Back Forty Action

Back Forty Action Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Back Forty Action, Nonprofit Organization, 4319 South National Avenue, #125, Springfield, MO.

We support rural communities, advocating for healthcare, education, a strong rural economy, equal opportunities, and better infrastructure to drive change where it's needed most.

11/13/2025

This week, I watched several Democratic members of the Senate cross over the aisle to reopen the federal government. They took this action based on a promise from the Republican Party that a standalone vote on extending the ACA tax credits would be allowed before the end of the year.

Before the final vote to reopen the federal government was held, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson publicly stated that he could not guarantee such a vote would take place. Later, news outlets reported that Republicans were demanding that any such vote include limitations on women’s reproductive healthcare. This amounted to a second breach of trust in the overall agreement.

And yet, the deal moved forward.

This week, I also watched a group of mothers whose children have severe disabilities stand in front of the Capitol Building with the Democratic Women’s Caucus and plead with their elected officials to save the ACA tax credits before they expire at the end of the year.

Most infuriating was seeing the chuckling and cajoling on the floor of the United States Senate while these votes were taking place. You would think that capitulation on the most critical healthcare decision facing our country since the original passage of the ACA would warrant at least a modicum of self-reflection and somber recognition. Apparently not.

We are extremely disappointed at Back Forty Action. But we will never quit. We will be in Washington through November 23rd advocating for better healthcare, education, and economic policy in rural America. You can learn more at SaveTheHeartland.org, and you can support our efforts there as well.

We can’t stop. Too many people are depending on us.

09/17/2025

A deep heartfelt thank you from Back Forty Action for the donations you have provided to help fund our trip to Farm Aid and to our Meet in the Middle event in Virginia! We appreciate it so much! If you would like to support these efforts you can donate at:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/back-forty-action-2

09/17/2025

📚 What Happens When a Rural School Closes — and Why It Matters 🏫

I just read a thought-provoking article from Journalist’s Resource about the wide-ranging effects when a rural school shuts its doors. It uses the town of Piseco, NY as a case study to show how such closures echo through the community—not just affecting students, but civic life, property, and even the town’s identity. 

Some key takeaways:

• After its school closed in 2012, Piseco repurposed the building: classrooms turned into a fitness center, town offices, gathering spots, even a library. The school may be gone but people still use the space to stay connected. 
• The closure was “traumatic” for many—staff lost jobs, families had to adjust to new schools farther away, and the sense of community shifted. 
• Research shows rural schools do more than educate students—they help anchor communities. Villages with schools tend to have better infrastructure, higher housing values, stronger civic engagement. When a school closes, those advantages are often reduced or lost. 
• But it’s not all doom and gloom: some benefits of consolidation are noted, like expanded course offerings and better teacher working conditions in certain cases. 

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If you care about rural issues, education, or how community loss and adaptation play out, this is worth your time. It shows that a school closure is never just about buildings — it’s about people, place, and social fabric. Highly recommend giving it a read.

👉 https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/what-happens-when-a-rural-school-closes/

09/15/2025

🌾🎶 Big News from Back Forty Action! 🎶🌾

Friends, we’re humbled and excited to share that Back Forty Action has been invited to Farm Aid!

For 40 years, Farm Aid has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with family farmers, shining a light on the struggles and the strength of rural America. To be welcomed into that tradition is an honor we don’t take lightly.

This invitation is more than just a seat at the table—it’s a chance for us to lift up the stories of rural folks from every back road and farmstead. It’s proof that the voices of America’s heartland matter, and together we can make a difference.

We’ll be there representing YOU—the farmers, the small towns, the families, and the communities that keep this country fed and grounded. 🌽🚜🐄

Stay tuned as we share more about this incredible opportunity. And from the bottom of our hearts: thank you for believing in the mission of Back Forty Action. 🙌

👉 Learn more or support our work: backfortyaction.org

09/13/2025

Let’s take a moment to celebrate our new members of Back Forty Action! 98 new members joined this week to say they wanted to support our efforts in rural America. Take a moment to go to our website backfortyaction.org to sign up for updates and learn more about our advocacy for rural America!

🌾 Stand With Rural America — Support Back Forty Action TodayFriends, neighbors, and fighters for the heartland—you know ...
09/10/2025

🌾 Stand With Rural America — Support Back Forty Action Today

Friends, neighbors, and fighters for the heartland—you know that small towns are more than just places on a map. They’re where communities gather, generations grow, and the spirit of America lives.

