Blog Posts & Stories

As the industry continues to grow, many rural communities across the U.S. have reaped the benefits of clean energy development. Among the hotbeds is the Norfolk, Nebraska, area, which is in the midst of pursuing a community solar project.

In April 2020, when most of the world was shut down or sheltering in place due to COVID-19, small business owners were faced with some serious challenges: try to keep their businesses afloat by...

Across rural America, we have eased into new norms and routines. Each of us is attending to the impacts of COVID-19 on our friends, families, and communities as we reflect on these unprecedented times.

The Value Added Producer Grant program, one of the few U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant programs available directly to farmers and ranchers, is now open. In Nebraska, 35 projects were...

Center for Rural Affairs board member Nancy Meyer and her husband, Alan, of Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska, decided to use their time at home during the pandemic to make use of an old cattle cistern on their farmstead.

Welcome back to the Center for Rural Affairs Unicameral Update. Last week marked the end of the introduction of new bills in the Nebraska Legislature. This week an adjusted hearing schedule starts, with hearings being held all day, rather than the typical half-day.

Welcome to the Pierre Review! Today is Day 10 of South Dakota’s 37-day legislative session, which will conclude March 29. All bills need to be introduced by Feb. 4 (Legislative Day 16) and must pass...

The Iowa Legislature began its 2021 legislative session on Monday, Jan. 11. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working diligently to track bills and follow the activities of the Legislature so we can keep you updated about issues that affect rural Iowa.

A lifetime of being an educator and advocate for rural America has provided Leverne “Vern” Barrett with wisdom and knowledge well beyond what most of us could imagine. Since 2009, he’s lent his voice...

​​​​​​​In late December, Congress passed the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020. A lot has happened in the time since, but we believe this legislation deserves a second look.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans program provide relief to help businesses keep their workforce employed and cover normal operating expenses during the COVID-19...

With states across the Midwest continuing to embrace the economic potential of renewable energy, project developers and landowners have the ability to work together to explore opportunities for investments in conservation, according to three new reports released by the Center for Rural Affairs.

A new president takes office today. A new Congress is seated. There will be a new leader at the Department of Agriculture. Ten months into a pandemic, change is everywhere in Washington.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses have encountered a great deal of conflict, particularly those that are new or relatively new. Even without a global health crisis, not many people...

Iowa is among the top states when it comes to the number of organic farms in operation, but producers have long struggled to obtain crop insurance that can better protect them from losses. A new initiative aims to help close these gaps.

Nebraska lawmakers are considering a bill to provide some relief for meat supply chains by allowing consumers to purchase smaller ownership shares of livestock. Aunbrea Zeleny with the Oakland Meat Processing Plant said Legislative Bill 324 would help more Nebraskans who have struggled to find meat at grocery stores during the coronavirus pandemic access food from trusted local sources

There are a whole host of risks involved with farming and ranching; from weather conditions, to market changes, to all of the surprises that 2020 had in store. Managing risk has never been more important, and for many, crop insurance is a central risk management tool.

Dentro de las plantas de empaque en toda nuestra nación, los trabajadores continúan sin suficiente equipo de protección personal o PPE; no tiene suficiente espacio para cumplir con el distanciamiento social; y siguen preocupándose por lo que les pueda pasar.

Inside packing plants throughout our nation, workers continue to lack enough personal protective equipment, or PPE; don’t have enough space for social distancing; and continue to worry about what is going to happen to them.

2020 was a difficult year for everyone, for a multitude of reasons. Of the many challenges that came to national attention throughout the year, perhaps the most apparent was the lack of civil discourse among those with different identities, beliefs, and political affiliations.