The race to dig deeper wells is a losing game for small rural communities.
Agriculture
Posted inArticles
As the Great Plains disappear, a path to better farming
Since 2009, an area the size of Kansas has been converted to crops.
Posted inArticles
Clean water repeal moves forward
The public can now weigh in on the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback.
Posted inArticles
How collaboration can save the Colorado River
Different interests must align for a successful restoration.
Posted inArticles
New health care act would harm farmers and ranchers
Republicans unveil Senate version of health care bill.
Posted inArticles
Neighbors clash over a Colorado chicken farm
A local court decision lands on the side of a 15,000-hen operation.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: Crimes against non-humanity
High Country News staffers discuss human-wildlife killings and conflicts.
Posted inArticles
USDA plans to axe the position dedicated to rural economies
Critics say the move will eliminate leadership rural communities rely on.
Posted inMay 29, 2017: The Cost of a Comeback
Meet Nevada’s cow cops
Where crime scene investigators ride the range.
Posted inArticles
How low-wage immigrant workers are reviving unions
In Los Angeles, a steady movement takes hold under the Trump administration.
Posted inArticles
In elk poaching case, a glimpse of a simmering land conflict
An Oregon rancher is charged for an elk slaughter.
Posted inMay 15, 2017: Prison Town
‘If you don’t want us, tell us to go back’
The making of a California prison town.
Posted inMay 15, 2017: Prison Town
#LiveAndLetTutu; a sodden Oregon; mastodon for dinner
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
A farm town weighs protections for immigrants
In Yakima, Washington, anxious migrant farmers worry about deportation.
Posted inArticles
The wine industry’s battle with climate change
Vineyards deal with drought, temperature swings and fruit that ripens too early.
Posted inMay 29, 2017: The Cost of a Comeback
Montana refuge divides tribes and ranchers
The American Prairie Reserve offers a controversial vision for an intact prairie ecosystem.
Posted inMay 15, 2017: Prison Town
Public banking goes to pot
California activists turn to the cannabis industry to help launch the nation’s first public bank in nearly a century.
Posted inArticles
Jury deliberates in 2014 Bundy standoff trial
Cliven Bundy’s sway over his followers featured prominently in first of three trials.
Posted inArticles
Technology is cropping up in our lettuce fields
In Yuma, Arizona, agriculture has embraced technology to increase yield.
Posted inArticles
California’s backcountry drug war
Dangerous drug cartels are growing pot on public lands—putting wildlife, water supplies, and outdoor enthusiasts at grave risk.