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Nebraska businesses and those who serve them have once again provided vital information about their operations. The results are included in “Their needs and thoughts: Results of the fifth biennial Small Business Needs Assessment,” a report by Dena Beck.
- Lending
The Center has long advocated for national legislation that benefits rural Iowans. Now we have relocated our Iowa office and we have become more involved with Iowa state policy advocacy. Check out the information below to learn more about our legislative priorities for the 2017 session.
- Small Towns
- Policy
Farmers Joe and Carol Schmieding purchased land in Seward County in 1987, land that included a driveway and waterway that spanned forty acres. However, the boundary line was not clearly marked, and neighbors used this driveway for farming purposes disputing ownership of this parcel.
- Farm and Food
National policy tends to draw an enormous amount of attention - especially these days. And for good reason. Policies such as the Farm Bill, Clean Power Plan and Affordable Care Act affect the entire country.
- Farm and Food
- Small Towns
The majority of Americans pay little attention to pollinators – bees, butterflies, wasps, moths, and other insects – in their day-to-day activities. However, without pollinators, many crops simply would not grow.
- Farm and Food
As renewable energy development continues to surge across the nation, many Midwestern states are building more local renewable energy to meet consumers' needs.
- Policy
Income taxes on high earners must rise. There, I said it. I said the one thing no one in Nebraska politics can bring themselves to say.
- Farm and Food
As organizations representing rural America, we look forward to working with your Administration in the coming years to help ensure that all Americans face a brighter future. We also look forward to having Governor Perdue at the helm of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), working on behalf of rural America.
- Farm and Food
- Small Towns
Center for Rural Affairs’ small business development program ranked ninth in the United States for the number of Small Business Administration microloans placed in fiscal year 2016.
- Lending
Welcome back to the Center for Rural Affairs Unicameral Update. Today is day 24. As a reminder, the 2017 session is a “long” session – legally mandated to be 90 days in length. The legislature opened on Jan. 4, 2017, and is tentatively scheduled to adjourn on June 2, 2017.
- Small Towns
The most effective and desirable economic development strategy for many rural communities is small entrepreneurship. This is development based on locally-owned and owner-operated small businesses. In Nebraska’s farm and ranch counties, over 70 percent of the net job growth comes from people creating their own jobs.
- Lending
This is a time of tremendous opportunity in farming and ranching for beginners graduating from college or looking to start a venture of their own. Alternative crops and high value markets offer profit...
- Farm and Food
Two bills proposed in the North Dakota house and senate would drastically change the benefits that North Dakotans would see from local wind energy development.
- Policy
Are you a Nebraska farmer or rancher who can’t get crop insurance for all of your crops? Are you a new Nebraska farmer and don’t know much about how crop insurance works and whether it can work for...
- Farm and Food
Open Enrollment for plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace is coming to a close, and the deadline to enroll is 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2017. Social media, television and printed press has been flooded with news about the new administration and what’s in store for our nation over the next several years.
- Policy
Now that you’ve had a chance to recover from the holidays, I want to extend a warm thank you to all of our great donors who have helped to make our end-of-year fundraising efforts the most successful we’ve ever had.
- Small Towns
Small business owners need to have information on IRS filings at their fingertips. The IRS provides resources to help make it easier for employers to comply with new filing deadline dates for Form W-2...
- Lending
Welcome back to the Center for Rural Affairs Unicameral Update. We are returning to provide legislative updates from a rural perspective. The 2017 session is a “long” session – legally mandated to be 90 days in length. The Legislature opened on Jan. 4, 2017, and is tentatively scheduled to adjourn on June 2, 2017.
- Farm and Food
Access to the internet. The internet is now considered a basic human right; it is how people find employment, handle their finances, receive an education, work, and receive medical care.
- Small Towns
Elected representatives in Nebraska and Iowa will debate a host of contentious issues during the 2017 legislative session. Important items to be debated include budget and tax, health care, energy and environment, and food and agriculture. This article is a preview of select topics that will receive our attention.
- Farm and Food
