Niobrara Nebraska from nearby hill

Blog Posts & Stories

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Over the past couple of weeks, Iowa legislators have spent hours debating bills on the floor. Week nine of the 2024 session will look the same as we approach the second funnel, the March 15 deadline by which bills must pass through one chamber and out of a committee in the opposite chamber to remain alive.
  • Policy
Effective communication between patients and health care providers is a key ingredient to ensuring all Nebraskans receive vital services. For some residents, establishing that relationship is difficult because of a language barrier.
  • Small Towns
  • Policy
Sandro Lopes feels the most important thing people can do when farming is to care for the soil and environment. Originally from Brazil, Sandro now lives and farms in David City, Nebraska. His speciality is growing microgreens, and he enjoys sharing his methods with others so they can try their hand at growing their own crops.
  • Farm and Food
Sandro Lopes considera que lo más importante que la gente puede hacer en la agricultura es cuidar el suelo y el medio ambiente. Originario de Brasil, Sandro ahora vive y cultiva en David City, Nebraska. Su especialidad es el cultivo de microvegetales y le gusta compartir sus métodos con otras personas para que puedan intentar cultivar sus propios cultivos.
  • Farm and Food
Happy Statehood Day! It was on March 1, 1867, that President Andrew Johnson signed the proclamation to admit Nebraska as the 37th state in the Union. Since our last update, hearings for legislative bills introduced this session have wrapped up, and the Legislature will begin full-day floor debate next week. Much of the focus before the session’s adjournment—tentatively set for April 18—will be on priority bills.
  • Policy
Growing up, I spent most of my time outdoors, whether at my grandparents’ small farm, camping, participating in Girl Scouts, or at various other conservation advocacy activities. From a young age, I had a strong passion for environmental stewardship and working to mitigate climate change.
  • Small Towns
  • Policy
The path of a small business owner is full of ups and downs, but few things are as satisfying as being able to look back and see how far your business has come and what you’ve built. Making the decision to retire is not easy for most, and it comes with many questions that need to be answered. Namely, what will happen to the business?
  • Lending
El camino del propietario de una pequeña empresa está lleno de altibajos, pero pocas cosas son tan satisfactorias como poder mirar hacia atrás y ver hasta dónde ha llegado su negocio y lo que ha construido. Tomar la decisión de jubilarse no es fácil para la mayoría y conlleva muchas preguntas que deben responderse. Es decir, ¿qué pasará con el negocio?
  • Lending
Farm bill negotiations that began in 2023 are now on Congress’ to-do list for 2024, and an unclear path toward passage remains. However, even as lawmakers will be required to divide their attention among a number of issues in the coming months, the Center will continue to focus on advocacy for its farm bill priorities—specifically, protecting conservation program funding.
  • Policy
Erin Schoenberg is no stranger to the Center for Rural Affairs. With a history that goes back to fall 2012, Erin has taken on roles ranging from working with Latino farmers to establishing community...
  • Small Towns
Nebraska's public power districts provide some of the most reliable and cost-effective energy in the country. Our state’s residential utility electricity rate is nearly 30% lower than the national average, and Nebraska was recently named the top state in the country for power grid reliability by the U.S. News and World Report.
  • Policy
We are in the seventh week of the 2024 Iowa legislative session, and the first funnel deadline is now behind us. Bills that did not pass out of their respective full committee last week are now...
  • Policy
It has been a busy few weeks at the Capitol. Tomorrow is Crossover Day, which is the last date for bills to be passed through their house of origin. All bills must pass both houses by March 4, with...
  • Policy
We are at the midpoint of the busy 2024 legislative session. Mornings have been dedicated to full floor debate with hearings scheduled in the afternoons. Contention from last year’s session has thus...
  • Policy
Dirigir un negocio es más que un trabajo para Alberto Castillo; Es un estilo de vida. Poco después de establecerse en Nebraska en el año 2006, Alberto tuvo una experiencia desagradable al preparar sus impuestos. Decidió aprender a preparar sus propios impuestos para evitar los mismos problemas en el futuro.
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Running a business is more than a job for Alberto Castillo; it’s a way of life. Not long after settling in Nebraska in 2006, Alberto had an unpleasant experience getting his taxes prepared. He decided to learn how to prepare his own taxes to avoid the same issues in the future.
  • Lending
Approximately 150,000 school-aged children throughout Nebraska face food insecurity. While Nebraska leaders have tried to address the issue in recent years by expanding eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to hundreds of additional families, further steps are necessary to ensure children in our state stay fed.
  • Policy
When Lori Liggett stumbled across the Center for Rural Affairs online, she was intrigued by the organization's work and purpose. She saw that the Center was hiring and knew she wanted to become part of the team.
  • Small Towns
Elle Worley returned to her mother's hometown of Dunning, Nebraska, and began working at her family’s operation, WM. Zutavern Cattle Co. Last year, she wanted to grow her agricultural skills beyond her backyard garden, so she expanded her garden into a small farm.
  • Farm and Food
Today is Day 19 of South Dakota’s 38-day legislative session, which will conclude March 25. The last day for bill introductions was Feb. 1. Bills must pass out of their house of origin by Feb. 21...
  • Policy