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.

​​​​​​​Elected representatives in Nebraska will debate a host of contentious issues during the 2018 legislative session, including economic development, budget and tax, health care, energy and environment, and food and agriculture.
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
Iowa legislators reconvene this week. First on the agenda is expected to be a fast-tracked water quality bill.
  • Policy
New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that $1.25 million in funding is available through two grant programs designed to assist new and military veteran farmers across the state. The New Farmers...
  • Farm and Food
Rural entrepreneurs are often important members of their communities. The upcoming farm bill offers a significant opportunity to support those entrepreneurs and their rural businesses through the...
  • Lending
  • Small Towns
Daniels Produce found Whole Farm Revenue Protection to be an answer to a problem many diversified producers face: the inability to receive crop insurance coverage for a variety of crops they grow.
  • Farm and Food
The tax bill secured final passage just as we went to press with our January/February newsletter. The Center opposed the bill and we called on Congress to return the bill to committee for further...
  • Small Towns
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
“What to wear?” is every woman’s daily dilemma, and a problem Refined Boutique and Reclaimed Brands, in North Platte, Nebraska, is able to solve.
  • Lending
It's official! The first day of 2018 is here. What better way to kick it off than with a look at our most viewed post in 2017, authored by Brian Depew, our executive director. This piece takes a look...
  • Small Towns
Cora Fox, policy associate, joined our organization in May. In our second highest viewed post of 2017, Cora shares that she looks forward coming back to her roots to work with Midwestern farmers, and...
  • Farm and Food
Today, we share number three in our top five posts countdown, a letter sent to Iowa lawmakers. Last spring, lawmakers proposed a budget bill that would have eliminated the Leopold Center for...
  • Farm and Food
The year in review countdown continues with news that still weighs heavily on our hearts. Jeff Reynolds, our small business development program director, unexpectedly passed away in April. Coming in...
  • Lending
Countdown time! With less than one week remaining in 2017, a recap is in order. So, here's a review of the five best Center stories of the year, chosen by the most views on our website. Number five...
  • Farm and Food
By Mary Kuhlman, Public News Service - Iowa Just as Iowa's crops require sunshine to grow, clean energy advocates say so does the state's economy. Part of the solar production tax credit for large...
  • Policy
Imagine having to travel 100 miles in order to get fresh, affordable food to your family's dinner table. That's life for a majority of Nebraska's Santee Sioux, as the nearest full service grocery store is an hour away.
  • Small Towns
When it comes to rural development, the town of Bloomfield, in southeast Iowa, is holding its own, and can act as a model for other municipal electric utilities.
  • Policy
Crystal Powers’ motivation for farming is to help people restore the land through sustainable agriculture.
  • Farm and Food
As the hotly debated tax bills appear headed toward final votes in the House and Senate this week, the Center for Rural Affairs calls on members of Congress to send the bills back to committee for...
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
Erin Schoenberg, and business partner, Margaret Milligan, used their knowledge of growing produce, vegetables, and herbs to launch their business, The Darlin’ Reds.
  • Farm and Food
Where our food comes from matters – for our health, for the vitality of our communities, for our wallets, and for the environment. One of the Center for Rural Affairs’ goals is to connect the local people who grow and make food with the local people who eat it.
  • Farm and Food
Planting cover crops now could save Iowa farmers money in the future. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship recently kicked off a three-year project aimed at increasing acres of cover crops and improving water quality in the state.
  • Farm and Food