The Appalachian Voice
Report Tracks Appalachian Coal’s Continuing Decline
By Brian Sewell A report released in May by the West Virginia-based consulting firm Downstream Strategies underscores the need for investment in Central Appalachian counties hardest hit by a decline in coal production and demand. By looking at market and regulatory factors, plus trends in the U.S. and abroad, the report offers a comprehensive examination…
Read MoreAgritourism Grows in Appalachia
By Brian Sewell Think of it as an extended growing season, where the opportunities arising from a region’s agricultural wisdom and the influx of tourists and conscious consumers are ripe for the picking. By marketing experience and education, not just products, Appalachian farms of every kind are going beyond the friendly transactions at the farmers…
Read MoreBills on the Hill
A Look at Environmental Happenings in Congress The Good Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act ( S. 805 / H.R. 1373): Introduced for the fourth time by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) since 29 miners were killed in the 2010 Upper Big Branch disaster, the Coal Mine Safety Act addresses a long list of safety…
Read MoreBee Deaths Linked to Pesticides
By Davis Wax More than 30 percent of managed bee colonies in the United States perished this past winter, and beekeepers are looking for answers. While parasites, viruses and malnutrition can be factors in entire hives dying, evidence is building that pesticides are one of the major culprits. Danny Jaynes, president of the N.C. State…
Read MoreToxic Legacy
Yesterday’s Pesticides, Today’s Problem By Davis Wax Since the dawn of agriculture, pests have been the bane of growers across the globe. Early evidence shows sulfur was used against molds more than 2,000 years ago in China. But it wasn’t until the rise of more concentrated and commercialized products such as DDT in the past…
Read MoreA Matter of Self-Preservation
New Farmers and the Hard Path To Land By Matt Grimley The Pratt family in Atkins, Va., like many, both own and rent land on their 1200-acre cattle farm. Besides small plantings of corn and other crops, Echo Ridge Farm is an angus cow operation, selling off its breeding cattle through seasonal and regional auctions.…
Read MoreFour Ways to Preserve the Farm
By Matt Grimley Between economic, legal, regional and personal circumstances, no two farmers will make the same decisions about how to keep their farms productive into the future. Noted here are just a few paths to preserving the farming tradition. If you’re looking for more information, start at your local cooperative extension office. Fostering land…
Read MoreEnergy Report shorts
Permit to Mine Ison Rock Revoked In the latest chapter of a six-year battle between A&G Coal Corporation and the citizens of Wise County, Va., the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy denied a 1,200-acre mountaintop removal coal mining permit on Ison Rock Ridge, which would have buried 14,000 feet of streams. The department…
Read MoreRegional Roundup
‘Ag-gag’ bills Considered in Tenn., N.C. North Carolina became the 11th state this year to consider a form of an “ag-gag” bill, which limits the spread of information about agricultural practices through laws about employee practices. Called the “Commerce Protection Act,” the North Carolina bill was proposed by Senators Brent Jackson, Wesley Meredith and Jim…
Read MoreJune /July Newsbites
Read how our Red, White and Water program encourages N.C. communities to speak up for clean water. And if you live in Tennessee, be sure to check out our weekly Tennessee Tuesday blogs!
Read More