Blog Posts & Stories

For nearly half a century, the Center for Rural Affairs has worked toward ensuring a better future for Nebraska’s family farmers and ranchers, new business owners and rural communities.

Energy costs frequently make up a substantial portion of the monthly expenses for small businesses. This is especially true in rural areas, where energy—the percentage of income spent on energy—is on average higher than in urban areas.

Even though Kent Ewing was busy running other businesses, when the residents of Gering, Nebraska, lost their only grocery store, he stepped up to make sure community members had what they needed to get by.

Frustrated by the lack of internet service for his home in rural Antelope County, Nebraska Mike Tabbert just wanted to find someone who would listen. So, he picked up the phone and started calling every acronym in the book—the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), FTC (Federal Trade Commission), and NTCA (the Rural Broadband Association), as well as his representatives in Lincoln and Washington, D.C.

Iowa has taken steps to prevent floods following historic disasters in recent decades. At the center of these efforts are local coordinators, working to keep jurisdictions on the same page. Now, a proposal is being offered to better fund these positions. As lawmakers craft the next state budget, they're being asked to include grants for full-time coordinators in areas known as Watershed Management Authorities.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many Nebraska businesses to shutter, and is forcing others to pause plans for future growth. Nebraska lawmakers are considering proposed updates to the state's Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit Act, originally passed in 2005.

Each of the past several elections has thrust rural people into the media spotlight. Rural and urban people are divided, the pundits tell us. Neither understands the lives of the other, the news...

While Nebraska’s smallest businesses continue to face uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nebraska Legislature’s Revenue Committee had a decision to make. Should they improve a program that incentivizes small business growth and encourages investment and job creation? Or is the better decision to eliminate that program for good?

Pasar tiempo con la familia es una prioridad para Marina Gómez y sus hijas, Wendy Alfaro y Marta Gómez. Las tres mujeres siempre han apreciado el tiempo que pasaron horneando juntas como familia. Su amor por crear pasteles y confitería es tan fuerte que los llevó a abrir su propio negocio.

Spending time with family is a top priority for Marina Gomez and her daughters, Wendy Alfaro and Marta Gomez. The three women have always cherished their time baking together as a family. Their love of creating confectionery treats is so strong that it led to them opening their own business.

Today is Day 26 of South Dakota’s 37-day legislative session. This Thursday, Feb. 26, is considered “Crossover Day,” the last day to pass bills out of their house of origin. The last date for bills to pass both houses is March 8.

The Iowa Legislature just wrapped up week six of its 2021 session, and some key deadlines are approaching quickly. The first funnel, the deadline for a bill to get out of a committee, is March 5.

Mid-February saw a continued flurry of hearings to complement our snowstorms and cold weather. The Center has been following the progress of those bills that relate to rural life. Staff testified in four hearings over this period–in support of rural broadband, food assistance for working families, a better tax structure for agricultural land within city limits, and a more effective income tax credit for property tax relief.

The coronavirus pandemic has swept through the U.S., leaving devastation in its wake. In less than a year, our country has suffered the loss of nearly 500,000 souls due to COVID-19. For the first time...

Before Father Bryce Lungren was a priest, he was a cowboy. Today, he gets to be both. In the early 2000s, while working on a ranch in Montana, Bryce spent his days rounding up cattle, and was engaged to the rancher’s daughter.

Earlier this week, extreme weather caused power outages for much of the central United States. Bitter cold led to increased demand for electricity while also forcing significant portions of electric generation offline, leaving millions of people across the Midwest, Great Plains, and Texas in particular without electricity.

After several years assisting the Center for Rural Affairs with its Tribal programs, Kristine Flyinghawk is bringing her community development talents to the Center full time. Recently hired as Native...

State regulators ordered an ethanol plant in Mead, Nebraska, to stop producing ethanol from seed corn treated with insecticides and fungicides. The plant had been thrust into the spotlight after local...

​​​​​​​“The Salvation of the State is the Watchfulness of the Citizen,” reads an inscription over the main entrance to the Nebraska state Capitol in Lincoln.

For Ryan Collins of Harpers Ferry, Iowa, working on the family farm connects him to both past and future generations. He and his spouse, Samantha, have three children under the age of six and one on the way. Their operation has been in the Collins family since 1851, and Ryan sees conservation as a tool to ensure its vitality for generations to come.