Blog Posts & Stories

By Kayla Bergman, former staff member As producers work to harvest their cash crops this fall, some will also be turning their attention to another. Cover crops, which can be a grass, legume, or...

As the demand for local foods grows, small- and mid-sized meat and poultry processors are looking to make investments to expand their capacity, create new markets for their product, and train the next generation of workers.

I come from a family with deep roots in north central Indiana. We have multiple generations on both sides of the family in that region, most recently Rochester and Flora. I was born and raised in West...

All farmers and ranchers need to manage risk, and federal crop insurance is one tool available to help them do so. At the Center for Rural Affairs, we believe operations of all types and sizes need to have information to make the best decisions for their success. For many years, this approach has led us to conduct educational outreach on crop insurance.

The Leech Lake Band of the Ojibwe has demonstrated a long commitment to sustainability. In recent years, their Tribal government agreed that renewable energy and green infrastructure should be part of their sustainability efforts—and the progress shows.

Reducing their carbon footprint in the classroom doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming for educators. By taking small steps, such as recycling and reusing materials, teachers can create a climate-smart classroom that makes a lasting impact.

Patricia Pinto has had a number of setbacks—from hail to high temperatures to a derecho. But she’s not giving up on the farm she purchased in 2019. “Sometimes it’s hard to start a business,” Patricia said. “They usually tell you the first three years are the hardest ones, so I’m praying and hoping, and asking God for mercy that this year I am going to have my best crop ever.”

The effects of climate change, such as droughts and destructive storms, have been visible across Iowa in recent years. That's prompted calls for state lawmakers to hold more direct talks about solutions. The Iowa Legislature reconvenes in January. Before that happens, groups like the Center for Rural Affairs want recommendations to address climate change around the state.

On Aug. 4, Center for Rural Affairs staff were on hand for a solar tour near Ramsey, Minnesota focused on examining the benefits of combining agriculture and solar energy, a practice referred to as “agrivoltaics.” The day-long tour included stops at three sites, where participants saw first-hand how beneficial practices such as grazing, beekeeping, and the use of native vegetation and pollinator habitat are being implemented in combination with solar energy production.

With the age of Nebraska's farmers and beekeepers on the rise, bee enthusiasts are encouraging more young people to check out the Great Plains Master Beekeeping Program. The program spans across the Midwest, with sites in Grand Island, Lincoln, Omaha and Scott's Bluff.

A program incentivizing microentrepreneurship by encouraging business investment is seeing renewed interest after updates made last year.

The Center for Rural Affairs represents all rural citizens—specifically with state and federal policy on farm bill programs, clean energy, water quality, small businesses, health care access, and broadband.

I recently attended a memorial for Ashleigh Wabasha. Ashleigh was 19 years old and a member of the Santee Sioux Nation in Nebraska. She was a close friend of an employee of the Center for Rural Affairs.

Across the country, thousands of farmers grow small grains such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye. Some choose to do so for conservation benefits, while others aim to diversify their income streams, to take advantage of local markets, or meet the requirements of organic certification.

Over the past few decades, Native and non-Native people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities area have reaped benefits from the efforts of Dream of Wild Health.

The elements are one of the greatest adversaries for farmers. Changing temperatures and precipitation levels can limit growing seasons and affect the success of crops.

This summer, headlines suggested that rolling blackouts across the country may be possible because of predicted above-average temperatures.

Eric Hill knows good soil. The Iowa producer, who manages his family’s 3,000-acre farming operation near Nevada, has spent more than 20 years caring for the soil that surrounds the plot of land purchased by his parents in the 1970s.

Hace unos años, si alguien le hubiera preguntado a Yasser Toruño y su esposa, Nancy Segura, si alguna vez soñaron con abrir su propio negocio, habrían dicho que no.

A few years ago, if someone asked Yasser Toruño and his wife, Nancy Segura, if they ever dreamed of opening their own business they would have said no.