Members in the News: June 9, 2025

Brian Whitacre, Oklahoma State University “'Wads of Money': Oklahoma Marijuana Industry Causing Property Values to Skyrocket” By: The Oklahoman – June 1, 2025 “We thought most of the comments were gonna be negative and that was not the case at all.  A lot of people saw the positive impacts of the dispensaries, they were pretty well thought of. Dispensary owners actually came to our meeting, and people had pretty high opinions of them, so it wasn’t as negative as we thought it would be.” (Continued...) Read more on: The Oklahoman    Steven Deller, University of Wisconsin-Madison "Rising Housing Costs Are Forcing Some Wisconsinites to Delay Medical Care, New Report Says" By: WPR – June 4, 2025 “The More Perspectives Talking About Housing Issues and How They Connect to Other Quality of Life Concerns, the Better. The decision-makers will get a better insight into kind of the nuances of what’s going on. As communities are thinking about this stuff, they need to be having a broader community conversation.” (Continued...) Read more on: WPR   Brittney Goodrich, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign “Bee Truck Crashes Pose Steep Economic Losses for Beekeepers, Says Illinois Expert” By: News Wise – June 3, 2025 “When a semi-truck carrying hundreds of honey bee colonies crashed and overturned in Washington state last week, it wasn’t just a roadside mess — it was a potentially devastating economic blow to the beekeeping operation behind it.” (Continued...) Read more on: News Wise David Ortega, Michigan State University “How Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Could Show Up on Your Grocery Bill” By: Marketplace – June 3, 2025 “Tariffs on inputs like steel and aluminum may not seem that connected to food, but they are critical for packaging. To think about all those canned goods you buy: canned tuna, soda, beer, pet food. They’re all packaged in steel or aluminum.” (Continued...) Read more on: Marketplace Amitrajeet Batabyal, Rochester Institute of Technology “How Air Pollution Affects Mental Health” By: Basis Point - June 7, 2025 “Given the rising concern about air quality in urban and industrialized areas, this research rightly contends that mental health outcomes should be factored into cost-benefit analyses of environmental regulations. This is particularly salient because most air pollution studies focus primarily on physical health outcomes like respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, but the research I am discussing clearly highlights the less visible, yet equally serious, psychological toll that people in polluted environments confront.” (Continued...) Read more on: Basis Point Christopher Wolf, Cornell University “US Senate Advised on Aging Population of American Farmers” By: Morning Ag Clips – June 6, 2025 “There are also financial considerations that contribute to the aging workforce. Modern agriculture tends to be quite capital intensive, and that accumulation occurs over the manager’s lifetime, the result being that the average farm age is getting older. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a “farm” as producing and selling $1,000 or more annually, so statistics include many hobby and part-time farms that in some instances serve as a retirement pastime.” (Continued...) Read more on: Morning Ag Clips or Progressive Farmer Marin Skidmore, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign “Heat Disaster: How Climate Change Is Bankrupting Small Dairy Farms While Big Ag Profits” By: The Bullvine – June 8, 2025 “Cows are mammals like us, and they experience heat stress just like we do. When cows are exposed to extreme heat, it can have a range of negative physical effects. There is an increased risk of infection, restlessness, and decreased appetite, which leads to a decline in milk yield. For dairy producers, the heat impact directly impacts their revenue.” (Continued...) Read more on: The Bullvine