But right now, many rural towns face challenges that threaten their future—from declining infrastructure and shrinking businesses to limited healthcare access and a lack of reliable internet.

That’s where Back Forty Action, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, steps in. Drawing from the nickname for that most fertile patch of land just beyond the homestead, their work digs deep into the potential and promise of rural communities—even when no one else sees it.

By championing:
• Advocacy & Policy, bringing rural priorities like broadband access and healthcare equity into the national conversation
• Community Outreach, through town halls, listening tours, and grassroots meetups
• Training & Empowerment, giving rural residents tools to become effective advocates in their own communities

…Back Forty Action ensures rural America isn’t left behind—and that every community has a fighting chance. 

If you’ve ever felt the pulse of Main Street, cheered under Friday night lights, or watched a neighbor help another dig in, then you know what’s at stake.

Please consider joining our effort to uplift rural America:

Donate today and help us build local resilience, elevate rural voices, and spark real policy change from the ground up.

Note: As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, your gift directly fuels advocacy and legislation that defends the heart of our country. 

Together, we can ensure rural communities thrive—not just survive.

Donate at backfortyaction.org

— Will Westmoreland & the Back Forty Action team

🏫💔 When a rural school closes, it’s more than just a building shutting its doors — it’s the heartbeat of a small town gr...
09/10/2025

🏫💔 When a rural school closes, it’s more than just a building shutting its doors — it’s the heartbeat of a small town growing quiet.

The school isn’t just where kids learn their ABCs. It’s where Friday night lights brought folks together, where the community held bake sales, ballgames, concerts, and graduations. It’s where parents met teachers who also lived down the street, and where generations walked the same halls.

When a rural school closes, families are forced to bus their kids miles away. Local businesses lose customers, because fewer families are around to support them. The town loses a sense of identity and pride. And once those young families leave in search of better schools, they often don’t come back.

Research from the Rural School and Community Trust shows that school closures often accelerate population decline and economic hardship in small towns. In other words, when a school closes, it doesn’t just hurt the children — it hurts the whole community.

We need to fight for rural schools, because keeping them open means keeping our small towns alive. A school isn’t just a place of learning. It’s the anchor of community life. And when it’s gone, a little piece of the town is gone with it. ❤️

📉 Across rural America, the signs are everywhere: “Closed After 50 Years,” “Out of Business,” “For Sale.”Small-town busi...
09/10/2025

📉 Across rural America, the signs are everywhere: “Closed After 50 Years,” “Out of Business,” “For Sale.”

Small-town businesses that once anchored their communities are struggling to survive. From the local hardware store to the family diner, many are being forced to shut their doors.

Why? Rising costs of goods and fuel, supply chain issues, fewer customers as populations decline, and limited access to capital are squeezing these businesses harder than ever. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, rural small businesses face higher closure rates than those in urban areas. And when a business closes in a small town, it’s not just about economics — it’s about losing a gathering place, a local employer, and a piece of community identity.

This is a silent crisis. When rural businesses fail, it means fewer jobs, less tax revenue for schools and services, and more young people leaving town to find opportunity elsewhere.

If we want rural America to thrive, we can’t ignore the struggles of its businesses. They need fair policies, access to capital, broadband for modern commerce, and investment in infrastructure that helps them compete.

Because when a small-town business closes, it isn’t just a store that’s lost — it’s part of the heart of the community. ❤️

09/09/2025

🚨 Rural America in Crisis: Infrastructure on the Line

Many of our rural and small-town communities are grappling with a looming infrastructure crisis—made worse by federal funding cuts—that threatens daily life, public health, and economic vitality.

Major Pain Points Facing Rural Infrastructure:

1. Draining Federal Support
• Recent federal budgets have pulled back on essential investments—cutting funding for broadband expansion, clean water systems, and transportation programs just when rural communities need them most.  
• Funding that once supported agricultural research, farm infrastructure, and rural development is shrinking. These reductions stunt innovation and agricultural sustainability. 

