Niobrara Nebraska from nearby hill

Blog Posts & Stories

What's happening with the Center for Rural Affairs? Find the latest on rural America and our work here.

Previously we focused on public policy to increase wages and income, provide enhanced tax benefits, and create partnerships and incentives to develop more skilled, high-paid jobs. Here are four more ways to address income inequality on the rural Great Plains.
  • Small Towns
This week our Throwback Thursday - #tbt - Top 10 Rural Research Reports rundown focuses on our health care research. We're nerdishly modest, but it's no exaggeration to say we were among the first rural organizations to focus on health care.
  • Policy
In a previous article, I discussed the existence of major income inequality on the rural Great Plains. Data show that rates of income inequality are high in rural counties of the Great Plains region, and generally significantly higher than urban areas of the region, particularly compared to suburban areas of the major cities of the region.
  • Policy
School Name: Fremont Community Learning Centers – Afterschool Programs Washington Elementary Linden Elementary Milliken Park Elementary School Address: Main Street Education and Administration Center...
  • Small Towns
School Name: Lyons-Decatur Northeast School Address: PO Box 526 400 S. 5th Street, Lyons, NE 68038 Number of Students: 240 How many schools are in your district? Lyons-Decatur Northeast is a pre-K...
  • Small Towns
The programs of Women’s Business Centers (WBC) are built around the goals of women entrepreneurs. WBCs help women succeed in business by providing business training, mentoring, and access to capital to nearly 200,000 entrepreneurs annually.
  • Lending
This week our Top 10 Rural Research Reports countdown continues. In week two of our #tbt Throwback Thursday series, we focus on our first in-depth report on renewable energy and transmission.
  • Policy
When it comes to power, Nebraska is unique from every other state. That’s because our state is the only one in the nation with public power, giving Nebraskans the ability to elect board members that will represent our interests when it comes to powering our homes and businesses.
  • Policy
The Center for Rural Affairs has been fortunate to have a strong partnership with Nebraska’s Economic Development Districts. It’s been a boost to both of us.
  • Lending
The debate over crop insurance has become a debate between big business interests and family-scale farmers. As you will read here and at cfra.org, we are putting a stake in the ground. We are...
  • Farm and Food
Here in Litchfield, Nebraska, we not only get to enjoy all of the wonderful vegetables at lunch, but we also get to use the greenhouse as a learning experience. We are fortunate to have a local businessman who built a greenhouse for the Litchfield Public School to use.
  • Small Towns
Here at the Center for Rural Affairs, we're rural nerds, knee-deep in research. We've been reporting on it for 40+ years. Last spring we came up with the Top 10 Rural Research Reports publication.
  • Small Towns
Food is a major component of health and healthy living. Consumption of healthy foods and a balanced diet will limit obesity, accompanying health issues, and premature death. But not all people have equal access to healthy foods or live in a healthy food environment.
  • Small Towns
Data from the 2015 County Health Rankings for Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming was used to establish the ratio between the highest and lowest incomes in counties of each state. Not surprisingly, it turned out that high rates of income inequality predominate in rural areas in all of these Great Plains states.
  • Small Towns
  • Policy
Income inequality is a growing social and political concern in the United States and other western democracies. Data show measures of inequality at rates not seen in nearly a century.
  • Small Towns
  • Policy
Those of us who live in rural America often proclaim its positive attributes and its extraordinary quality-of-life.
  • Policy
Our latest report focuses on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Rural Households. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a credit against federal personal income taxes for working people who have low to moderate income, particularly those with children.
  • Small Towns
There was a time when many rural communities supported a small meat processing plant, where farmers could get hogs or calves butchered for family and friends, or hunters could get wild game processed. These businesses also rented lockers where customers could store quantities of meat in the days before refrigeration.
  • Farm and Food