A Boomtown can be characterized as a city that experiences rapid growth and often sees people migrating to take advantage of the increasing opportunities. I myself moved from New Jersey two years ago to North Carolina to be a part of the rapid growth in Charlotte. (and also to escape the cold weather and high taxes) Our analysts at MagnifyMoney have evaluated the 100 largest metro areas in the United States and measured them on growth rates of industry, population, housing, wages, and employment opportunities.
To find out which of America’s metros are booming, we looked at how much each metro has changed between 2011 and 2016 (the most recent year for which all data is available at the metro level) in three different categories, which we scored independently before combining the results to reach a metro’s final score.
Key Local Findings:
- Ogden ranked #12 of 100 on our list
- Population increased in Ogden by 7.90%%
- Ogden unemployment rates dropped 25.70%%
- The number of paid employees in Ogden improved by 18.10%%
See the full study results and data for Ogden: https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/news/americas-biggest-boomtowns/
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TWLOHA Announces "Tomorrow Needs You" Campaign
in Honor of World Suicide Prevention Day
Melbourne, Fla. - The nonprofit To Write Love on Her Arms just launched its 7th annual campaign to honor World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10) and National Suicide Prevention Week (September 9 - September 15). This year's campaign is called "Tomorrow Needs You."
According to the World Health Organization, 800,000 people die by suicide globally each year. That's one person every 40 seconds. Additionally, the CDC recently reported that as of 2016, the suicide rate in the United States has risen 25% over the last 20 years.
TWLOHA Founder Jamie Tworkoswki shared: "World Suicide Prevention Day has become the most important day of the year for TWLOHA. This campaign is our biggest and best attempt not only to bring a message of hope and encouragement to folks all over, but also to raise money for people to get the help they need and deserve."
Nancy Lublin, CEO of Crisis Text Line said: "This campaign is all about empowering people to reach out for help and share their experiences. It's so reflective of who To Write Love on Her Arms is-warm and empathetic, focused on bringing out the best in people."
People can participate in this year's campaign by purchasing the organization's World Suicide Prevention Day pack, joining the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using #TomorrowNeedsYou, #WSPD18, and by donating to their fundraising campaign. TWLOHA has set a goal to raise $100,000 to provide counseling scholarships and to help connect thousands of people to local mental health resources.
To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. It exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. Since its start in 2006, TWLOHA has donated over $2.1 million directly into treatment and recovery and answered over 210,000 messages from over 100 countries. For more information on To Write Love on Her Arms, please visit: www.twloha.com.
In addition to this year's WSPD campaign, TWLOHA recently announced three dates of "An Evening With To Write Love on Her Arms." The tour will run from September 18-20, hitting Tampa, FL, Gainesville, FL, and Atlanta, GA, respectively. The evening will consist of Tworkowski speaking, plus performances by two-time National Poetry Slam champion, Sierra DeMulder, and musician JP Saxe. Tickets for all three nights are on sale now. General admission tickets range from $13-$15, and VIP tickets are $40, which includes a pre-show Meet & Greet + Q&A. For more information, please visit: https://twloha.com/events/.
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(Washington, D.C., September 4, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today launched the trade mitigation package aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. Producers of certain commodities can now sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), while USDA will also begin to purchase identified commodities under a food purchase and distribution program. Additionally, USDA has begun accepting proposals for the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP), which will help American farmers find and access new markets for their products. In total, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, consistent with World Trade Organization obligations.
Perdue announced in July that USDA would act to aid farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation. President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet some of the costs of disrupted markets.
“These programs will allow President Trump time to strike long-term trade deals to benefit our entire economy, including the agricultural sector, in the long run,” Perdue said. “Farmers will tell you that they would always prefer to sell a good crop at a fair price, rather than receive government aid, and that’s what long-term trade deals will accomplish. But in the meantime, President Trump has promised that he will not allow American agriculture to bear the brunt of the unjustified retaliation from foreign nations. Today we are putting the President’s promise into action.”
