Blog Posts & Stories

From the streets of Mexico to a storefront in Kearney, Nebraska, Veronica Piñon has been selling traditional Latino goods her whole life. She spent her childhood helping with her parents’ business as food vendors. Now, she runs Piñon Market in Kearney. Veronica opened her store in June 2021, carrying on her family’s legacy with help from the Center for Rural Affairs.

Muchos propietarios de pequeños negocios se preguntan cómo se relaciona la ciberseguridad con su negocio, o piensan que nunca podrían ser víctimas de los ciberdelincuentes.

With their approval of several key pieces of legislation, Nebraska lawmakers solidified the importance of small entrepreneurs, local meat processors, and family farms to our state’s economy and way of life.

Many small business owners wonder how cybersecurity pertains to their business, or think they could never fall victim to cybercriminals.

Reliable internet has become a necessity. “People living in rural areas aren’t using the internet to play video games. This is our life,” said Doug Riediger.

People have traversed the world to visit 365 acres of certified organic fields and pastures nestled in the valley of West Bow Creek in northeast Nebraska.

What’s the latest buzz about solar energy? It’s likely the thousands of honey bees that call solar fields home. Commonly referred to as “agrisolar beekeeping,” the practice of placing beehives on or near solar fields is a burgeoning industry.

Decker Gabriel-Woods was drawn to sustainable agriculture when supply chain issues related to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic alerted him to the problem of how people get food. The practice of farming, however, drew him to appreciate and cherish the earth.

Traditions have anchored me and generations of my family. Rooted in the importance of traditions made and new ones sought, I learned at a young age how to use them as I navigate triumphs, challenges, and changes.

Las guarderías ofrecen un servicio crítico a las familias trabajadoras y ayudan a mantener girando la economía de nuestras comunidades. Existe una gran necesidad bien documentada de cuidado infantil para servir a los padres trabajadores de las zonas rurales de Estados Unidos. Abrir una guardería, ya sea en el hogar o en un centro, es una oportunidad comercial emocionante que conlleva desafíos únicos.

Day cares offer a critical service to working families and help keep the economic wheels of our communities spinning. There’s a well-documented need for more child care to serve rural America’s hardworking parents. Opening a day care, whether in-home or a center, is an exciting business opportunity that comes with unique challenges.

Last week, the Legislature approved budget bills in Legislative Bills 1011, 1012 and 1013. On Monday, Gov. Pete Ricketts signed and made line item vetoes to all three of them. The Center’s two general budget priorities in LB 759 and LB 1090 were not a part of the governor’s line-item vetoes.

This week marks the 13th of this year’s legislative session. There are rumblings at the capitol that the end is in sight—but probably not just yet. We expect the session to last a few more weeks before things wrap up.

On March 29, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoed Legislative Bill (LB) 1073, which would require the state to accept the $120 million in federal funds already set aside for Nebraska to extend the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) into the year 2025.

Every county has a U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center that houses Farm Service Agency (FSA) and National Resource Conservation Services (NRCS). This is where farmers and landowners go to access their programs. As a renter you can still work with these agencies.

Time sometimes creeps up on Kent Wiese, who has been working in the meat processing industry in Des Moines, Iowa, since 1976.

Iowa is in danger of losing momentum for local coordination of flood prevention projects. That's the prediction of groups with ties to Watershed Management Authorities, whose funding request fell short at the State Capitol this session.

Nebraska’s public power districts provide some of the most reliable electricity in the country. According to the Energy Information Administration, Omaha Public Power District, Lincoln Electric System and Nebraska Public Power District all rank in the top 30th percentile for reliability among all utilities nationwide.

When Bruce Willems of Correctionville, Iowa, set out to address an erosion problem on the family farm, he didn’t realize he was beginning a lifelong conservation journey. What started out as a one-year contract to plant cover crops is now a decade-long commitment to the overall health of his farm through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

La guardería, Karime Child Care ubicada en Grand Island, Nebraska, ha estado abierta desde abril del 2017. En esos pocos años, la propietaria Carime Ruvalcaba ha visto éxito y crecimiento en su negocio. Sin embargo, cuando cerró indefinidamente en abril de 2020, debido a la pandemia, la emprendedora decidió tomarse el inesperado tiempo libre para desarrollar sus habilidades como propietaria de un negocio.