Blog Posts & Stories

Though growing up in Lomé, the capital of Togo, West Africa, meant farm life was unfamiliar to Irene Atayi, it didn’t stop her from developing a love of growing plants.

With Congress in gridlock over future stimulus spending during the coronavirus pandemic, small businesses with loans through the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, or RMAP, still have not received any financial help.

The Iowa Legislature suspended its session on March 15 as a precaution to limit the spread of COVID-19. But, this week, that suspension ends and the Legislature is set to resume on Wednesday, June 3.

Las manifestaciones estallaron en muchas ciudades del país en la última semana cuando la gente reaccionó al asesinato sin sentido de George Floyd a manos de la policía. Es otro capítulo en una larga historia de racismo en nuestro país.

Demonstrations erupted in many cities across the country in the past week as people reacted to the senseless killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police. It is yet another chapter in a long history of racism in our country.

Each year, the Bob Steffen Pioneer Award is bestowed by the Center for Rural Affairs to a person who works to make extraordinary contributions in building community engagement within their own...

Farmers can start applying for emergency aid approved by Congress in response to COVID-19. But federal agriculture officials aren't ready to cover all commodities just yet.

Every Iowan lives in a watershed and, for years, rural Iowans have grappled with challenges posed by intense flooding and poor water quality. At the Center for Rural Affairs, we believe rural people should have a seat at the table where decisions are made that impact their communities—water management decisions are no exception.

The Midwest has a bright future in solar energy. A combination of residential, community, and utility-scale projects have led to a significant increase in solar capacity across the country.

From an early age, Yomara Hernandez helped her mother make fabric flowers for bridal bouquets, and decorations for weddings with natural and artificial flowers. Her mother used to sell them as...

South Dakotans are struggling with the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and some are finding it difficult even to pay for essential services, such as electricity and water. Some utility...

​​​​​​​Climate change presents a steep challenge for rural America. Fortunately, rural communities are full of people who are committed to addressing climate change.

Before the days of quarantine and self-isolation, many people left their small communities to purchase their groceries. Consumers may not have known what their rural grocery offers, and may not have been getting as much bang for their buck. Instead, they were considering convenience, product availability, competitive pricing, or additional services.

With dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs, Eduardo and Mary Rosa Morales opened their photography business, Venemex Productions, in Columbus, Nebraska, in 2008.

Like many farmers, Dan Taylor of Dallas County, Iowa, is adjusting to the new reality under coronavirus. Thankfully, his family has not been touched by the virus, and he is moving forward with planting and conservation practices he had planned for this year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released details about its new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for farmers hit by the impacts of the coronavirus Tuesday. The final rule, including...

​​​​​​​Pender Public Schools has almost the same number of students and uses the same buildings it did nearly 20 years ago.

Across Iowa, solar is in the midst of an unprecedented industry boom. Installed solar energy has grown rapidly from two megawatts in 2012 to about 115 megawatts today, according to the Energy Information Administration.

While states are beginning to reopen in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses are still hurting. They will be for some time.

I’ve worked from home for many years, and I have some pretty serious homesteading tendencies. I’m an extrovert, but I’ve built a lifestyle for myself that happily keeps me home most of the time. All that said, when COVID-19 really began to affect this country, although my day-to-day actions didn’t take much of a hit, my mental health went down fast, and my focus and energy dwindled. Social media seemed more addictive and toxic than ever, and I felt hope and purpose crawl under a rock. Bye-bye now.