RURAL AMERICA LIVE with AARP

Wed, 1/21/26 – 7:30 PM ET

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

7:30 PM ET

AARP state directors return to take your calls and answer your questions during this live one-hour call-in show, sharing helpful insights and tips to help you and your family.

On this month’s show: Ensuring your money lasts as long as you do involves knowing your Social Security benefits and the best time to claim them. Our special guest shares tips to help you plan a secure financial future.

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Utah Senator John Curtis joins us for “Champions of Rural America” to discuss new legislation to improve forest management and wildfire prevention and its broader implications for rural communities and infrastructure.
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LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Congress has just over a month of working days left for the year. Plan for uneven USDA service until funding is restored, and closely monitor Farm Bill talks, as avoiding Permanent Law before January 1 is the single biggest risk to markets and milk prices.
Mexico’s tougher, two-step treatment and added checkpoints are catching cases before they can spread—good news for producers near the border.
Despite tariffs having a less significant impact on exports, corn producers struggle with tariff-related increases on inputs, which complicates their bottom line.
Jack Daniel’s will end its Cow Feeder Program, which served around 100 livestock operations near the distillery, and redirect spent grains to its anaerobic digester.
Prepare for acute UAN risk and a brief urea shock; maintain steady ammonia and phosphate plans, and monitor potash basis on the coasts.