An Urban's Rural View

China dominates world manufacturing and it's redoubling its investments in new factories, hoping to make other countries more reliant on it. Policymakers in those countries are struggling to solve this China problem.

Interest rates are too high for current economic conditions. The Federal Reserve has started to lower them and signaling it could lower them a lot.

USDA says 20% of U.S. ag production by value is exported. Some farmers wish we grew only for domestic consumption. Many others wish we exported more.

Governments have tried, and mostly failed, to reduce food waste. South Korea, though, has cured one of the harms food waste causes.

Different versions of industrial policy can have very different implications for agriculture.

The stock market crash got most of the attention, but the increase in the unemployment rate is much more important to the Federal Reserve as it considers lowering interest rates.

The Federal Reserve sends a strong signal that a cut in interest rates is coming soon.

House Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided over food-stamp benefits. That division is one of the obstacles to passing a farm bill this year.

If you borrow money, an interest-rate increase feels like inflation, but the government doesn't count it as one.

Most countries have national days. Our country's is different. What distinguishes it is a noble document that has been quoted and copied and analyzed ever since it was signed.

A detailed look at the rural-urban divide affords some reasons for optimism.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., and despite significant progress, cancer scientists are a long way from conquering it.

The tense relationship between the U.S. and China is all the more reason why Americans should go to China and study the language and culture.

Thousands of acres of the reputedly wild Rhone River delta are cultivated in rice, but the number of acres has declined.

From the beginning, the generation of Americans born between 1946-64 has made their presence felt. It's no surprise they continue to do so today.

Thoughts on why the plans being drawn up by Trump advisors to undo the Federal Reserve's independence are a bad idea.

The U.S. won World War II in large part because of its ability to out-manufacture its enemies. Today China is the world's manufacturing powerhouse.

The year began with Federal Reserve officials projecting interest-rate cuts this year. Surprisingly stubborn inflation and a surprisingly strong labor market have put rate cuts on hold.

Tobacco and alcohol can't be purchased with food stamps. Sodas can. A Congressman who's a physician wants to change this.

Judging from the headlines, you might think the U.S. is souring on foreign investment. The statistics tell a different story. But there are special cases.