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.

The Center for Rural Affairs farm bill team has been working hard to make sure you have up-to-date and important farm bill information. Over the past few weeks we have sent out information regarding our farm bill priorities.
  • Farm and Food
“Creating and marketing value-added products has the potential to significantly enhance our farm's profitability, but this is no easy task. Our value-added funds will help pay for processing...
  • Farm and Food
  • Lending
Barns. They stand proudly against blue skies along the interstate, a highway, or even a lonely gravel road. Some are the centerpiece of a family farm, often as big or bigger than the old farmhouse...
  • Small Towns
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has provided hard-working young people and their families with a measure of stability. This policy protects individuals who came to this country as children from deportation and allows them to apply for employment authorization.
  • Small Towns
​​​​​​​The Center for Rural Affairs wants to work with you to advocate for conservation in the upcoming 2018 farm bill!
  • Farm and Food
Dustin Farnsworth flew to Washington D.C. this spring to speak with his lawmakers about the importance of conservation programs. The farmer took part in a National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition...
  • Farm and Food
An alternative to traditional farm insurance is catching the attention of the agricultural community in Iowa and throughout the Midwest.
  • Farm and Food
The Volkswagen diesel emission settlement fund represents an opportunity to make investments that will lead to significant emission reductions in the transportation sector. The $11.5 million allocated to Nebraska also provides major opportunities for economic benefit for Nebraskans as well as benefits for the state and local governments.
  • Policy
Nebraskans work together; we’ve always had to. When big issues arise that affect our state, we get fired up.
  • Farm and Food
  • Small Towns
We are happy to announce our new loan initiative, the New American Loan Fund Credit Builder Loan Program.
  • Lending
Since President Trump issued an executive order calling for the repeal and replacement of the 2015 Clean Water, or Water of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule, my husband has discussed the issue with — and heard the concerns of — his fellow farmers.
  • Policy
Sustainable and healthy eating is a challenge for many people, especially those in rural areas. However, some people may think the opposite. Recently, Center for Rural Affairs community food...
  • Small Towns
​​​​​​​In Nebraska, residents may be more connected than we realize. We share ownership of our power. This means Nebraskans have a voice in energy production, transportation, and usage.
  • Policy
​​​​​​​Growing up on an acreage in rural Nebraska played a vital role in how I understand relationships.
  • Small Towns
In the last 20 years, small schools facing budget cuts often removed elective classes. This left skills like cooking and growing fruits and vegetables unlearned. Center for Rural Affairs’ Greenhouse...
  • Small Towns
With the help of a grant from the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, students from Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) and staff from the Center for Rural Affairs conducted soil testing on gardens throughout the Santee community.
  • Small Towns
Are you one of the many farmers without an identified farm successor? Purdue University says that's around 75 percent, and about half expect nonfamily members to take over. A gradual shift of...
  • Farm and Food
In early 2013, Jason Egli and his wife, Gabrielle, were living and working as engineers in Cedar Falls, Iowa. They had been trying for years to find jobs that would allow them to move back home to rural Louisa County, but jobs suited to their experience and talents were hard to come by.
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
There is nothing better than slicing up a ripe garden tomato fresh off the vine. However, some may not have the means to grow fresh vegetables in their backyards. At the Center for Rural Affairs, we...
  • Farm and Food
  • Small Towns
Almost weekly, I read surprising new statistics about capital concentration. The eight richest people in the world now control as much capital as half of the world’s population. The richest 158...
  • Lending