Economy

Winter holiday festivals have become a regular way to grow revenue for America’s smallest towns. And with more people shopping online, those events are key to pulling people away from their screens and into stores.

Officials in rural areas and small cities reported the highest levels of financial discomfort in a new study from the University of Michigan that surveyed 1,328 counties, cities, villages and townships.

A national survey found the smallest business owners are feeling less confident as they close out the year. Inflation, tariffs and shifts in consumer spending are some of the reasons why.

Coffee has gotten a lot more expensive in the U.S. as tariffs seep into the price tag. Even as the Trump administration considers offering some tariff relief, that's putting a strain on roasters, who have no choice but to pass on some of the extra cost to coffee drinkers.

The decision comes after years of outcry from some farmers that the cost of labor, transportation and housing for H-2A workers was making it impossible to break even.

Turkey prices tend to rise closer to holidays such as Thanksgiving. But tariffs and bird flu could dramatically drive up the cost of turkeys this year.

With the end of SOAR and cuts to job-growth funding, lawmakers say they will retool economic development incentives by year-end. The effort follows ‘bad deals’ as the state pledged billions to jobs that barely materialized Officials expect to reward a wider group of businesses with no more up-front payments.

The new $20 monthly charge is helping the Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op pay down $150 million in costs accumulated from the March ice storm.

Michigan soybean growers are being hurt by retaliatory tariffs from their major international markets, especially China and the European Union. The state ranks 13th in soybean production. Major producing counties include Lenawee, Gratiot, Sanilac, Saginaw and Shiawassee.

As food production and farming become increasingly computerized, cyberattacks are on the rise. Lawmakers and universities are encouraging more research into how to protect the industry from cyber threats.