News from rural America.

Rural populations have bounced back for two years running, more jobs are causing growing pains in Montana, Colorado wants school kids to eat better and boost rural ag communities, and Saint George, South Carolina is "Puttin' on the Grits."

TRANSCRIPT

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For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, this is the news from rural America.

Rural population loss has reversed a bit over the past two years.

A Daily Yonder analysis of census data shows in 2023, rural America gained newcomers for the second year in a row.

Most of the growth occurred in rural counties closer to cities.

Daily Yonder data reporter, Sarah Mallott, points to Jackson County, Georgia, near Athens, where more than 4,000 people moved.

She says people are coming from other parts of the country or the world, with some regions gaining more than others.

The Southeast saw some of the most dramatic changes.

Florida and South Carolina in particular saw a huge boom in population.

And more good news.

In some rural places, employment opportunities have grown to now be comparable with urban areas.

But as Bea Pertella found, that's coming with challenges.

Despite ample employment opportunities, it can be challenging to fill job openings, as Open Campus reporter, Nick Forizos, explains.

Some of the challenges rural communities are facing are actually growth challenges, not enough housing, not having enough broadband infrastructure.

Rural colleges are scrambling to address workforce shortages.

He says Montana schools are pioneering a change in curricula to help provide workers with practical skills the new employers need.

Skills-based curriculum that is more flexible, that can be changed quickly to meet new employer needs, to make education more valuable and practical amidst this rapidly changing economy.

Forizos expects Montana will see the effects of that in two to five years, and the rest of the country after that.

I'm Bea Pertella.

Colorado voted for a 2022 ballot measure to get more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias.

And the Healthy School Meals for All initiative also aims to boost the state's rural ag communities.

Taylor Frederick with Nourish Colorado says school meal providers are building best practices in their school districts, including how to work with local farms and ranches.

How you can find your local producer and even how to put out specific bids for specific local items and working these sorts of things in your menus.

A new online guidebook offers tips and tools for starting and sustaining the farm to school programs.

You could say St. George, South Carolina is putting on the grits.

It's the annual Rollin' in the Grits Festival, April 12th to be exact.

The main event requires that pre-weighed contestants dive into a large pool of grits to see how much weight they can add when the tiny bits of ground corn stick to them.

Whoever gains the most weight wins.

No grits, no glory.

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, I'm Roz Brown.

For more rural stories, visit dailyyonder.com. (upbeat music) (gentle music)