Blog Posts & Stories

With each passing year, the Center for Rural Affairs assists more and more entrepreneurs in making their dreams a reality. And, as the number of small business owners grows, so does their need for...

Mid-October in Iowa – temperatures have dropped, leaves are changing, and harvest should be in full swing. Yet, there I sat with Jerry Peckumn in his office when he should have been out in the combine. Thirteen days straight of heavy rains in central Iowa seriously stalled the harvest of the state’s corn and soybeans crops.

This holiday season, will you be among 83 percent of consumers who plan to do some portion of their holiday shopping at a small, independently owned retailer or restaurant? These types of businesses...

Healthy rural residents help maintain and create vibrant rural communities. To achieve both, citizens, communities, and policy makers must recognize and address the unique health needs of the nation’s rural residents.

This summer, a member of the Omaha Nation implemented a new gardening practice that could substantially improve the amount of vegetables grown each season on the Omaha Reservation. Suzi French, along...

Seeing farmers achieve their goals is Lucia Schulz’s passion. Being the reason why they’re able to achieve those goals is her job. As a project assistant for the Center for Rural Affairs, Lucia spends...

Across the nation, Americans are making tough decisions about long-term health care for themselves and their loved ones. Access to a level of care that meets their unique needs can determine if families remain together, or if their loved ones will have to move miles away.

Did you know that nearly 1 in 10 small businesses in the U.S. is owned by a veteran? Together, they employ nearly 5 million American workers and produce more than $1 trillion in sales every year. Last...

For more than two decades, Ruth Chantry has been gaining farming experience, and she’s not planning to stop any time soon.

By Cody Smith, former staff member Consistent with the nation, rural Nebraskans are aging at a faster rate than their urban counterparts. Unfortunately, a shifting long-term care system may leave them...

Ray Meylor, prides himself on being an asset to his community, through teaching and practicing conservation to preserve water quality.

In February 2018, after the presidential budget was released, I wrote a piece highlighting the importance of conservation and the Conservation Stewardship Program. I made note that the presidential budget included cuts to conservation programs, and cited my growing concern that stewardship of our natural resources would be left behind with these damaging actions.

For one woman in Denton, Nebraska, health care worries have been a part of her life for almost a decade. Melissa Smith is a mother of five and a small business owner. Along with her husband, Tyler, they own and operate Hillside Events, a wedding venue located on their family property outside of town.

Results of this week’s election will have significant implications for the future of rural America. Voters should not forget the farm bill is on the ballot. A strong farm bill is crucial for rural...

Knock. Knock. Linda, a retired woman in her sixties, comes to the front door of her rural Nebraska home on a rainy, summer day. She offered to let me in, wondering what had me out in the poor weather.

For seven years, rural Nebraskans in the health insurance coverage gap have heard all the what if scenarios around Medicaid expansion. At the same time, they have dealt with the what ifs of purchasing their heart medication or putting food on the table.

Keep your body, mind, and soul in harmony. This is something Rosa Maria Brooks takes to heart when running her business, Rosa Maria’s Wellness Spirit Of Healing And Astrology Center, LLC. More than...

Congress, whether through dysfunction, neglect or some combination, has allowed the Farm Bill to expire.

This November, voters in Idaho, Nebraska, Montana, and Utah will decide whether to extend health insurance coverage to a combined half million hardworking, low-income Americans.

Even though she’s traveled all over the world, Cora Fox says her favorite places are the small towns and wide open spaces in the heartland of America. Cora’s love of rural led her to the Center for...