Blog Posts & Stories

For farmers and ranchers interested in expanding conservation on their operations, two of the nation’s largest working lands programs—the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)—are open for applications.

You don’t know what you don’t know. If we want to grow and improve ourselves, we have to know where we need to focus our energy and attention. If our goal is to be more capable and effective engaging with difference and diversity, we must first explore our own differences.

​​​​​​​Agricultural producers interested in diversifying and taking on a new element to their operation are encouraged to apply for a Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

With strong support from the Nebraska Legislature’s Transportation and Telecommunications Committee and State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, a bill to improve broadband access in our state is scheduled to be debated on Tuesday.

Young farmers excited about promoting their voices, and collectively working on land access, policy, and cooperative farming, are forming a new chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition, serving...

Obtaining internet service for their rural Nebraska homes hasn’t been easy—or convenient—for Mike Tabbert and Chuck Karpf. When all is said and done, Tabbert will spend more than $12,000 for the...

We are now entering the fifth full week of the 2020 legislative session. As legislators, agencies, the governor’s office, and committees have worked to introduce and review legislation, we’ve been engaging with them to make sure rural Iowans have a seat at the table.

Today is day 22 of the Nebraska Legislative session. We have made it more than a third of the way through the “short,” 60 day session. The Legislature is tentatively scheduled to adjourn on April 23, 2020. The 482 new bills introduced during the second year of the biennium will be heard before one of 14 standing committees between now and Feb. 27.

Today is Day 18 (of 37) of South Dakota’s legislative session. A flurry of new bills have been introduced in the last few weeks. Here are a few we are watching:

Your next door neighbor. Your friend from the gym. Your co-worker, doctor, lawyer, hair stylist—these are people from our communities who we know and love. And, they are DACA recipients.

Preparing bills and invoices, and processing payroll, deposits, and accounts payables—most people wouldn’t know where to begin if charged with these tasks. Preston Peters, however, shines when it...

The Legislature is in full swing. In the coming weeks, Nebraska lawmakers are expected to resume debate on LB720, a bill to create a new batch of business tax incentives for large employers. Major tax incentives are the primary tool we use to attract bigger companies to the state.

​​​​​​​In today’s technology-driven world, frustrations can run high when access to the internet is hindered because of an equipment failure, or in the case of many rural Nebraskans, the lack of access to high-speed service.

As it works to implement changes to the 2018 farm bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to accept public comments on its rule addressing the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP...

Nebraska is home to 145,000 businesses with five or fewer full time-equivalent employees, accounting for 86 percent of all enterprises in the state.

From workshops and one-on-one training to networking events across the state to personal coaching and business assistance, the Center for Rural Affairs Women’s Business Center goes above and beyond to provide these free services to all Nebraskans.

On Jan. 14, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced her plans for the Invest in Iowa Act. Under this proposal, Reynolds is requesting the Legislature raise the sales tax in the state by one penny.

Nebraska lawmakers are scheduled to hear a bill next week designed to ramp up access to broadband internet in parts of the state still stuck at dial-up speeds.

The Iowa General Assembly has entered week three of the 2020 legislative session, this is the second year of the two-year assembly. Last Friday, Jan. 24, the deadline for individual representatives and senators to submit requests for bill and joint resolution drafts to the Legislative Services Agency passed.

Today is Day 10 of South Dakota’s Legislative Session. Our state’s session is short and moves quickly. This year there are 37 Legislative Days (LD) and all bills need to be introduced by Feb. 7 (LD 16...