Census data shows the life expectancy rate for rural Americans has dropped over time and is now less than that in urban areas. It is something the National Rural Health Association has been studying and says there is one major reason for the switch.
“Lack of access to healthcare, first and foremost, and if you can’t get to your doctor for preventive care or a checkup, you wait until things get really bad, and then you go into the emergency room. Environmental issues. You know, for our ranchers and farmers, that’s a tough, difficult profession to be in by itself. Then you get into lifestyle choices, a lot of processed fast food, which is easy to get and cost less, well that impacts your health. And then on top of that, you just have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and cancer across the board,” said Alan Morgan.
The 2022 Census of Ag showed around 60 percent of farmers received healthcare in the past year.
Rotational grazing can improve pasture use and soil health while helping control feed and drought-related risk.
April 28, 2026 07:00 AM
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March cold storage data showed generally tighter year-over-year stock levels across several key meat and dairy categories.
April 28, 2026 06:00 AM
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Spring Weather Splits Conditions Across American Farm Country
April 27, 2026 05:34 PM
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NAAA’s Andrew Moore joins us to discuss the role of ag aircraft in crop protection and emerging concerns surrounding stolen agricultural drones.
April 27, 2026 04:25 PM
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Dr. Peter Beetham with Cibus joins us to discuss the Supreme Court review of a case about glyphosate use, its potential impact on Bayer and Roundup, farmers who use the products, and the ag industry as a whole.
April 27, 2026 03:18 PM
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Meredith Petersen joined us to discuss the National Swine Health Strategy, how it was developed through industry collaboration, potential challenges ahead, and its expected benefits for pork producers.
April 27, 2026 03:05 PM
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