August 2008 Newsletter

Health insurance has become a leading obstacle to small business and family farm prosperity. Small business and family farm entrepreneurship are the most promising approaches for creating an economic future in rural communities. But we must overcome the health insurance obstacle.

Toward that end, the Center for Rural Affairs signed on to a set of principles for federal health reform developed by a coalition called Health Care for America Now. The principles stress three points:

More rural children are covered by State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) than are non-rural children, but eligibility and coverage vary by state. Nearly half of children in rural areas live in low-income families (again, a higher rate than non-rural children), and 44 of the 50 counties with the highest percentage of uninsured children are rural counties. 

The report was intended to spur debate about irrigation trends in Nebraska. It worked. 

Colorado – The Colorado Health Foundation is now offering a new repayment program for medical students who agree to practice in rural areas. The program will pay $150,000 in a three-year period to 18 physicians. The Colorado Community Health Network and the Colorado Rural Health Center are partners of the program that seeks to address the shortage of doctors facing most of Colorado’s 57 rural counties.

Michael Scott Karpovich, a certified professional speaker from Michigan, sums up clearly what it takes to be a leader in rural America. We need diversity of strengths and skills and teamwork to be effective decision makers. He uses the characters in the Wizard of Oz to demonstrate what is needed for an effective leadership team. 

The Center for Rural Affairs is planning an Energy Fair at the Hartington, Nebraska, Fairgrounds on September 18, 2008. Workshops and demonstrations are planned for energy conservation, small-scale wind turbines, Nebraska’s C-BED Project (community-owned wind energy), solar collectors, photo voltaics, bio-fuels, methane, and much more. Contact Martin Kleinschmit, 402.254.6893 or martink@cfra.org to find out more.

The eighth annual Nebraska Grazing Conference will be held August 12-13, 2008 at the Kearney Holiday Inn. A panel of grazing managers will discuss how they have been adapting to high feed and fuel costs. Speakers from Kansas, Montana, and Nebraska will talk about marketing grass-fed beef, modifying animal behavior, and transitioning to organic production.

The Center for Rural Affairs is looking for Nebraska producers who are interested in supplying food at the next MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success conference. The event takes place on Feb. 25, 2009 at the Sandhills Convention Center in North Platte, Nebraska. See the Request for Proposal or contact Traci Bruckner, tracib@cfra.org for information.