Blog Posts & Stories

​​​​​​​Climate change presents a steep challenge for rural America. Fortunately, rural communities are full of people who are committed to addressing climate change.

Before the days of quarantine and self-isolation, many people left their small communities to purchase their groceries. Consumers may not have known what their rural grocery offers, and may not have been getting as much bang for their buck. Instead, they were considering convenience, product availability, competitive pricing, or additional services.

With dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs, Eduardo and Mary Rosa Morales opened their photography business, Venemex Productions, in Columbus, Nebraska, in 2008.

Like many farmers, Dan Taylor of Dallas County, Iowa, is adjusting to the new reality under coronavirus. Thankfully, his family has not been touched by the virus, and he is moving forward with planting and conservation practices he had planned for this year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released details about its new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for farmers hit by the impacts of the coronavirus Tuesday. The final rule, including...

​​​​​​​Pender Public Schools has almost the same number of students and uses the same buildings it did nearly 20 years ago.

Across Iowa, solar is in the midst of an unprecedented industry boom. Installed solar energy has grown rapidly from two megawatts in 2012 to about 115 megawatts today, according to the Energy Information Administration.

While states are beginning to reopen in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses are still hurting. They will be for some time.

I’ve worked from home for many years, and I have some pretty serious homesteading tendencies. I’m an extrovert, but I’ve built a lifestyle for myself that happily keeps me home most of the time. All that said, when COVID-19 really began to affect this country, although my day-to-day actions didn’t take much of a hit, my mental health went down fast, and my focus and energy dwindled. Social media seemed more addictive and toxic than ever, and I felt hope and purpose crawl under a rock. Bye-bye now.

From major weather events to trade wars, our country’s farmers and ranchers are no strangers to adversity. Today, like many others in the world, farmers and ranchers are facing a time of uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus global pandemic.

Sarah Sortum always hoped to raise her kids on the family ranch in Nebraska’s eastern Sandhills. She shares this goal with her brother, as the two want to ensure the ranch’s vitality for generations to come.

You can count on our relentless commitment to you and your business during this unpredictable time. I want to let you know about our Express Loans. Qualifying loans may be eligible for up to six...

South Dakota’s solar industry is poised for significant growth as a result of two proposed utility-scale solar energy construction projects. The first of their kind in South Dakota, the projects in...

As lawmakers consider legislation to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, a group of 65 small business lenders, including the Center for Rural Affairs, across 32 states are calling on Congress to treat rural and urban businesses equally when it comes to providing relief.

The electric grid in the U.S. was created to provide reliable electricity to consumers. Typically, this meant that most U.S. consumers relied on the grid to carry power from centrally-located fossil fuel plants to provide for their electricity needs.

While COVID-19 has disrupted our daily activities and lifestyles, including suspending the Iowa legislative session, it gives elected officials more time to consider HSB 657/SSB 3116 to fund the Iowa Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, also known as IWILL.

​​​​​​​The bread and butter of rural communities are small businesses and the COVID-19 pandemic is presenting challenges that are out of their control.

For Charlie and Aaron Johnson, family farming takes on a very literal meaning. The cousins work together alongside Charlie’s brothers, Allan and Kevin, and Charlie’s son, Jordan, to operate a combined nearly 3,000 acres in Madison, South Dakota.

​​​​​​​Meatpacking plants across the country have become COVID-19 hotspots, and the struggles faced by the people working inside are apparent and alarming.

​​​​​​​Climbing into the combine, I am met with a dashboard of dusty screens and controls. The beeps and notifications remind me data is being recorded as I collect crops.