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.

Today, we share number three in our top five posts countdown, a letter sent to Iowa lawmakers. Last spring, lawmakers proposed a budget bill that would have eliminated the Leopold Center for...
  • Farm and Food
The year in review countdown continues with news that still weighs heavily on our hearts. Jeff Reynolds, our small business development program director, unexpectedly passed away in April. Coming in...
  • Lending
Countdown time! With less than one week remaining in 2017, a recap is in order. So, here's a review of the five best Center stories of the year, chosen by the most views on our website. Number five...
  • Farm and Food
By Mary Kuhlman, Public News Service - Iowa Just as Iowa's crops require sunshine to grow, clean energy advocates say so does the state's economy. Part of the solar production tax credit for large...
  • Policy
Imagine having to travel 100 miles in order to get fresh, affordable food to your family's dinner table. That's life for a majority of Nebraska's Santee Sioux, as the nearest full service grocery store is an hour away.
  • Small Towns
When it comes to rural development, the town of Bloomfield, in southeast Iowa, is holding its own, and can act as a model for other municipal electric utilities.
  • Policy
Crystal Powers’ motivation for farming is to help people restore the land through sustainable agriculture.
  • Farm and Food
As the hotly debated tax bills appear headed toward final votes in the House and Senate this week, the Center for Rural Affairs calls on members of Congress to send the bills back to committee for...
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
Erin Schoenberg, and business partner, Margaret Milligan, used their knowledge of growing produce, vegetables, and herbs to launch their business, The Darlin’ Reds.
  • Farm and Food
Where our food comes from matters – for our health, for the vitality of our communities, for our wallets, and for the environment. One of the Center for Rural Affairs’ goals is to connect the local people who grow and make food with the local people who eat it.
  • Farm and Food
Planting cover crops now could save Iowa farmers money in the future. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship recently kicked off a three-year project aimed at increasing acres of cover crops and improving water quality in the state.
  • Farm and Food
Center for Rural Affairs project organizer, Kirstin Bailey, is featured in The 2018 Old Farmer’s Almanac. Bailey was contacted to take part in their “Special Report: Faces of Farming,” a compilation...
  • Farm and Food
To address water quality, Iowa needs more funding for on-the-ground practices and conservation. Most of the current funding comes from the federal government. At the state level, the public is putting more pressure to commit more resources into a stable long-term framework.
  • Policy
At Robinette Farms, funds from the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program help pay for processing, marketing, distribution, and sales of pasture-raised chickens, eggs, and microgreens. This year,...
  • Farm and Food
  • Lending
Twenty-seven Iowa farmers, in support of conservation and crop insurance practices in the 2018 farm bill, signed and sent a letter to Iowa Congressional Representatives in October. Would you like to...
  • Farm and Food
​​​​​​​Wind energy continues to grow in the U.S., especially in the heart of the country. With some of the best renewable resources available, this region has significant potential to generate clean energy while also reaping the benefits of development.
  • Policy
Latino entrepreneurs in Grand Island are proud of their businesses, and, in an effort to attract non-Latino customers, invited the public to a recent walking tour.
  • Lending
This fall, President Trump announced his intentions to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a stay from deportation for children under the age of 16 who were brought to the U...
  • Small Towns
Iowa residents who care about water quality place a lot of pressure on their state legislators to make a difference for the long-term. In 2017, Iowa’s state budget delivered just $10.6 million dollars toward the Iowa Water Quality Initiative, an increase of $975,000 in a tight budget year.
  • Policy
Six years ago, three members of our staff started meeting with representatives of the Santee Sioux Nation in Northeast Nebraska. The conversation centered on building food security for tribal members...
  • Small Towns