2. Broken Infrastructure, Broken Communities
• Rural areas face a backlog of critical projects, from roads and bridges to water and broadband systems. Their geographic isolation, smaller population, and limited local tax base make it tough to catch up.  
• In many regions, outdated sewer systems and lack of safely managed water infrastructure remain major health hazards. Estimates show a whopping $33 billion needed annually just to bring water and sanitation up to s***f nationwide. 
• Without decent roads and reliable transit, rural residents are cut off from jobs, healthcare, and education—and face isolation and heightened poverty. 

3. Healthcare and Research Undermined
• Cuts to Medicaid and rural health grants endanger hospitals in small towns, where even brief disruptions can mean the difference between life and death.   
• Research funding, data infrastructure, and agency capacity that support rural health services have been slashed this year, jeopardizing long-term planning and care delivery. 

4. Digital Divide Persists
• Lack of broadband remains a stubborn problem—due to geography, low population density, and insufficient investment. Without high-speed internet, rural kids fall behind in school, and access to telehealth and remote work remains limited. 

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** Why This Matters:**
• Infrastructure deprivation traps rural communities in cycles of poverty, poor health, and shrinking populations.
• The erosion of services—from healthcare access to roads to digital connectivity—exacerbates regional inequality and diminishes national economic potential.

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What We Need:
• Renewed federal investment in roads, water and wastewater systems, broadband, and healthcare programs tailored to rural realities.
• Protect rural health funding, including Medicaid and rural hospital and clinic support grants.
• Strategic infrastructure planning that empowers rural areas with technical resources and equitable grant access.

09/07/2025

🚨 Rural School Closures: Punishment for Crimes Never Committed 🚨

An article by Mara Casey Tieken perfectly summarizes the challenges facing rural schools. Across the country, rural schools are shutting their doors—not because of failures by teachers, parents, or students, but because of policies and financial pressures that punish communities for problems they didn’t create.

✏️ Research shows that the common justifications for closures—saving money, improving academic outcomes, and offering more opportunities—rarely hold up. In fact, closures often increase costs (like transportation), disrupt children’s education, and damage long-term outcomes such as college attainment and employment.

🏫 For rural towns, the loss of a school is more than losing classrooms. It means job losses, shuttered small businesses, families moving away, and the disappearance of the gathering place that holds the community together. As one rural resident put it: “Closing the school killed the town.”

These closures are not true reforms—they’re a way for states to dodge responsibility for properly funding education. Instead of supporting schools, policymakers are pushing closures that break communities apart.

The message from education researcher Mara Casey Tieken is clear: We cannot punish our way to excellence. Real investment—not forced closures—is what rural kids and communities deserve.

👉 Read the full commentary in the Daily Yonder: https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-rural-school-closures-punishment-for-crimes-never-committed/2025/03/25/

09/06/2025

Let’s take a moment to celebrate our new members of Back Forty Action! 107 new members joined this week to say they wanted to support our efforts in rural America. Take a moment to go to our website backfortyaction.org to sign up for updates and learn more about our advocacy for rural America!

09/06/2025

Real People. Real Impacts.

There’s a lot of political talk around the “Big Beautiful Bill,” but at the end of the day, it’s important to look at the facts and how real families stand to be affected.
• The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the bill will result in approximately 10 million Americans losing health insurance—including about 7.5 million losing Medicaid and around 2 million losing Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage, largely due to eliminated subsidies and new bureaucratic hurdles.  
• The bill increases complexity in Medicaid eligibility—requiring work, volunteer, or educational activity (80 hours/month), frequent recertification, and service co-pays—while also slashing nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, potentially pushing 12 million off coverage.   
• Across the country, coverage losses are already showing up in communities. In New Haven, CT, an analysis foresees 11,000 people potentially losing Medicaid. 
• Nationwide, Congressional Budget Office projections indicate around 10.9 million Americans may lose coverage as a direct result of the bill’s healthcare provisions over time. 
• Public health experts also warn that these cuts could have dire consequences—such as 1,000 additional overdose deaths annually, due to decreased access to treatment under Medicaid. 

⸻

This isn’t about politics—it’s about people. Across party lines, the question remains: Do we want fewer Americans to have health coverage? Because that’s what these provisions would lead to—whether through red tape, expired assistance, or tightened eligibility.

Let’s focus on solutions that keep healthcare accessible, especially for the most vulnerable: working parents, older adults, and rural communities. Transparency, simplicity, and compassion should guide healthcare policy—not complexity that leaves people behind.

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4319 South National Avenue, #125
Springfield, MO
65810

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