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.

As the Nebraska Legislature continues with its session, there have been many tax reform bills introduced by senators and our governor. At the Center for Rural Affairs, we believe in a more balanced tax system for Nebraska taxpayers.
  • Farm and Food
  • Small Towns
The most effective and desirable economic development strategy for many rural communities is small entrepreneurship. Small businesses are especially important today, as opportunities to attract large employers to remote rural areas diminish.
  • Lending
  • Small Towns
The deadline to sign up for Whole Farm Revenue Protection is March 15. Contact your crop insurance agent today. The Center for Rural Affairs held several workshops this winter to answer farmers’...
  • Farm and Food
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published three long-awaited rules in December that would level the playing field for poultry and livestock producers. Officials will accept comments...
  • Farm and Food
The faces of rural Nebraska have changed during the past 20 years as immigrants from many countries seek to live, work and raise families in the Midwest’s small towns and wide-open spaces.
  • Small Towns
Affordable workforce housing is an important need in Nebraska. LB 518, the proposed Rural Workforce Housing Investment Act, lays out challenges of limited and aging housing in rural communities; cost and contractor barriers to construction in rural communities; and the negative impact of low housing availability on the ability of employers to bring in and keep the workers they need.
  • Small Towns
There's been a lot of focus on ensuring safe, affordable drinking water from public systems in Iowa’s urban centers. But some groups believe just as much attention is needed in rural communities.
  • Policy
In the face of a budget shortfall, some political leaders in Lincoln are clamoring to cut income taxes for the wealthiest Nebraskans. The move would compound our real challenge. It’s property taxes...
  • Farm and Food
  • Small Towns
Usted ha decidido ser un agricultor, y el siguiente paso es de encontrar terreno. Como un nuevo agricultor, usted quisiera identificar al principio cuando los terratenientes están pensando de hacer un...
  • Farm and Food
Remember that social media is a dialogue and conversation. Small businesses can leverage platforms to expand visibility, increase sales, or inform their audience.
  • Lending
​​​​​​​Renewable wind energy has seen fantastic growth, generating cheap and clean energy across Midwestern states. The power of the wind is no secret to Iowans, as they’ve already worked to become leaders in the wind industry.
  • Policy
The internet is now considered a basic human right; it is how people find employment, handle their finances, attend college, work and receive medical care. However, not everyone is able to use the internet to its full potential, due primarily to slow speeds. Rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing broadband.
  • Small Towns
  • Policy
Nebraska has a bright future in renewable energy. This cheap and clean energy can serve as a new driver for our local rural economies.
  • Small Towns
The opinions of 587 business owners, resource providers and lenders will help shape the future of our lending program. Responses are compiled in “Their needs and thoughts: Results of the fifth...
  • Lending
The Center for Rural Affairs believes that energy efficiency and renewable energy development can offer significant benefits to our state. Energy efficiency in particular provides Nebraskans with an affordable option to decrease their power consumption and electric bills.
  • Small Towns
​​​​​​​With legislative sessions in full swing, it is vital for rural constituents to contact legislators regarding issues that affect our communities. Here are some simple tips for calling your legislators.
  • Farm and Food
  • Small Towns
​​​​​​​We all discriminate. It does not matter if you are a person of color or not, female or male, young or old, gay or straight. We all discriminate.
  • Small Towns
The New Year’s resolution is a common tradition around the world. In the new year, many of us look to our past experiences and strive to better ourselves.
  • Lending
The Center for Rural Affairs agrees that property taxes are too high and local schools and government entities are too reliant on property taxes.
  • Small Towns
The sale and closure of a midsize manufacturing plant in a nearby small town got me thinking. The business was home-grown, but no one in the next generation was interested in taking the helm. The...
  • Small Towns