A group of doctors across the country has been crusading against some of the expected guidelines since 2016, saying Canadians should be eating fewer carbohydrates while continuing to eat fat from sources such as steak and cheese. The meat and potatoes of Canada's Food Guide used to be quite literally meat and potatoes. No more.The latest iteration of Health Canada's advice on what to eat has taken those two former dietary staples almost entirely off our plates and replaced them mainly with leafier vegetables, alternative proteins, such as tofu and beans, and whole grains, such as quinoa. [node:read-more:link]

A couple in northeast Nebraska is the first to find housing through the state's rural housing program, which aims to help rural communities increase housing opportunities to better retain workers.The state's $7 million Rural Workforce Housing Fund gives nonprofit development organizations matching grants to construct or rehabilitate housing in rural parts of the state. The goal is to create housing options for middle-income workers who don't qualify for other housing assistance programs but don't have enough for a down payment. [node:read-more:link]

State veterinarians in North Dakota are continuing testing cattle after a total of seven beef cows in a herd from Sargent County tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB) in recent months. The TB strain – Mycobacterium bovis – has not previously been identified in U.S. cattle and is most similar to cases that have been identified in Mexican cattle, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture noted on its website. The agency also warned that the strain of TB can be transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to animals. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is improving the process by which it makes wetland determinations, updating guidance to improve consistency and timeliness as well as to responding to feedback from farmers and other stakeholders. The updates do not change the definition of a wetland for USDA program participation purposes, but rather provide greater clarity and uniformity in how NRCS makes determinations nationwide.Updates to the conservation compliance provisions include:Identifying that determinations will rely on precipitation data from 1971-2000. [node:read-more:link]

Advocates pushed for provisions in the deal that would promise continued healthcare in smaller communities. They're heartened to see their efforts seem to have worked. [node:read-more:link]

Smithfield announced last year that it will use covered lagoons and digesters on 90 percent of its hog finishing farms within 10 years, a move that could reduce greenhouse gasses, create renewable energy and open opportunities in the biogas sector. [node:read-more:link]

A new study confirms the urgency to tackle climate change. While it's known that extreme weather events can affect the year-to-year variability in carbon uptake, and some researchers have suggested that there may be longer-term effects, this study is the first to actually quantify the effects through the 21st century and demonstrates that wetter-than-normal years do not compensate for losses in carbon uptake during dryer-than-normal years, caused by events such as droughts or heatwaves. [node:read-more:link]

U.S. shoppers are still paying more for organic food, but the price premium is falling as organic options multiply. Last year, organic food and beverages cost an average of 24 cents more per unit than conventional food, or about 7.5 percent more, according to Nielsen. That was down from a 27 cent, or 9 percent, premium in 2014. [node:read-more:link]