This month’s newsletter is a bit different. It includes the names of everyone who contributed financially to our work between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2008. And we have taken this opportunity to reflect on last year as well as look out at what may come in the year ahead. We include news too, of course.

The Center for Rural Affairs worked with diligence and fought with integrity in 2008 to create genuine opportunity for rural people and a better future for our communities, while protecting the land and environment for our children and grandchildren.

We did not overcome every challenge. But we achieved a lot, as you’ll learn from reading this newsletter. We stood strong for the values and principles that define the best in rural America and that the Center represents – fairness, citizen responsibility, and a commitment to progress that serves the common good.

The new legislation provides rural economic stimulus, including:
•    $20 million for USDA direct farm operation loans, with half targeted to beginning farmers.
•    $30 million for the Small Business Administration program that funds loans, training and technical assistance to rural and urban microenterprises. These are owner-operated business with up to five employees.

In 2008, the Center continued to lead the fight for increased investment in rural development, beginning farmer and conservation programs, and stronger limits on farm payments going to the largest farms.

Ultimately, as we reported in our newsletter last June, we lost our battle over payment limitation reform, but we won new investment in rural development, beginning farmer and conservation programs.

New Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is reviewing a rule issued by the outgoing administration to redefine what is required to be considered an active farmer and eligible to receive farm payments.

The standard became so lax in recent years that investors were considered actively involved in farm management by virtue of participating in two conference calls annually. That allowed mega farms to get unlimited payments by forming general partnerships with investor partners, each qualifying the farm for another set of payments up to the limit.

There’s an untold story developing in the conversion to digital television.

No. It’s not all of the chatter about consumers needing more time (and a coupon from the federal government) to buy and install a converter box. It’s also not the legislation that President Obama just pushed through Congress to delay the formal switch until June.

Rural America presents a unique set of challenges for health care reform. Rural people have less access to health networks and health care providers, greater rates of disability and chronic diseases, and higher use rates of all public health care programs. And largely as a result of higher rates of self-employment and small business employment, rural Americans have lower rates of employer-provided benefits and are more likely to be underinsured or uninsured for longer periods of time. The 60 million people in rural America are most in need of health care system reform and have much to contribute to any reform debate.

The Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP), a program of the Center for Rural Affairs, works with startup and existing small businesses with five or fewer employees across rural Nebraska. REAP once again had an exceptional year helping small business. The staff reached large numbers of rural entrepreneurs (over 2,000) and placed a lot of micro loans (45). REAP’s Women’s Business Center and Hispanic Business Center also continued to expand their programming and services.

Small business is always important in the rural economy, but it is especially critical during economic downturns. During our last recession, from 2000 to 2003, microenterprise employment in Nebraska grew by nearly 5 percent while all other nonfarm employment fell.

Successful rural community development comes in many forms, and developing good leaders is a key component (see our recent series on leadership in Oct.-Jan. newsletters). Leadership development was a big part of our community development work last year, and will continue to be. Read on to find out more about what we’ve been up to in rural Nebraska communities.

Would you like to find out more about the impact of the 2008 farm bill and other crucial issues facing rural America? How about wind energy or organic agriculture? Do you have member organizations who want to jump into the health care debate? Let us know!