Niobrara Nebraska from nearby hill

Blog Posts & Stories

What's happening with the Center for Rural Affairs? Find the latest on rural America and our work here.

Hello everyone, and happy anniversary! I’m here to speak as a donor. I think I might be here under slightly false pretenses. Why? Because I’m a Center for Rural Affairs baby. My parents were part of the Small Farm Energy Project in 1976 when I was seven.
  • Small Towns
  • Policy
For the past three years, military veterans and active service members, along with their families, have had the opportunity to explore agriculture through a series of workshops designed to navigate a year in the life of a local farmer who is also a veteran.
  • Small Towns
  • Farm and Food
Fixing fence on our acreage this spring, my husband and I stumbled over something big hidden in the grass at the pasture’s edge. It took our joint effort to pry it up: a large, spoked metal wheel almost four feet across. It was heavy, but once freed, one person could lift and move it easily. When I glanced back at the ground where the wheel had lain concealed, I was struck by what had bound it so tightly to the earth: grass roots.
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For 50 years, the Center for Rural Affairs has worked to strategically align capital so everyone who calls rural American home can fully participate in community and economic life.
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El sueño de Eduardo Erazo Cabrera de abrir su propio restaurante comenzó cuando era un niño, cocinando para sus hermanos en El Salvador. Su esposa, Blanca Nieto, también soñaba con tener un negocio en lugar de trabajar para otras personas. Ahora, después de décadas, Eduardo y Blanca han hecho sus sueños realidad.
  • Lending
  • Small Towns
Eduardo Erazo Cabrera’s dream to open his own restaurant started when he was a young boy, cooking for his siblings in El Salvador. His wife, Blanca Nieto, also dreamed of owning a business instead of working for other people. Now, after decades, Eduardo and Blanca have made their dreams come true.
  • Lending
  • Small Towns
We are celebrating 50 years of standing up for rural America. We feel incredibly lucky to do the work we do: to have the means to make small business dreams come true, to fight for opportunity and representation for family farmers, to expose inequities, and then to partner with communities to develop innovative solutions.
  • Small Towns
Jordan Classen and her husband, Travis, recently started their own farming operation, with Travis raising their cattle and Jordan managing their marketing and sales. The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program was able to help Jordan in a time of transition and allowed her to continue to focus on her operation.
  • Farm and Food
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Since 1973, one core tenet of the Center for Rural Affairs has been support for family farms and ranchers. This work is at the heart of rural America, and is a core component of the Center’s mission.
  • Small Towns
  • Farm and Food
Before long, harvest will be upon us. For farmers across the state, this year has been marked by weather events and strains, including drought. Despite their hard work, some farmers may see a decrease in their yields due to these conditions. If this is the case, they may need to rely on their crop insurance to account for the loss.
  • Farm and Food
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Recent changes in cottage food laws in Nebraska and Iowa have made it more accessible for cottage food producers to share their products with their communities.
  • Farm and Food
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Raised on a farm near Osmond, Nebraska, Val Ankeny saw her parents sacrifice time and money to do work that they believed in. They made farming and family top priorities in life.
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Antes de establecerse en South Sioux City, Nebraska, Alejandro Macias creció en San Julián, Jalisco, México. Su madre era dueña de una farmacia allí y vendía una gran variedad de artículos junto con medicamentos y productos farmacéuticos.
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  • Small Towns
Before settling in South Sioux City, Nebraska, Alejandro Macias grew up in San Julian, Jalisco, Mexico. His mother owned a pharmacy there and sold a wide variety of items along with medications and pharmaceutical products.
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  • Small Towns
At the age most farmers and producers retire, Sylvia Burgos Toftness and her husband, David, bought land and established their farm as a platform for conversation and education.
  • Farm and Food
Students in eight rural Nebraska schools will soon be getting hands-on experience in "specialty crop" production thanks to a two-year U.S. Department of Agriculture grant awarded to the Center for Rural Affairs.
  • Farm and Food
Access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet continues to be a challenge in rural America, and its absence denies residents, industries, and small businesses a vital service.
  • Small Towns
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On Friday, Aug. 25, U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn (IA-3) and Angie Craig (MN-2) introduced the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Act of 2023. The legislation would make improvements to the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) and expand opportunities for rural small businesses for years to come. We encourage you to show your support.
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Muchos pequeños negocios comienzan como un poderoso equipo de una o dos personas y rápidamente se dan cuenta de la necesidad que tienen de ayuda adicional. ¿Cree que es hora de agregar uno o dos empleados para ayudar a compartir la carga?
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Many small businesses begin as a mighty team of one or two and quickly recognize the need for additional help. Do you think it’s time to add an employee or two to the mix to help share the load?
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