Dear Reader of The Nation,
For too long, the story of rural America has been written by outsiders. The result? Caricatures, stereotypes and missed opportunities to understand the diverse communities that shape our country.
Barn Raiser is here to change that. Twice a week, we bring you original reporting and authentic rural voices—stories that show how small towns and rural people are building community, solving problems and defending democracy.
“Will Trump Meet His Russian Winter in Minnesota?”
by Winona LaDuke
“What Happens When Moms for Liberty Takes Over Your Schools”
In 2022, Laramie County Moms for Liberty and Wyoming Family Alliance took control of the Cheyenne public school board and started banning books. Then, concerned citizens began to organize.
by Marion Yoder
“I Taught My Students Slavery Was Wrong. Then MAGA Came After Me”
A rural Iowa teacher found himself at the center of the nation’s culture wars. Now he’s part of a movement to protect public education.
by Greg Wickenkamp
“How Pete Hegseth’s Former Minnesota Church Is Leading the New Christian ‘Crusade’ ”
As rural churches struggle to keep their doors open, megachurches like Minnesota’s Eagle Brook—one of the largest churches in the country—are embracing technology to fill the void. One scholar describes this rise of big box Christianity as the “Walmart effect.”
by Betsy Froiland
“Rural America Knows How Greenland Feels”
Like Greenland, rural America has a history of decisions being made by people far away. But Greenland has one big advantage that rural America doesn’t.
by John Peace
“Robotics: The Last Nail in Rural America’s Coffin?”
John Deere has announced it plans to go 100% robotic by 2030. What does that mean for rural America?
by Suzan Erem
“What if Big Ag Didn’t Control Our Food?”
In his interview with Barn Raiser, antitrust expert Austin Frerick talks about the rural innovators a big ideas that could transform food in the United States. For Frerick, radical change starts with radical imagination and the fact that “the farm bill is designed for Cargill, for Pepsi, it’s not designed for farmers.”
by Sara June Jo-Saebo
“Iowa Republicans Are Erasing the State’s History”
Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses now in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites that favor fossil fuels over renewables.
by Suzan Erem
“Jim Hightower Confronts the 1980s Farm Crisis”
“It’s the same old story,” said Hightower. “Reagan helps the rich, and Lord help the rest of us.”
by Jim Hightower