Blog Posts & Stories

A recently conducted Des Moines Register poll sought to understand where Iowa voters’ views on climate change are. The poll, conducted from March 3 to 6, 2019, surveyed 400 registered Iowa Republicans and 401 likely Iowa caucus-goers on various topics, including climate change.

Last week, we joined more than 140 leading farm, conservation, and wildlife groups in calling on Congress for protection of conservation program funding in the fiscal year 2020 appropriations process...

Across rural America, many small businesses, farmers and ranchers, and rural communities struggle to gain access to a reliable, high-speed broadband internet connection. However, if you look at a coverage map from any state’s internet service providers, it will likely tell a very different, out-of-touch story.

The Center for Rural Affairs is a small business lender, but we are different than a bank. In the last year, we made loans to support 126 small businesses in rural Nebraska, investing a total of $2.4...

As a member of the steering committee of the Nebraska Food Council, I am writing to support Legislative Bill (LB) 304. I am a retired farmer who spent 35 years, for the most part, raising commodities. I remember being told by politicians and agribusiness that Nebraska farmers were feeding the world.

Though she’s new to the Center for Rural Affairs team, Kayla Bergman already has big plans for her role in the organization. Kayla does her work as a policy associate based in Iowa, and she will focus...

As any first-time business owner will tell you, getting started isn’t easy. Take Lane and Melanie Seifert of ABC Blinds & Shades in Scottsbluff. As they transitioned into full-time ownership of their custom window coverings business, the couple faced big-time hurdles when it came to obtaining financing and learning the skills of managing and marketing for success.

More than $4.4 billion is spent annually on food in Nebraska, with only 10 percent expended on products grown and processed in the state, according to a report recently released by the Center for...

I am a cottage food producer in southeast Nebraska. I bake bread as a part of my farming operation. However, because of existing Nebraska regulations, the growth of this aspect of my business is restricted by the limitation to only sell at farmers markets.

The new farm bill addresses the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers as they build up their operations. It includes a new program called Farming Opportunity Training and Outreach, which combines...

I am writing to express alarm about rapid climate change. Scientists agree that climate change is occurring fast. The facts are overwhelming. Consequently, most mainstream Christian denominations, such as, Episcopal, Lutheran, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Presbyterian, Methodist, and United Church of Christ, and other religions, are warning about carbon dioxide emissions changing our climate.

As renewable energy continues to bring prosperity to states with supportive policies, rural communities are in the spotlight. Solar and wind energy projects create new jobs and tax revenue in communities that host them, helping them become more independent and resilient.

I would like to share my support for the changes proposed with Nebraska Legislative Bill 304. The proposed changes would broaden local food based economic development options by allowing people to sell the same types of non-hazardous food items (cookies, cakes, breads, along with jams and jellies) they can sell legally at farmers markets through other direct to consumer means.

At 93 years old, Joan Buhrmann’s top priority is still her family farm. A witness to many changes on the farm throughout the years, Joan knows there will be even more alterations in the future. One thing she would like to see continue on the farm is the use of conservation practices.

The deadline is fast approaching for the Department of Health and Human Services to complete the next step of implementation of Medicaid expansion in Nebraska.

Across Nebraska and Iowa, farmers, ranchers, and rural communities have been standing strong in the face of rising floodwaters. If you are a farmer or rancher in need, Farm Aid recommends following these eight steps:

The South Dakota Legislature recently adjourned its 2019 legislative session. In Pierre, lawmakers considered a variety of policies that impact the state’s growing clean energy industry. Lawmakers...

Details on President Trump’s 2020 budget were released this month. In an attempt to rein in federal spending, the budget recommends a $3.6 billion cut to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, the proposals set forth in this budget seem far-removed from the realities rural Americans face every day.

As a farmer in southeastern Nebraska and president of the Milford Public Schools Board of Education, I am deeply familiar with Nebraska’s property tax problem. Twenty years on a school board and even more in the field have allowed me to advocate for solutions to our senators.

Across Nebraska and Iowa, farmers, ranchers, and rural communities have been standing strong in the face of rising floodwaters. As producers rush to rescue livestock, property, equipment, and more, many may find themselves asking what resources are available after this historic natural disaster.