USDA provided details in August of the programs to be employed:
Note: USDA is currently working to determine how to address market disruptions for producers of almonds and sweet cherries.
Market Facilitation Program
The sign-up period for MFP is now open and runs through January 15, 2019, with information and instructions provided at www.farmers.gov/mfp. The MFP provides payments to cotton, corn, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean, and wheat producers who have been significantly impacted by actions of foreign governments resulting in the loss of traditional exports. The MFP is established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation CCC Charter Act and is under the administration of USDA’s FSA. Eligible producers should apply after harvest is complete, as payments will only be issued once production is reported.
A payment will be issued on 50 percent of the producer’s total production, multiplied by the MFP rate for a specific commodity. A second payment period, if warranted, will be determined by the USDA.
Market Facilitation Program
Commodity
Initial Payment Rate
Est. Initial Payment**
(in $1,000s)
Cotton
$0.06 / lb.
$276,900
Corn
$0.01 / bu.
$96,000
Dairy (milk)
$0.12 / cwt.
$127,400
Pork (hogs)
$8.00 / head
$290,300
Soybeans
$1.65 / bu.
$3,629,700
Sorghum
$0.86 / bu.
$156,800
Wheat
$0.14 / bu.
$119,200
Total
$4,696,300
** Initial payment rate on 50% of production
MFP payments are limited to a combined $125,000 for corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat capped per person or legal entity. MFP payments are also limited to a combined $125,000 for dairy and hog producers. Applicants must also have an average adjusted gross income for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 of less than $900,000. Applicants must also comply with the provisions of the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation regulations.
For more further information or to locate and contact local FSA offices, interested producers can visit www.farmers.gov.
Food Purchase and Distribution Program
Beginning this week, USDA’s AMS will issue pre-solicitation notices through GovDelivery for targeted commodities. These notices will outline products USDA intends to purchase and will continue over the next several weeks. AMS will purchase products over four quarters in the new Federal fiscal year, which starts on October 1, 2018. The materials purchased may be adjusted between quarters to accommodate changes due to growing conditions, product availability, market conditions, trade negotiation status, and program capacity, among other factors.
To expedite first quarter purchases, AMS will focus on products currently purchased for nutrition assistance programs given the existence of qualified USDA suppliers and specifications for these products. Examples include various forms and varieties of apples, pork, beef, dairy, blueberries, grapefruit, oranges, pears, cranberries, plums/prunes, walnuts, potatoes, rice, kidney and navy beans. By purchasing known commodities first, AMS can procure commodities that have been sourced in the past with maximum speed and impact.
Food Purchases
Commodity
Target Amount (in $1,000s)
Apples
$93,400
Apricots
$200
Beef
$14,800
Blueberries
$1,700
Cranberries
$32,800
Dairy
$84,900
Figs
$15
Grapefruit
$700
Grapes
$48,200
Hazelnuts
$2,100
Kidney Beans
$14,200
Lemons/Limes
$3,400
Lentils
$1,800
Macadamia
$7,700
Navy Beans
$18,000
Oranges (Fresh)
$55,600
Orange Juice
$24,000
Peanut Butter
$12,300
Pears
$1,400
Peas
$11,800
Pecans
$16,000
Pistachios
$85,200
Plums/Prunes
$18,700
Pork
$558,800
Potatoes
$44,500
Rice
$48,100
Strawberries
$1,500
Sweet Corn
$2,400
Walnuts
$34,600
Total
$1,238,800
Agricultural Trade Promotion Program
Applicants may now submit proposals for the FAS $200 million ATP Program. FAS will accept applications on a rolling basis until November 2, 2018. Details regarding ATP and how to apply are available at https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/agricultural-trade-promotion-program.
The aim of the program is to assist American agricultural exporters in identifying and accessing new markets and to help mitigate the adverse effects of other countries’ restrictions. ATP is meant to help all sectors of U.S. agriculture, including fish and forest product producers, mainly through partnerships with non-profit national and regional organizations.
