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Fulton Farms Tour

Thu, 07/02/2009 - 14:24 — Virginia Wolking


Last Monday, my coworker Traci Bruckner, Center for Rural Affairs intern Christine Hass and I hit the road, headed southwest from Lyons, Nebraska. Our destination was a farm tour at Fulton Farms in Litchfield, Nebraska. During the tour, farmer Kevin Fulton, proudly said he doesn't own any piece of farm equipment worth more than $10,000.

A fleet of 4-Wheelers used by summer interns and Kevin and his wife Amy's three children are the most valuable pieces of equipment Kevin and Amy of Fulton Farms own. Kevin told the story of his farm's evolution from row crops to grass-based production and his movement from a system dependent on expensive equipment to one that relies more on human labor.

Provoked by low corn prices in the mid-1990s, Kevin's focus changed from growing row crops to building healthy soil, improving the farm's pastures and cattle herd and direct-marketing beef. Growing numbers of livestock on Fulton Farms increased the need for human labor. On the tour, we met interns from Western Pennsylvania and Western Iowa who traveled to central Nebraska work on the farm. The interns benefit from working on the farm by having a learning-by-doing experience with a farmer who is willing to teach them. The Fultons and the surrounding community gain additional labor, new perspectives and fresh enthusiasm from the interns.

Kevin views having more people working the land as essential to rural development. Workers on the Fultons' farm spend money in town, supporting local businesses. The Fultons eventually hope to encourage interns to stay long-term by helping them start their own enterprises on the farm. Honey bees, vegetable gardens, and raising more pigs are enterprises the Fultons hope to build.

If we want to attract new people into farming, we need more people like the Fultons who are willing to share their experience, homes and land with newcomers.

All the things you wanted to know about the Center but were afraid to ask...

Mon, 06/22/2009 - 09:31 — Casey Francis
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During the Center’s 35th anniversary, we spent a little time reflecting on our history, the lessons we learned and some of the humorous happenings over the years that add to the camaraderie of the Center for Rural Affairs and the enjoyment of working here.

A surprise culmination of all that reflection occurred when we were approached by WNAX, a radio station in Yankton, South Dakota, about partnering with them to produce a series of interviews about the history and work of the Center for Rural Affairs. The end result was a four-week series of radio stories produced by Judy Strattman and aired daily on her regularly scheduled program called “Judy’s Journal.

Judy interviewed a number of Center staff, retired staff – including Marty Strange and Don Ralston – board members and others with a close relationship with the Center. Listen to the first few segments to the right. The entire 20 part series is available here on our website at the address below,

www.cfra.org/wnax.

Affordable Health Insurance Elusive In Rural U.S.

Fri, 06/19/2009 - 11:18 — Virginia Wolking

Residents of rural America are disproportionately unable to afford adequate health insurance coverage, often meaning they have poor insurance or simply go without, Howard Berkes reports for National Public Radio. More rural Americans are self-employed or work for small businesses and farms than urban Americans, meaning they often must purchase coverage in the costly individual market.

"Health insurance is killing rural America," said farmer Linus Solberg of Cylinder, Iowa in an interview with Berkes. "Because people just can't keep up and pay their bills. And that shouldn't be in America," he said. Larry Harbour, the owner of a small auto detailing shop in Broken Bow, Nebraska is the type of entrepreneur the Center for Rural Affairs loves to help. He has ideas, energy, experience and drive and after receiving a loan from the Center for Rural Affairs' Rural Entrepreneur Assistance Project he was able to open a successful auto detailing shop. Larry Harbour is exactly the type of entrepreneur that we need more of in rural America if we hope to revitalize our communities.  

Larry is adaptable, he stretches to make his business grow by working long hours and detailing everything from sports cars to combines, but one thing holds Larry back from thriving as a small business owner: access to affordable health insurance. Larry found that basic insurance for himself and his wife runs $24,000 to $40,000 a year, plus a $2,000 deductible. The high price tag puts coverage out of reach for Larry and his wife. “It's like playing Russian roulette" He said. “Every day, we wonder when it's going to happen — if something's going to happen, are we able to afford it?"

Larry's concerns were echoed by farmers Dan and Lorna Wilson who raise organic hogs, corn, soybeans and grain on 640 acres in Paullina, Iowa. The Wilsons have health insurance, but with a high deductible. For the Wilson's, who are depending on their farm to fund their retirement, health insurance is more about their farm than their health."We probably have a net worth that we could weather one major incident," Dan Wilson said. "But it would severely deplete the farming assets. So, we're insuring the farm."

Linus Solberg, who worked with the Center on livestock competition issues and is now engaged in our health care work sums it up: "We can put people on the moon," he said. "We can go up and fix this Hubble satellite that we have up there. And we can't have health care for all these people. It's ridiculous."

