In a large number of rural counties, people, on average, are living shorter lives than a decade ago. If we want to turn those trends around, we'll have to do the work ourselves. Now's the time to start.

Medicare and rural hospitals • Sugar workers still on strike in Red River Valley • Food business consolidation accelerates

Here's a to-do list for Congress during the lame duck session: Pass a farm bill that helps smaller farmers instead of the mega farms. Restore rural development funding. Pass a tax bill that helps the middle class. Continue tax credits for wind energy.

Reports are coming in from all over rural America about increases in the number of whooping cough cases. No wonder. States like Vermont are allowing parents to exempt their children from vaccination.