Blog Posts & Stories

Obtaining internet service for their rural Nebraska homes hasn’t been easy—or convenient—for Mike Tabbert and Chuck Karpf. When all is said and done, Tabbert will spend more than $12,000 for the...

We are now entering the fifth full week of the 2020 legislative session. As legislators, agencies, the governor’s office, and committees have worked to introduce and review legislation, we’ve been engaging with them to make sure rural Iowans have a seat at the table.

Today is day 22 of the Nebraska Legislative session. We have made it more than a third of the way through the “short,” 60 day session. The Legislature is tentatively scheduled to adjourn on April 23, 2020. The 482 new bills introduced during the second year of the biennium will be heard before one of 14 standing committees between now and Feb. 27.

Today is Day 18 (of 37) of South Dakota’s legislative session. A flurry of new bills have been introduced in the last few weeks. Here are a few we are watching:

Your next door neighbor. Your friend from the gym. Your co-worker, doctor, lawyer, hair stylist—these are people from our communities who we know and love. And, they are DACA recipients.

Preparing bills and invoices, and processing payroll, deposits, and accounts payables—most people wouldn’t know where to begin if charged with these tasks. Preston Peters, however, shines when it...

The Legislature is in full swing. In the coming weeks, Nebraska lawmakers are expected to resume debate on LB720, a bill to create a new batch of business tax incentives for large employers. Major tax incentives are the primary tool we use to attract bigger companies to the state.

​​​​​​​In today’s technology-driven world, frustrations can run high when access to the internet is hindered because of an equipment failure, or in the case of many rural Nebraskans, the lack of access to high-speed service.

As it works to implement changes to the 2018 farm bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to accept public comments on its rule addressing the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP...

Nebraska is home to 145,000 businesses with five or fewer full time-equivalent employees, accounting for 86 percent of all enterprises in the state.

From workshops and one-on-one training to networking events across the state to personal coaching and business assistance, the Center for Rural Affairs Women’s Business Center goes above and beyond to provide these free services to all Nebraskans.

On Jan. 14, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced her plans for the Invest in Iowa Act. Under this proposal, Reynolds is requesting the Legislature raise the sales tax in the state by one penny.

Nebraska lawmakers are scheduled to hear a bill next week designed to ramp up access to broadband internet in parts of the state still stuck at dial-up speeds.

The Iowa General Assembly has entered week three of the 2020 legislative session, this is the second year of the two-year assembly. Last Friday, Jan. 24, the deadline for individual representatives and senators to submit requests for bill and joint resolution drafts to the Legislative Services Agency passed.

Today is Day 10 of South Dakota’s Legislative Session. Our state’s session is short and moves quickly. This year there are 37 Legislative Days (LD) and all bills need to be introduced by Feb. 7 (LD 16...

​​​​​​​Today is day 13 of the Nebraska Legislature’s “short,” 60 day session. The 10 day bill introduction window ended on Jan 23. The Legislature is tentatively scheduled to adjourn on April 23, 2020.

Nebraska residents are often referred to as the second house of our unique unicameral legislative system. Recognizing the importance of constituent voices in the legislative process and the long distances some must travel to appear before a legislative committee, rules now allow letters of testimony to be submitted and included as an exhibit in the official hearing record, permitting participation in the process—even if you are not able to travel to Lincoln.

On Nov. 12, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced changes to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which offers farmers and ranchers a valuable opportunity to build...

Farmers face risk from a variety of sources—weather, disease, markets, financial systems. While crop insurance offers a valuable option for many farmers to manage some of that risk, some crops, such...

​​​​​​​Civic engagement can be an enriching activity that helps everyone around us. You may have experienced this through calling your senator or testifying before a committee. You may also know that advocating for your beliefs can be difficult, even scary.