In the last year we worked hand-in-hand with rural people and communities, serving rural Nebraska with our sustainable agriculture, beginning farmers and ranchers and community development work.

We put together the first Renewable Energy Fair in Hartington. It featured wind and solar energy applications, electric vehicles, energy conservation, climate change discussions and bioenergy production. Hartington was the site of our early pioneering work on energy conservation in the Small Farm Energy Project, so it was fitting to return. Planning for a second Energy Fair in Lyons is underway.

In a pilot project, we educated Nebraska’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees about organic programs to help farmers and ranchers access federal funds for organic farming. The program reached 40 NRCS staff and will be carried to four more states in the coming year.

Interest in the Center’s beginning farmer information clearinghouse remained at or near the 6000 visits/month benchmark. We also directly advised over 400 beginners from across the country. Our website materials were updated and expanded to be more useful to beginning and retiring farmers and ranchers.

We looked at the assets available in western Nebraska’s grasslands and assisted new and existing ecotourism businesses with business training and ways to enhance their lands with interesting plants and animals. Folks came together for marketing and learning about ecotourism business management.

Our “Learning to Lead” program resulted in county-wide leadership development in several northeast Nebraska communities. We helped build the capacity of their citizens through technology training. They are now positioned to develop small businesses and market their towns to potential new residents.

New projects came online in 2009 as well. We piloted a community-wide assessment program to identify strengths, key issues facing their town, and planning for the future. In western Nebraska we are helping a small community create a student business incubator. The flagship student-run business is a much needed grocery store. Our efforts to build a Small Business Network, in which small rural businesses can provide goods and services to larger urban businesses, went forward in spite of the recession.

MarketPlace continues to be successful for the fourth year, consistently drawing 4-500 participants from Nebraska and beyond. We expanded to Kansas in 2009, presenting an energetic and uniquely Kansan event in Hays. MarketPlace is working – growing new businesses and jobs across the state.

A sample of 31 business owners reported that, as a direct result of attending the conference, 7 new businesses were started and 14 additional jobs added. Imagine those results echoed through the other hundreds who have experienced MarketPlace, and you see the power of entrepreneurism for the rural economy.

In 2010, we’re rolling out a new Rural Community Development program, RC Thrive. A community garden project in South Sioux City will result in new beginning farmers, and efforts to create regional food networks and farm-to-school programs will strengthen opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers across the region.

We are privileged to meet and work with a number of incredible people, and we thank you all for allowing us to be of service.

For more information: Contact Kathie Starkweather, Rural Opportunities & Stewardship Program Director, kathies@cfra.org or 402.438.8496.