Blog Posts & Stories

Himelda Lomeli has always wanted to be her own boss. After working in the cosmetology industry since 1992, she now has the independence she craved.

Dongwen Wang knows numbers—she’s so good with figuring out finances that she’s made a career out of it. Currently an accounting associate with the Center for Rural Affairs, Dongwen started with the...

Consolidation of companies in the food system has had negative impacts for rural communities. One detriment is lack of choice and higher prices for farmers when purchasing inputs, as fewer and fewer...

The Center for Rural Affairs prides itself on bringing communities together through innovation, stewardship, and community development. By connecting with individuals who make extraordinary...

Farmers and ranchers with expiring contracts with the Conservation Reserve Program, or who are interested in enrolling land in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) should take note of an...

In 2015, a working group gathered to talk about the challenges Nebraska food consumers and producers alike face, and how to best address them.

Tomas Delacruz lives north of Macy, Nebraska, where his two acres of land host an ever-expanding garden. Growing up in Mexico, Tomas and his family harvested chilies and peppers. Now, living in...

Those interested in beekeeping have a new learning opportunity. The Center for Rural Affairs and University of Nebraska-Lincoln are partnering to offer Great Plains Master Beekeeping, a regional...

Deb and Curtis Lockwood have lived and worked in the Fremont, Nebraska, area for most of their lives. They raised children, welcomed grandchildren, and began to plan for a comfortable retirement. As far as anyone could see, they were living the American dream.

Since 2015, Suzi French has been a valuable member of the Center for Rural Affairs team, and, recently, she just became even more of an asset to the Center’s work. As a community foods associate...

Nebraska’s 2019 legislative session closed with the last day of May, adjourning five days early. This early adjournment was met with contention as a substantive solution to the state’s reliance on property tax to fund K-12 education was again left unresolved.

Anyone who has invested in a distributed generation system will freely admit that the sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow. This atmospheric reality can make it difficult for producers to rely exclusively on distributed energy. To overcome intermittency, system owners can choose to ration their energy use, invest in battery storage, or remain connected to the electric grid.

Economic opportunity is vital to rural communities. Although poultry and livestock production is integral to rural economies, decades-long shifts in the poultry and livestock industry have pushed many...

Connecting rural Nebraskans to new economic development opportunities is a key piece of the long-term health of our small towns and communities. The Center is opposed to LB 373 because it would remove local control from Nebraskans and limit economic opportunities for rural communities.

In a win for both farmers and conservation efforts, this year’s cover crops final harvest date has been shifted to Sept. 1. This new date applies to silage, haylage, and baleage in addition to haying and grazing.

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the formation of the Task Force for Reviewing Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. Agricultural producers of various backgrounds and operation sizes and types are encouraged to apply. Applications are also being sought from individuals involved in providing rural internet services.

Rural America could power a clean economy — but first we need to solve the coal debt crisis. As the price of renewable energy declines, new wind and solar projects are being built across the country. These projects create jobs, reduce pollution, and help keep electricity rates stable, facilitating a significant return on investment for communities hosting projects. And, most of the time, new renewable energy projects are built in rural America, tapping into abundant wind and solar resources.

Home ownership increases family and community stability. When residents live in a community, they shop at local businesses, take part in community organizations, and send their children to local...

Sandra Renner has spent nearly five years focusing on a variety of work, all with one thing in common—assisting rural Nebraskans. Newly appointed as the Farm and Community Program director for the...

Rural electric cooperatives serve more than 40 million people, including 650,000 in Iowa, and a new report says many co-ops could save their customers money by retiring existing coal plants in favor of renewable-energy sources.