Business Talk

(BPT) – Rose Ranch is nothing short of unique. Nestled between dense forest and oyster beds, it has been operating along the coast of Washington State since 1923. For 100 years, each generation of the Rose family has returned to South Bend to contribute to producing high-quality beef, protecting the land and maintaining the family legacy.

Now, for brothers Shaun, Drew and Brett, it’s their turn. In the fourth episode of the docu-series Cattle Calling, learn more about the brothers as they join their father, Jim, and grandfather, Bob, working together to ensure the ranch will be in operation for another 100 years. View the full episode here.

(BPT) – Kimberly Ratcliff was living a successful corporate life in New York City when she felt the pull to return home to her parents’ ranch in Oakwood, Texas. She said she saw other family ranches sold or divided, and she wanted to ensure Caney Creek Ranch was sustainable for generations to come. Upon returning from the big city, Kimberly worked hand in hand with her father and two brothers, eventually taking a lead role in the day-to-day operation of the ranch. Her eye for business and commitment to caring for the animals and the land helped Kimberly identify how technology could improve their overall sustainability.

While growing Caney Creek Ranch, Kimberly also looked for opportunities to support her local ranching community, specifically other black ranchers. In the second episode of the docu-series Cattle Calling, Kimberly gets that opportunity in the form of a USDA Climate-Smart grant, which will ultimately allow her to help families in 60 Texas counties create a climate-smart plan.

Follow Kimberly, her father Wesley and brothers Dwayne and Ben as they keep sustainability in the forefront while raising cattle, selling beef at a local market and supporting the community.

View the full episode here.

(BPT) – Kinzie Burtrum Borgerding grew up on her family’s cattle ranch in Stillwater, Oklahoma. One of five girls in a blended family, and the next generation of Burtrum Cattle, Kinzie navigates the family business and works with her father and grandfather to ensure the ranch is sustainable – both environmentally and for future generations.

While Kinzie always dreamt of continuing her family’s legacy on the ranch, the sudden passing of her mother and the support she received from the agriculture community brought that dream into focus as she looked for ways she could give back to the community. After completing a degree in Animal Science at Oklahoma State University, Kinzie knew she could be more impactful helping others ensure their ranches are sustainable for the future with a law degree.

In the first episode of Cattle Calling, follow Kinzie and get to know her family as she applies to law school, plans a wedding and spends one last summer at home on the ranch with her dad and sisters.

View the full episode here.

(BPT) – Today, Michelin North America, Inc. marks its 50-year anniversary of operations in South Carolina with its Michelin Legacy event. Since opening its first facility in Anderson in 1974, Michelin has expanded its footprint exponentially to include…

(BPT) – Every year since 1970, a tree from one of the 154 national forests travels from its woodland home to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and serves as the “People’s Tree.” As it makes its journey to Washington, D.C., the tree makes several stops …

(BPT) – The vibrant culture of Thailand took center stage in New York’s Times Square this September with the Ignite Thailand Festival – a groundbreaking event that immersed New Yorkers and visitors with all the innovations coming out of Thailand, from …

(BPT) – USAFacts, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan civic organization founded by former Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, is launching the next set of PSAs in a six-part series – these will focus on energy & the environment, and economy. Since the series aired last month, ‘Just the Facts with Steve Ballmer’ has had more than 16 million views, a testament to the public’s interest in understanding facts during peak election season.

‘Voters are yearning for a place where they know what they’re getting is accurate information and reporting, especially ahead of the Presidential debates,’ said Steve Ballmer, founder of USAFacts. ‘We take real government data that underscores important issues that matter to Americans from inflation numbers and housing stats to immigration and healthcare data and present it in a way that helps people understand the actual numbers and issues without the rhetoric.’

USAFacts’ mission is to provide Americans with answers using unbiased facts about our country that are rooted in data. The two new episodes will premiere on NewsNation on Sept. 8 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, featuring key statistics on the economy and the U.S. energy sector and the environment. USAFacts will provide the facts – voters can see the data for themselves and decide what it means for them.

“At USAFacts, we are adding clarity to the conversation by providing unbiased, easy-to-understand facts to inform voters on the topics making headlines during election season,’ said Poppy MacDonald, president of USAFacts. ‘The positive response to our video series speaks to just how many voters are seeking to make sense of partisan dialogue. Our platform empowers voters with the facts to help them decide what’s best for our democracy in November.’

Episodes will be available to stream on the USAFacts YouTube channel.

Key economic stats** include:

• The U.S. went from 2.5% growth in 2019 to -2.2% when COVID hit in 2020, up to 5.8% in 2021 during the recovery, to about 2.5% in 2023.
• In 2023, real GDP per person in the U.S. reached a high of $81,624, which was up 2% from 2022.
• In February 2020, unemployment was a low 3.5% and increased to 14.8% in April 2020. By Q1 2023, it was at 3.4%, and a small increase to 4% as of May 2024.
• In 2019, the average cost of a gallon of gas was $2.60; by 2022, it rose to nearly $4. And in June 2023, it was over $5 a gallon. In 2023, the average cost lowered to $3.52 a gallon.
• U.S. employers added about 3.1 million jobs in 2023; growing the workforce to 159 million people.

**Sources: USAFacts, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 7/19/24, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, accessed 8/14/24, Bureau of Economic Analysis, accessed 8/13/24

Overall, the proportion of total consumer spending spent on energy is lower today than in the past. Forty years ago, total energy costs accounted for almost 8% of all consumer spending. That’s recently dropped to around 4.2%.

Key energy & the environment stats* include:

• America consumes a lot of energy: with 4% of the world’s population, we account for about 16% of global energy use. The U.S. uses more energy than any other country except for China, but China spreads that energy use across the population nearly four times larger than ours.
• Transportation accounts for 30% of all energy consumption, almost 90% of which comes from gas and diesel fuels burned by vehicles. The U.S. has more than 280 million registered vehicles. Less than 1% are electric vehicles and hybrids, although they comprised over 16% of all light duty vehicle sales in the U.S. in 2023.
• Twenty years ago, fossil fuels accounted for 88% of U.S. energy consumption. In 2023 it was 82%, with nuclear power accounting for 9% and renewable energy, which includes solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and biomass, like ethanol, also accounting for 9%.

*Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed 8/12/24, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 7/21/20, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed 8/13/24, United States Census Bureau, accessed 8/12/24)

About 73% of America’s greenhouse gasses result from our burning fossil fuels for energy, with the transportation sector being the most significant source of these emissions. Global forces have also created an impact. Russia invading Ukraine, and unrest in Venezuela, reduced the amount of oil that the U.S. imported from both countries.

‘Just the Facts’ videos launch monthly leading up to Election Day (Nov. 5). Current episodes include Immigration, the National Budget, Energy & the Environment, and the Economy. The last set of PSAs will launch on Oct. 6 and dig into Health and Healthcare, and America by the Numbers.