Blog Posts & Stories

With fewer than four months of 2024 remaining, the window of opportunity for Congress to pass a new farm bill is narrowing. Partisan divides on key issues, as well as November’s general election, are...

As a home gardener, lover of fresh produce, and frequent visitor of farmers markets, Kathy Dirks found it strange that there wasn’t a market in her area. She couldn’t get the idea out of her head that...

Communities interested in identifying strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their Main Streets can apply for assistance from the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities...

Food businesses in six states can now apply for Business Builder Grants, reimbursable funds that could promote business expansion, job creation, business capacity building, and increase local products...

Specialty producers have often been underserved by federal crop insurance programs. Recognizing the discrepancy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), which administers federal crop insurance, recently announced the expansion of the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) to better serve producers.

Since the 1980s, the Kearney Area Farmers Market in Kearney, Nebraska, has provided the people of Buffalo County locally grown produce and community camaraderie. Over the years, the market has grown...

Rural small business owners and agricultural producers contemplating energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy investments may be eligible for financial support through the Rural Energy for...

Much of the Center for Rural Affairs’ work with Native communities focuses on developing and nurturing food systems. To move forward in these efforts, staff work alongside the Santee Sioux Nation, the...

Justino Borja began his agricultural journey without having much farming knowledge, though he has always had a great fondness for working in the field. His passion for tending the land led Justino to learn from others and soak up all the knowledge they offered.

Justino Borja comenzó su camino en la agricultura sin tener mucho conocimiento agrícola, aunque siempre ha tenido una gran afición por el trabajo del campo. Su pasión por el cuidado de la tierra llevó a Justino a aprender de otros y a absorber todos los conocimientos que estos le ofrecían.

Freedom has fueled generations of farmers, allowing them to change their practices to fit their family needs. A relatively new farming option is to host renewable energy projects like wind or solar, which provide direct benefits in the form of stable income while allowing the surrounding land to still be used for agriculture production.

My roots run deep in Maquoketa, Iowa. Six generations of Bowmans have called the community home, and it's where I grew up learning the value of hard work. My dad, Hugh, owned and operated Bowman Oil for 53 years. He pumped gas, checked oil, and cleaned windshields with a smile, a true pillar of the community.

The economic boom of clean energy across the Midwest has accelerated the demand for a qualified workforce in a rapidly growing industry. According to Clean Jobs Midwest, more than 734,000 new jobs have been created across the Midwest since 2022, and that number is expected to grow as projects funded through the federal Inflation Reduction Act begin.

En la economía actual, la idea de convertir un pasatiempo en un pequeño negocio próspero puede resultar atractiva. Ya sea la repostería, la carpintería, la jardinería o manualidades, muchos pasatiempos tienen el potencial de convertirse en emprendimientos rentables. Pero, ¿cómo dar el salto de pasatiempo a negocio? ¿Y deberías hacerlo? Aquí tienes una guía completa sobre cómo hacer esta transición con éxito.

In today’s economy, the idea of turning a hobby into a thriving small business can be appealing. Whether it's baking, woodworking, gardening, or crafting, many hobbies have the potential to become profitable ventures. But how do you make the leap from hobby to business? And should you? Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to successfully make this transition.

When Lee Tesdell retired from teaching in 2021, he wanted to become more active in rural organizations, particularly ones focusing on sustainable agriculture and keeping rural America running smoothly...

Rural living has shaped me into the person that I am today. Growing up on my family’s cattle ranch in northwest Missouri, my mother jokes that I was literally “raised in a barn,” as countless hours were spent there doing chores and riding my horses.

Rural leaders working with two Iowa Watershed Management Authorities (WMAs) are taking an important step to improve the state’s water quality by developing comprehensive watershed management plans. The plans enable buy-in from regional leaders and initiate efforts to understand the watershed’s current situation and identify potential solutions to quality concerns.

Sabino and Maria Hernandez share their journey from starting their own food truck business to preparing for a permanent location.

Sabino y María Hernández han enfrentado una buena cantidad de pruebas y tribulaciones a lo largo de su trayectoria empresarial, desde reubicaciones hasta permisos de zonificación y la construcción de un nuevo edificio. Pero la palabra “rendirse” no está en su vocabulario.