Robert Wuthnow’s new book, The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America, is a distillation of the Princeton sociologist’s decade of research regarding rural communities. Wuthnow, along with a team of researchers, conducted hundreds of interviews with people living in small towns, on farms, and in rural communities in an attempt to better understand social, cultural and political dynamics. It’s a shorter book written primarily for a non-specialty audience that pulls together some of the main conclusions for all of that research. [node:read-more:link]

A disease that affects wild elk populations has been spreading in Western Washington for a decade. Now, wildlife managers say they have found evidence of elk hoof disease east of the Cascades. The disease, a bacterial infection that causes hoof deformities, was discovered after someone sent a deformed hoof from an elk to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in early April. That elk was killed in a vehicle collision near Trout Lake in Klickitat County. [node:read-more:link]

Kelly Folse, DVM, is at home on bond awaiting trial after her Dec. 19 arrest in Louisiana for allegedly shooting and killing her neighbor’s 15-month-old bulldog, Bruizer, six days earlier. Her attorney, who spoke with dvm360, says Dr. Folse has been unable to find employment as a result of the charges brought against her. According to the court affidavit for the charges filed against the 35-year-old veterinarian, Dr. Folse “shot her neighbor’s dog in the head, killing him.” The dog was in its backyard, which borders an elementary school, at the time of the shooting. [node:read-more:link]

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today unveiled a new interactive webpage to identify best practices for building rural prosperity. “Rural communities need forward-thinking strategies to build strong, resilient futures,” Hazlett said. [node:read-more:link]

Wisconsin strengthened its hold as the nation's top cheese maker by producing a record 3.37 billion pounds last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Wisconsin accounted for about 26 percent of the 12.7 billion pounds of cheese produced in the U.S. last year.Wisconsin saw a 7 percent increase in Hispanic cheese production, a 5.5 percent increase of American cheese and a 3.7 percent increase in Italian cheese, Wisconsin State Journal reported . [node:read-more:link]

Several private equity firms are said to be considering a bid for Elanco, the animal health division of Eli Lilly and Co., as the company considers its options for the unit. Bain Capital, Advent International Corp. and Carlyle Group L.P. are among the firms that may look to bid for Elanco. According to a JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimate from December, the business could be valued at $14 billion to $16 billion. In October, Eli Lilly launched a strategic review of Elanco to review alternatives that could enhance its profitability. [node:read-more:link]

New York state is investing money in nearly three dozen local farms to help them curb carbon emissions and prepare for climate change. The office of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that the state will spend $2.2 million on the program, now in its fourth year.The money will go to 34 farms around the state. The program is intended to fund efforts to make farms more water and energy efficient, and to help them prepare for droughts or severe weather.Some farms will spend the money on cover crops to prevent erosion and suck up carbon. [node:read-more:link]

The future of Wyoming coal looks bleak: In late March, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected that demand will stay flat for several decades. Last year, companies withdrew applications for 901 million tons of coal in the Powder River Basin. In December, Contura Energy sold two Powder River Basin mines for just $21 million, the amount of taxes it owes the state. And this winter, power-plant owners in Colstrip, facing eventual plant closure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promised the coal-dependent town $13 million to help its economy transition beyond coal. [node:read-more:link]

With a preliminary NAFTA deal reportedly near, attention is turning to how it could potentially affect U.S. agriculture. Canada's dairy market is protected by high tariffs and has been a key bone of contention, but experts expect only "marginal" concessions from Ottawa. There's also an anti-dumping provision aimed at Mexico that has been sought by Florida specialty crop producers but analysts say it could ignite trade retaliation. [node:read-more:link]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed an "international priorities" page from its website in December, according to a report released this week by the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI). [node:read-more:link]