This interview by Betsy Froiland appeared in The Daily Yonder on July 3, 2026. It first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Join the mailing list here and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each READ MORE
Author: The Daily Yonder
The Daily Yonder provides news, commentary, and analysis about and for rural America. They welcome photos, tips, observations, and links to stories about rural America. Reach them at news@dailyyonder.com
OPINION: What Rural Health Innovation Needs to Succeed
The communities most at risk already have proven systems in place. The question is whether policymakers will invest in strengthening and scaling them…
THE DAILY YONDER: The Fearful Gerry-Mander
In 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina declared the state’s 1st and 12th districts unconstitutional…
ESSAY: In Southwest Colorado… a Poetry Subscription Service
The ZU Arts Initiative is less than a year old. There is a lot left to build. But the need for a paid outlet for rural artists is real…
THE DAILY YONDER: Ghosts of Housing Past (and Present)
If we want rural communities to thrive, we must enact sweeping changes at the local, state, and federal level…
THE DAILY YONDER: Drought Threatens Both Wildlife and Business in Rural Colorado
More than 20,000 of this sub-population of Rocky Mountain Greater Sandhill Cranes come to the area each spring…
FILM: Praise for Silly But Sweet ‘The Sheep Detectives’
George, a kindly loner shepherd (Hugh Jackman) loves nothing more in the world than his flock of sheep…He takes great care of them, gives them each a name, and of course, reads them murder mystery stories every night…
THE DAILY YONDER: Anna Nelson on Food Security at Home and Abroad
The big takeaway is we need to reinvest in agricultural research and innovation. The U.S. has been a leader in this field for decades…
OPINION: After the Servers Go Dark
Across the United States, communities are evaluating whether to host a new generation of infrastructure: hyperscale data centers…
Raising the Railings on the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
“When someone dies at the bridge, it’s broadcast in the news. At first there’s no name. And everyone here thinks ‘I hope it’s not someone I know.’…”
THE DAILY YONDER: Soundtracks for Heading Home to Rural America
Luckily, two of this spring’s most-anticipated albums — Kacey Musgraves’ Middle of Nowhere and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide — speak directly to the baggage surrounding a person’s hometown…
THE DAILY YONDER: Growing Rye in Drought-Stricken Colorado
Contrary to what most people might believe, “rye does not taste like caraway seed,” she said…
ENTERTAINMENT: Indigenous-Centered ‘Dark Winds’ Adds Depth to the Crime TV Genre
There are moments of both literal and emotional darkness, including night scenes and times of human turmoil and tragedy. But the series is usually sun-baked and starkly beautiful…
Q&A: The Making of America’s Immigrant Detention Business
“Typically right after the detention center opens, there is often a period where the INS or ICE is very eager to use it – typically they need space in that part of the country. But where ICE needs space is not consistent…”
ESSAY: Potholes in Rural America’s Future?
Those who remember the 1973 OPEC oil embargo could not have been surprised that the 2026 closure of the Strait sent the price of oil skyrocketing…
INTERVIEW: Destruction in Service to ‘Economic Development’
“Last month, I spoke with author and public radio veteran Sid Shroyer to talk about his recent book…”
Maine Set to Ban Data Centers?
A March Quinnipiac University national poll of adults found that 65% of Americans oppose the building of AI data centers in their communities…
Half of All Rural Counties Are Losing Population…
Between 2020 and 2025, 998 of the country’s 1,976 rural counties saw population decline, culminating in a total loss of nearly 460,000 residents in those communities…
EPA ‘Back-to-Basics’ Blueprint Could Help Rural Drinking Water Systems
RealWaterTA will connect rural communities with experts like those at the National Rural Water Association to help them repair water utilities…