Center Weekly Column
To be added to the Center for Rural Affairs media distribution list and receive our occasional press releases by email please contact Elisha Smith at elishas [at] cfra [dot] org. News releases are also available by RSS feed.
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01/30/2012A bill under consideration in Lincoln will help make health insurance more affordable for Nebraska’s middle class and self employed families. The legislation will create an online marketplace with quality coverage, where consumers can compare options and make their own health insurance choices.
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01/30/2012President Obama offered several laudable energy goals during his recent State of the Union address. However, he did not mention upgrading and expanding clean energy transmission as an investment in attaining his goals.
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01/26/2012It is popular in the current political climate, to talk about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. The President talked about entrepreneurs several times during his recent State of the Union address. And policy debates in Lincoln and Washington, DC on issues as divergent as health care, taxes and economic development often focus on the impact on entrepreneurs in either support or opposition to the policy up for debate.
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01/23/2012USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently extended the application deadline for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) until Friday, January 27, 2012 for farmers and ranchers who hope to apply for the CSP for next year but needed additional time to complete applications. To sign up, producers should visit their local NRCS office.
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01/19/2012For rural businesses the road to success involves creating and nurturing relationships with your town, community, and support organizations. When you decide to start a new business in a small town, you have a whole community pulling for you. Knowing how to access and utilize all that local goodwill could mean the difference between success and failure.
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01/17/2012The greatest barriers for beginning farmers and ranchers are access to land and capital they can afford. The Farm Service Agency recently made the Land Contract Guarantee Program available nationally to address that challenge. The program encourages private land contract sales by providing protection to landowners whose retirement savings is often locked up in their farm or ranch.
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01/09/2012In two short years the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP), administered through USDA, has proven to be a solid job creator in rural America. The program provides loan capital and technical assistance grants to small business development organizations to make loans and provide support to startup and existing rural businesses.
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01/04/2012The dawning of a new year is a time when most of us resolve to improve our lives in some way. This year, I resolve to dedicate myself to ensuring rural America has a voice at the table as Americans grapple with the stern challenges that face our nation. There will never be a better time for rural Americans to raise up their voices as Congress debates a new farm bill and as the nation nominates Presidential candidates, chooses a President and elects a new Congress.
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12/19/2011On this cold, Christmas season morning, I am reflecting on what makes me thankful.
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12/19/2011Farmers and ranchers that want to participate in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) this year have less than a month to apply at their local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. The CSP rewards farmers, ranchers, and foresters for maintaining existing conservation practices and for adopting additional practices on cropland, grassland, non-industrial private forestland and tribal lands. This program pays producers for fostering clean water, better soil management, improved habitat, energy efficiency, and other natural resource benefits.
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12/12/2011In the spirit of the holiday season, I am letting people know about a special gift from the Center for Rural Affairs to Nebraskans. In its sixth consecutive year, MarketPlace - Nebraska’s premier rural entrepreneurship event - will once again bring strong, hands-on learning opportunities for potential and existing farm, ranch, home-based and mainstreet business owners as well as community leaders and others interested in entrepreneurship.
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12/12/2011Wind power is the future. It’s the most cost-effective source of renewable energy, and is starting to undercut fossil fuels. Power from conventional coal costs $68 per megawatt-hour, while wind power in high resource areas cost $65 per megawatt-hour.
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12/05/2011Nebraska legislators are considering establishing a new health insurance marketplace, a “one-stop shop” where Nebraskans can compare different health insurance plans and pick the one that works best for their family.
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11/28/2011Many rural American communities find themselves caught between bookend generations - under 20 and over 65 - that require more resources in areas such as health care and education. This long-term demographic trend challenges all of rural America, especially the Midwest and Great Plains.
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11/21/2011Over the last month, the leadership of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees pressed to finish a farm bill proposal that would cut 23 billion dollars over the next decade out of the USDA budget, through the Congressional Super Committee deficit reduction process, which must conclude by November 23rd.
