WACD Reading List

BRUSSELS (AP) — Countries around the world slammed their doors shut again to try to keep the new omicron variant at bay Monday, even as more cases of the mutant coronavirus emerged and scientists raced to figure out just how dangerous it might be.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the Department has begun accepting applications for up to $1.15 billion in loans and grants to help people in rural areas get access to high-speed internet.

USDA is also standing up an Equity Commission to advise the Secretary of Agriculture by identifying USDA programs, policies, systems, structures, and practices that contribute to barriers to inclusion or access, systemic discrimination, or exacerbate or perpetuate racial, economic, health and social disparities.

The Biden administraton on Thursday announced a proposed rule that would reinstate the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act, flushing President Trump’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule down the drain.

SEATTLE — The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package signed into law this month creates a new billion-dollar program designed to open thousands of miles of congested transportation corridors. Those choked thoroughfares aren’t roads and bridges, however. They are creeks and streams used by migrating salmon when they return from the ocean to reach their spawning grounds.

All counties in Washington’s voluntary stewardship program, including Okanogan and Ferry counties, are successfully using incentive-based and farm-friendly strategies to comply with state growth management requirements, according to a first-round of evaluations.

Withered crops and puny livestock; dead fish and swarming insects; laid-off workers, shriveling economies, and rural homes stranded without running water — these are just some of the calamities unleashed by a historic drought affecting all of Oregon and parts of Washington.

Byron Kominek’s family farm near Boulder, Colorado was struggling to turn a profit when he began exploring solar generation as a strategy to diversify the farm’s income.

Nearly 60% of Latinos surveyed say having a lighter skin color helps Hispanics get ahead in work and in life, and about half say discrimination based on race or skin color is a “very big problem,” a Pew report shows.

Mounting evidence shows that exposure to nature—walking through the woods, observing a beautiful sunset, or simply tending to a plant—improves our psychological and physical health. Nature is also good for our social well-being.

“Salmon-Safe is substantially about water quality,” Scribner said. Good for farmers, and good for salmon, too.

75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional and they usually fail on at least three of five main targets: meeting a planned budget, staying on schedule, adhering to specifications, meeting customer expectations and maintaining alignment with the company's corporate goals.

It's not easy for leaders to acknowledge they've made a mistake. It's even harder for them to admit they are wrong. That's why many leaders adopt a "never apologize" mindset—they stick to their guns rather than admit they were wrong and cut their losses.

Being grateful, even for little things, can keep us going.

Everyone hates meetings.

During No-Till November, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service promotes the economic and environmental benefits of not disturbing the soil and “keeping the stubble” to improve soil health. To make the most of these benefits, Iowa no-till farmer Will Cannon focuses on the biology of the soil – instead of the chemistry of farming.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. government attorneys will appear before a federal judge Friday to defend a decision from the waning days of the Trump administration that lifted protections for gray wolves across most of the country, as Republican-led states have sought to drive down wolf numbers through aggressive hunting and trapping.

TACOMA, Wash. — Flood warnings were in place Friday for several rivers in western Washington as well as parts of Oregon as heavy rains continued in the Pacific Northwest. Advisories were issued for the Skokomish River at Potlatch, the Tolt River above Carnation, the Snoqualmie River near Snoqualmie Falls, the Puyallup River near Orting and the Nisqually River affecting Lewis and Pierce counties.

Scientists have evidence that SARS-CoV-2 spreads explosively in white-tailed deer, and the virus is widespread in this deer population across the United States. Researchers say the findings are quite concerning and could have vast implications for the long-term course of the coronavirus pandemic.

Peter Polson’s feet crunch as he walks across a meadow on his property. This time last year, his boots wouldn’t have made that noise. Now, the meadow is blackened after the Cedar Creek fire swept through his land just west of downtown Winthrop.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House Nov. 5 voted 228-206 to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that includes $8.3 billion dollars in water-related investments. The package, HR 3684, includes investments in dams, waterways, flood prevention efforts, drought resilience, groundwater storage and conveyance, aquifer recharge projects and other water works.

United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack underscored the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s support for President Biden’s whole-of-government approach to combating climate change and creating good-paying jobs and economic growth in the United States.