What's happening with the Center for Rural Affairs? Find the latest on rural America and our work here.
At Robinette Farms, funds from the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program help pay for processing, marketing, distribution, and sales of pasture-raised chickens, eggs, and microgreens. This year,...
- Farm and Food
- Lending
Twenty-seven Iowa farmers, in support of conservation and crop insurance practices in the 2018 farm bill, signed and sent a letter to Iowa Congressional Representatives in October. Would you like to...
- Farm and Food
Wind energy continues to grow in the U.S., especially in the heart of the country. With some of the best renewable resources available, this region has significant potential to generate clean energy while also reaping the benefits of development.
- Policy
Latino entrepreneurs in Grand Island are proud of their businesses, and, in an effort to attract non-Latino customers, invited the public to a recent walking tour.
- Lending
This fall, President Trump announced his intentions to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a stay from deportation for children under the age of 16 who were brought to the U...
- Small Towns
Iowa residents who care about water quality place a lot of pressure on their state legislators to make a difference for the long-term. In 2017, Iowa’s state budget delivered just $10.6 million dollars toward the Iowa Water Quality Initiative, an increase of $975,000 in a tight budget year.
- Policy
Six years ago, three members of our staff started meeting with representatives of the Santee Sioux Nation in Northeast Nebraska. The conversation centered on building food security for tribal members...
- Small Towns
Loop Brewing Company in McCook, Nebraska, is another craft brewery that has spurred economic development in its city. The company was established in 2011 with 10 employees and now has 30 employees. To...
- Lending
Brewing beer is big business in the U.S. In 2016, this centuries-old practice generated $64 million in annual tax revenue and accounted for nearly 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Today, the beer industry employs more than 64,000 individuals nationwide.
- Lending
- Small Towns
Prior to European colonization efforts, the Santee Sioux people in northeast Nebraska were a “food sovereign” nation – they existed in a closed loop system in which they provided for themselves, by their own efforts, from their own land, and without dependence on outside governments and systems.
- Small Towns
The Senate’s tax reform bill is complex, and its impact unclear. That is especially true for rural America, where entrepreneurship dominates the landscape, and federal-state programs provide needed support to low-income and the elderly.
- Farm and Food
- Small Towns
Small towns can be places of art and culture showcased in unique and exciting ways. Folks assume that only cities have such opportunities, but our project shows that assumption is not correct.
- Small Towns
Iowa plays a large role in the process of creating a farm bill and, with less than one year remaining before the current bill expires, work is underway to draft legislation that will support farmers in the state.
- Farm and Food
The challenges that try rural communities in nearly all aspects of health care – greater travel distances, fewer providers, heightened health concerns, lower incomes – also stand in the way of the delivery of behavioral and mental health care services.
- Policy
Organic farming in Iowa is on the rise, and proving to be an important economic opportunity for small to mid-size farmers. This growing industry is significant for our state because it gives farmers an important and often untapped avenue to continue farming and make money.
- Farm and Food
Latino-owned businesses will number 4.37 million this year, as projected by a Geoscape study. This represents a growth of 31.6 percent since 2012, more than double the growth rate of all businesses in the U.S. (13.8 percent).
- Lending
The Center for Rural Affairs was among several national organizations urging Congress to include a directive in appropriation legislation for Fiscal Year 2018. Section 755 of the Senate Agriculture...
- Farm and Food
- Small Towns
From September 2016 through August 2017, Women’s Business Center specialists and contracted technical assistance providers delivered 4,559 hours of business counseling (including preparation hours) to 653 clients.
- Lending
Growing up, I would earn a quarter per chore – a quarter each for washing dishes, dusting, sweeping, and more. I pocketed the quarters, hopped on my bike, and rode four blocks to the main thoroughfare...
- Lending
- Small Towns
When it comes to wind energy potential, Nebraska is in a prime position. The state is fourth in the U.S. – in fact, the state could produce enough energy from wind to meet its energy needs 118 times over, or enough to power 511,000 average homes.
- Policy