Help reform the health care system for Linus, Larry, Dan and Lorna and all rural Americans by writing a letter to your senator.  Read more and listen to the radio story here. 

It's D(tv) Day: Could Rural Get Its TV Back?

Fri, 06/12/2009 - 16:13 — Casey Francis

There was delay, but alas it's D(tv) Day and television stations across the land are killing analog signals. But if you live anywhere like me, most television stations began broadcasting exclusively with a digital signal before today and so, as already discussed by Brian Depew in his post Crystal Clear TV, Unless You Live Too Far Away, it is not only a weary time for TV viewers today but has been for those of us out in the great wilds of rural America. (And who really cares? There are only 60 million of us living in rural America.)

FCC efforts to inform the public or not, five to ten million people will be left without television today because of inadequate outdoor antennas or the lack of satellite or cable service according to a press release from DTV Across America. The gut reaction tends to be, "it's just television." Yet this is a huge deal. The people that will be adversely affected are rural and poor populations. Aside from serving as an affordable form of entertainment, television disseminates important information concerning public safety, health, and security.

But let me quit fretting for moment and concern my mind with some alternatives to procuring television content the old fashioned way. Solutions are beginning to bubble up to the surface via the time-suck cousin of television, the Internet. And, yes, the internet, even for rural folks may be the answer, though only 38 percent of rural homes have broadband internet, according to a study by the Pew Research Center's Internet and the American Life project. This is well behind the 57 percent of urban and 60 percent of suburban households that have access. But let's just suppose the acting FCC chairman Michael J. Copps comments that rural broadband is to be a top priority will translate into a substantive improvement. (Click here for the FCC report, Bringing Broadband to Rural America.) Also, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocates $7.2 billion for broadband grants, loans and loan guarantees to be administered by the Agriculture and Commerce departments.  The law necessitates a national plan for broadband be submitted to Congress by February 2010 as well.

June Newsletter: Health Care Reform, Energy Legislation, Value Added Grants, and More.

Mon, 06/08/2009 - 09:30 — Casey Francis

The June newsletter will be arriving soon on your respective desktops and doorsteps. It's filled with great articles ranging in topics from Value Added Producer Grants to community revitalization as well as the Center's old time staples of Across the Nation and Corporate Farming Notes.

If you don't already recieve our newsletter, sign up today. Read some highlights in this post or read the entire newsletter online here.

Rules Need Changing If Stimulus Money to Find Rural America
Will federal stimulus funds reach small communities and help revitalize the rural economy? It depends on whether the money is accessible to typical small towns that can’t afford a staff of grant writers. USDA has many dedicated and helpful staff in state offices. But that’s not always enough for communities that rely on the efforts of volunteers. The Center for Rural Affairs has offered USDA two suggestions to ease the burden. Continue reading.

Passion for Energy Gets Business Moving
It started at the energy farm in Lyons, Nebraska, and visiting with people about wind and solar energy. Ed Toribio, owner of Home Energy Alternatives, decided to start his own green business offering sales and installation services for solar electric systems and small-scale wind turbines. Ed put it this way, “I saw a business opportunity in renewable energy for which I already had a great passion and increasing interest.”. Continue reading.

Community Revitalization:
Positive, Personal Contact Paramount in Recruiting and Retaining New Residents
 I had an interesting conversation about two years back that I’ve not forgotten. After giving a presentation, I was approached by a shop owner from a town of about 1,100 bemoaning the fact that he was not having any success drawing new people into his main street store. He assured me that his products were unique and affordable. I told him I knew that – his store had some great items. He responded, “You’ve been in my store? Must have been when I was not there!” I said, “Actually, I’ve been in your store twice. You were there both times, and both times I was your only customer. You barely looked up when I came in.” Continue reading.

The whole newsletter is here. To receive your own copy by mail or email each month sign up here, or if you are an RSS kind of person, get an RSS feed of it here. No matter how it's delivered, it's always free.

Act: Stand up for rural health care reform: Tell Congress and the administration to reform health care and address the 10 key points for rural America. Add your name today.

Development Matters
Get Involved
That has been my life motto. Whether with my church and school or running for public office, involvement is second nature to me. Many rural Americans share that perspective. We help others and do volunteer work all the time. It’s rewarding to assist and lend a helping hand.

These days most of us can’t do everything we want to do. But that doesn’t have to stop you from lending a hand. Helping to pay the bills and providing a future for great work can keep you involved.

The Center for Rural Affairs is going to keep fighting for rural America. You can be part of that work with your financial support.

I am excited to join the Center in an effort to help people get involved. If you are interested in the work we do, if you want to be a part of it – let me help you make that happen.

Contact: Matt Connealy, our new major gift development director at 402.687.2103 x 1009 or mattc@cfra.org— and welcome, Matt!.