Blog Posts & Stories

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.

As presidential hopefuls make their final pitches to Iowans before the upcoming caucuses, rural residents say they want to hear more about climate change.

​​​​​​​Like most rural schools in Nebraska, Diller-Odell Public Schools faces an imbalanced funding stream caused by a complex property tax and school funding system.

Local foods are not just a trend, they’re a means to benefit our health, economy, and local producers. From the abundance of rural farmers markets to menus in city restaurants, local foods are cropping up more throughout our state. Another place they’re emerging is our local schools.

​​​​​​​Tom Wahl and Kathy Dice, owners of Red Fern Farm, have built resiliency in their operation to overcome challenging weather.

The honey industry has experienced a drop in the number of bee hives in production in the past decade. This decline is a result of a number of pressures on bee health and beekeeper retirement. However...

Our priority issues in Iowa include clean energy, soil health, and water quality. Relevant developments concerning priority legislation will be shared via email.

We all know water is essential for life, but the sufficient consumption of water also has long-term health benefits. Increased water consumption has been found to reduce levels of dental decay, positively impact cognition, improve overall eating and physical activity habits, and reduce the risks for obesity.

Judy Sandeen wasn’t planning on testifying when she walked into the Kearney Public Library last fall for the second of four public hearings on the implementation of Medicaid expansion in Nebraska. But...

After years of acquiring business knowledge, Raúl Arcos Hawkins now has the opportunity to share everything he’s learned with aspiring entrepreneurs throughout Nebraska. Recently hired as a business...

Max Wilson grew up watching his parents raise crops and livestock on his family’s farm in Burwell, Nebraska, all the while learning the importance of land stewardship.

​​​​​​​Elected representatives in Nebraska will debate a host of issues during the 2020 legislative session, including economic development, budget and tax, health care, energy and environment, and food and agriculture.

At the Center for Rural Affairs, we are deeply engaged on the farm bill because of the enormous impact it has on rural communities. This is particularly true for conservation programs. Even though...

The Pew Research Center finds that only 63 percent of rural Americans have a broadband internet connection at home, and 24 percent of rural adults consider access to high speed internet a major problem in their local community. Recent policy developments are designed to address this. But, will they be enough?