News from rural America.

U.S. Supreme Court rulings are applauded and criticized as the nation celebrates 250 years, an Idaho group ramps up help for those in need, extreme cuts to SNAP are coming into focus, and robots could revolutionize agriculture.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Rural voters with slower postal service can rest easy ahead of the November 3rd midterms, knowing their ballots will be counted.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld a grace period in 30 states that allows tabulation of mail-in ballots postmarked by and received within five days of an election.

Bernadette Reyes with the UCLA Voting Rights Project says the gray spirit helps rural voters who experience disabilities or transportation issues.

Having interference with this really important and accessible method of voting would do tremendous damage.

In another ruling, the court protected the makers of Roundup from cancer lawsuits based on state laws.

A Midwest gardener claimed he wasn't warned the weed killer, made by Monsanto, now Bayer, could cause his lymphoma.

The court's ruling exempts thousands of similar lawsuits.

Doctor and Montana lawmaker Melody Cunningham calls that a public health travesty.

To ignore safety signals, not just cancer signals, but other safety signals about patient and people's health.

Seven million Americans rely on mobility devices, wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and canes.

Even leaving the house can be challenging, as are the insurance battles.

But a rural Weezer, Idaho church group has found a way to help. by providing durable medical equipment, including wheelchair ramps, and covering the installation when insurance doesn't.

Pamela Burris with Washington County's Love in the Name of Christ calls it a gap ministry.

If there's a need that's not being met, we try to step in and figure out a way to fulfill that need.

As the nation celebrates 250 years, people are losing food assistance.

Since Republicans passed the Trump administration's budget mega bill last year, More than 40,000 Kentuckians have lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Jessica Klein with the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy says that's one in 14 residents who needed SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families, creating consequences that could last for years.

We know that SNAP improves health, so without SNAP that means higher costs for our health care system.

And SNAP is also a generator for local economies.

Farmers who dream of more leisure time are eyeing robots.

Everything from revolutionary milking machines to weed whackers.

A University of Minnesota team led by Eric Buchanan is testing autonomous weed cutters that reduce pollution because they don't use fossil fuels.

As they zigzag across the rows, he says they're creating new efficiencies.

In that regime, 30 one-row robots can do the same work as one 30-row implement pulled behind a huge tractor.

Minnesota farmers have until August 11th to apply for a state grant for new electric-powered machinery.

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

For more rural stories, visit dailyyonder.com.