From Screwworms to Smartphones: New Challenges Facing Rural America

From an old agricultural threat making a troubling return to new research that could change the way farmers manage pests, this week on *American Family Farmer*, host Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan (www.eastleighfarm.com) looks at a range of issues affecting farmers, families and rural communities.

Doug begins with concerns surrounding the New World screwworm and the USDA’s response, including funding aimed at prevention and efforts to expand sterile fly production—a longtime method of controlling the destructive pest. He examines questions surrounding funding, preparedness and what a potential outbreak could mean for American livestock producers.

The conversation also turns to promising agricultural research involving hemp cannabinoids as natural pest deterrents. Doug speaks with horticulture expert Aaron Fields about the possibility of using compounds produced by hemp plants as alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides and what that research could eventually mean for growers.

Doug also remembers the legacy of writer, farmer and rural advocate Wendell Berry and his decades of work championing family farms, local communities and agrarian values.

Plus, the show takes a broader look at life beyond the farm, including growing concerns about smartphone dependence, screen time and what some researchers and health professionals describe as “digital dementia.” It’s a wide-ranging look at agriculture, innovation and the forces shaping rural America today.

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