Barn Raiser

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A new book captures how a state responded with integrity to the hazards of “forever chemicals” barnraisingmedia.com/maine-listened…

Nitrate pollution is straining small water facilities in Iowa, even when they have advanced filtration systems barnraisingmedia.com/what-happens-w…

Rep. Pingree of Maine calls for a federal safety net to support farmers affected by PFAS pollution barnraisingmedia.com/usda-can-addre…

Inescapable: Facing Up to Forever Chemicals (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026) by F. Marina Schauffler reminds us that rural communities, often overlooked, can lead the way in confronting the defining environmental challenges of our time. barnraisingmedia.com/maine-listened…

"The Save Our Bacon Act is a Trojan horse—or rather, Trojan Hog—wheeled through Congress under an appealing name, concealing a legal framework for an unprecedented federal takeover of state agricultural law." barnraisingmedia.com/the-trojan-hog…

Some upstate New York towns have been hard-hit by PFAS pollution. Fort Edward isn’t one of them, but the issue is hardly a remote concern. The community is just 33 miles north of Hoosick Falls, New York, where in 2014 the revelation that the municipal water supply was contaminated by PFAS propelled concerns about forever chemicals into the national spotlight. barnraisingmedia.com/small-towns-sa…

Residents in upstate New York fight back against a decades-long legacy of toxic exposure barnraisingmedia.com/small-towns-sa…

"What rural people are looking for is a stronger economy and good jobs, health care and education, etc. Whether it’s for rural people or urban people, that’s what really bestows dignity on people." barnraisingmedia.com/a-strategy-to-…

Check out our interview with Brooks from December: barnraisingmedia.com/homesick-for-t…

Barn Raiser author Brooks Lamb was recently published in the New York Times Opinion section. His article “Why the Kids Won’t Farm” examines the fate of our nation’s farmland, which the wealthiest investors and biggest agricultural corporations are taking over. nytimes.com/2026/03/12/opi…

Many upstate New York towns have been hard-hit by PFAS pollution. Citizens in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls are organizing to keep their town from being next—and they’re helping build a regional movement. barnraisingmedia.com/small-towns-sa…

Farms without farmers are likely coming to a county near you barnraisingmedia.com/robot-farms-th…

Pastor and author Angela Denker discusses what’s happening to white men and boys in Trump’s America barnraisingmedia.com/disciples-of-w…

How the Save Our Bacon Act threatens family farmers and state sovereignty barnraisingmedia.com/the-trojan-hog…

Political scientist Suzanne Mettler sees county party chairs as key to our democracy barnraisingmedia.com/a-strategy-to-…

At no time in our nation’s history have rural and urban America been so politically polarized. Yet, according to a new book by political scientist Suzanne Mettler, partisan polarization doesn’t translate to ideological polarization. It’s more a matter of perceived identity, which has shifted dramatically since the late 1990s. barnraisingmedia.com/a-strategy-to-…

On March 5, the House Ag Committee advanced farm bill legislation that claims to lower food prices and help livestock producers. In reality, the legislation—called the Save Our Bacon Act—conceals an unprecedented federal takeover of state agriculture law. barnraisingmedia.com/the-trojan-hog…

How a Wisconsin pastor is leading the far-right crusade to criminalize LGBTQ people and destroy Western Christianity barnraisingmedia.com/county-before-…

Meet the farmers, organizers and eaters changing our food system from the ground up barnraisingmedia.com/organic-farmer…

As cuts to Medicaid threaten rural livelihoods, this small nonprofit is helping working people find their voice barnraisingmedia.com/cuts-to-medica…