[imgbelt img=ringneck.jpeg]
A group of public health researchers is conducting a survey among rural residents. This is part of the preparation of a guide to rural health care to be called Rural Healthy People 2020.
To take the survey, go here.
• You may not be able to get a loan to buy a house, but there is money for investment in ag businesses. DTN writes today about the proposed purchase of DeBruce Grain by Gavilon in what will be a consolidation among grain elevator owners.
Wall Street has seen grain as a good investment, as there has been an increasing interest in commodities. Gavilon is a privately held company backed now by large investors. By purchasing DeBruce, Gavilon will have a combined grain storage capacity of 300 million bushels, ranking third behind ADM and Cargill.
This year, Gavilon has bought or built new grain holding facilities in North Dakota, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Australia.
• The latest polling in Kentucky has Republican Rand Paul increasing his lead over Democrat Jack Conway in the U.S. Senate race there.
• Grizzly bear numbers around Yellowstone National Park (and, yes, we are always tempted to write “Jellystone”) have reached their highest levels in decades.
For the record, there are at least 603 of the big bears in the Yellowstone area of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
• The Federal Communications Commission chair Julius Genachowski writes about his plan to free up broadcast spectrum for use by WiFi broadband. His preference is to transfer spectrum from television to other over-the-air uses.
• For the fourth straight year, the pheasant population in Iowa is down. Money spent on ringneck hunting has dropped by half since 2006.