Niobrara Nebraska from nearby hill

Blog Posts & Stories

What's happening with the Center for Rural Affairs? Find the latest on rural America and our work here.

Economic opportunity is vital to rural communities. Although poultry and livestock production is integral to rural economies, decades-long shifts in the poultry and livestock industry have pushed many...
  • Farm and Food
Connecting rural Nebraskans to new economic development opportunities is a key piece of the long-term health of our small towns and communities. The Center is opposed to LB 373 because it would remove local control from Nebraskans and limit economic opportunities for rural communities.
  • Policy
When I was a kid, my mother always told me I was a “good mix of good things.” It was the kind of sweet phrase that someone tells a child to boost their confidence. Sometimes, she meant it to say I was a good mix of traits from both of my parents. Other times, she would use it to pick me up when I was down—like on the many occasions that I tried, and failed, at a new sport; “you’re a good mix of a lot of good things, this just isn’t one of them.”
  • Small Towns
In a win for both farmers and conservation efforts, this year’s cover crops final harvest date has been shifted to Sept. 1. This new date applies to silage, haylage, and baleage in addition to haying and grazing.
  • Farm and Food
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the formation of the Task Force for Reviewing Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. Agricultural producers of various backgrounds and operation sizes and types are encouraged to apply. Applications are also being sought from individuals involved in providing rural internet services.
  • Farm and Food
  • Small Towns
Rural America could power a clean economy — but first we need to solve the coal debt crisis. As the price of renewable energy declines, new wind and solar projects are being built across the country. These projects create jobs, reduce pollution, and help keep electricity rates stable, facilitating a significant return on investment for communities hosting projects. And, most of the time, new renewable energy projects are built in rural America, tapping into abundant wind and solar resources.
  • Policy
Home ownership increases family and community stability. When residents live in a community, they shop at local businesses, take part in community organizations, and send their children to local...
  • Small Towns
Sandra Renner has spent nearly five years focusing on a variety of work, all with one thing in common—assisting rural Nebraskans. Newly appointed as the Farm and Community Program director for the...
  • Small Towns
Rural electric cooperatives serve more than 40 million people, including 650,000 in Iowa, and a new report says many co-ops could save their customers money by retiring existing coal plants in favor of renewable-energy sources.
  • Policy
With less than eight months from the Iowa caucuses, voters are beginning to think about the issues their candidate must support to gain their vote.
  • Policy
Megan Gewecke’s desire to understand the inner workings of the human brain began well before she opened her own business as a Licensed Psychologist. As a young child, science was always her favorite...
  • Lending
Residents of the Great Plains are no strangers to windy conditions, or to the potential to use this resource to generate clean energy. While solar has boomed, wind energy continues to be the leading renewable energy industry in the region.
  • Policy
The Center for Rural Affairs strives to help landowners utilize their property to its best potential—how to care for the land so it is fruitful for generations to come. Landowners today are faced with...
  • Farm and Food
The U.S. is coming off the wettest year on record, seen most dramatically in this spring's massive flooding. And Nebraska farmers are looking to age-old conservation practices to help them adapt.
  • Farm and Food
At the Center for Rural Affairs, we have done a lot of research over the years on the economic benefits of renewable energy development for rural communities. The facts and figures on tax revenues, leases, and job creation tell some of the story on how wind and solar development has impacted the Midwest. But, it only tells one part of the story.
  • Policy
At the Barreras Family Farm, just a few miles south of Blair, Nebraska, co-owners and co-operators Lt. Col. Anthony and Mariel Barreras work hard alongside their children. The couple’s love of farming...
  • Farm and Food
A community garden is a way to grow delicious, fresh produce and to bring together neighbors and community members. A community garden also requires buy-in from the community, proactive planning, and ongoing maintenance.
  • Small Towns
The Midwest has experienced a renewable energy boom. Renewables have provided the region with clean, low-cost energy and created new economic development opportunities for communities.
  • Policy
A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture examines the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in rural America. Widely viewed as a program that helps combat urban poverty and food insecurity, SNAP has seen a greater percentage of utilization in rural areas since the late 1990s.
  • Small Towns
Rural America hosts a growing number of small businesses, many owned by Latino entrepreneurs. One way residents of small communities can show support for their neighbors is by simply visiting these...
  • Lending
  • Small Towns