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Skijoring brings cowboys and skiers to Western towns, but warm weather leaves the sport in flux

Mar 7, 2024
Many small towns across the Rocky Mountain West depend on the sport for an economic boost during an otherwise slow winter, but this year it's been tricky with unseasonably warm temperatures.
A cowboy and his horse pull a skier off a jump on the Pinedale skijoring course. The fastest time wins.
Caitlin Tan/Wyoming Public Radio

Reviving China's rural economy, one peach tree at a time

Jul 25, 2023
Chinese officials have pushed for young entrepreneurs to return and revitalize the countryside, but the task is complex.
Liu Pingfu dreamed of working in the big city when he was young, but is keen to return to the countryside.
Christian Petersen-Clausen for Marketplace

What it takes to lure IT workers back to the Chinese countryside

Jun 26, 2023
Some city-dwellers are heeding the call of China’s government for people to return and revive the countryside.
Ex-coder Hu Hang stands in a peach orchard he co-invests in. He quit the IT sector and moved from Shenzhen back to his hometown in central Jiangxi province a few years ago. (Christian Petersen-Clausen/Marketplace)
Christian Petersen-Clausen for Marketplace

High inflation looks different, hits harder, in rural America

Sep 2, 2022
Rising costs and slower-growing incomes cut small town households’ discretionary income by 38% in the last year, pressuring a way of life.
Recent inflation is eating into rural households’ savings and disposable incomes faster than those of urbanites, according to research from Iowa State University.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

He's growing his business during a labor shortage. "I'm optimistic."

Nov 3, 2021
R.G. Lamar of Stuckey's Corp. bought pecan-shelling and candymaking facilities in rural Georgia. There's demand, but not enough workers.
R.G. Lamar on his pecan farm in 2018.
Daisy Palacios/Marketplace

“I’ve never seen so many Help Wanted signs”

May 4, 2021
A view of the strong labor market in a rural Ohio town.
Dr. Scott Anzalone, a physician in Logan, Ohio, says tourists seeking rentals have injected cash into the local economy.
Photo courtesy of Scott Anzalone

Why much of Nebraska's economy remains strong despite the pandemic

Jan 19, 2021
Some businesses in Newman Grove, Nebraska, have been booming as fewer people leave town to shop. Also, the region's agriculture economy remains healthy.
Rural Nebraska is benefiting from a resilient farm economy and has avoided the shutdowns suffered by many metropolitan areas.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

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