Blog Posts & Stories

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.

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...

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...

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.

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.

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...

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.

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...

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

Living in the Loess Hills of Iowa most of my life, I’ve witnessed a variety of conservation concerns. With an increase in weather extremes, including heavy rain events, our land, and land in Nebraska, is highly erodible and prone to increased erosion. This erosion often presents in the form of ephemeral gullies.

Your rural voice is a collection of testimony, official comments, appropriations requests, and other formal communications from the Center for Rural Affairs to government departments, officials, and...

Nancy Cochran-Jones never thought she’d make a living through cleaning services. Then, an opportunity to take over a tile cleaning business changed everything for Nancy and her husband, David Jones...

Sen. Grassley (IA) and Rep. Fortenberry (NE) are standing up for family farmers in very tough times. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced they plan to release regulations this...

While Nebraska’s overall economy remains reliant upon agriculture, recent trends show a move away from a dependence on manufacturing and goods and to a knowledge and service-based economy. Nebraska’s tax code does not reflect that decades-long trend.