Agriculture

Utah Thrives: Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

Written by: Dan Bammes

A recent Utah Foundation breakfast event on access to mental health services and suicide prevention brought up a little good news: Utah’s suicide rate isn’t rising as fast as it has in the past two decades. And professionals who treat those at risk for suicide say their interventions can work very well if they reach people in time. But there are still many challenges, including providing access to psychiatric care in Utah’s rural areas. In … Continued

How should we pay for water? A matter of priorities

Written by: Peter Reichard

It can be said that the modern history of Utah began with water — and a bet. The year was 1824, and Jim Bridger was sitting around with his fellow mountain men in Cache Valley, on the banks of the Bear River, laying bets over where the water flowed. To settle the bet, Bridger followed the river down and found a giant, briny inland sea. Ever since, water has shaped the contours of Utah’s history … Continued

Utah Thrives: Farming in Utah’s Urban Counties

Written by: Dan Bammes

For several generations now, the most profitable crop grown on farmland in Utah’s urban counties has been new houses. Farmland has been disappearing and with it the lifestyle that was once a big part of Utah’s culture. But through the years, farming has survived and adapted, sometimes taking advantage of that urban growth. In this edition of Utah Thrives, we’ll hear about the agricultural protection status that farmers in Wasatch Front communities are able to … Continued