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.

Anna Zeleny knew she’d be stepping outside of her comfort zone when she traveled to Lincoln to testify before the Nebraska Legislature’s Agriculture Committee last year. But she put her nerves aside because it was important for lawmakers to hear her story.
  • Small Towns
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
Today, April 19, is the 100th calendar day of the legislative session. This date typically signals the session’s end is in sight, with legislators’ per diem expenses ending. There are still a number of ongoing debates at the capitol which will need to wrap up first.
  • Small Towns
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
Desde las calles de México hasta una tienda en Kearney, Nebraska, Verónica Piñón ha estado vendiendo productos latinos tradicionales toda su vida. Pasó su infancia ayudando en el negocio de sus padres como vendedores de comida. Ahora dirige Piñón Market en Kearney. Verónica abrió su tienda en junio de 2021, continuando con el legado de su familia con la ayuda del Center for Rural Affairs.
  • Lending
From the streets of Mexico to a storefront in Kearney, Nebraska, Veronica Piñon has been selling traditional Latino goods her whole life. She spent her childhood helping with her parents’ business as food vendors. Now, she runs Piñon Market in Kearney. Veronica opened her store in June 2021, carrying on her family’s legacy with help from the Center for Rural Affairs.
  • Lending
Muchos propietarios de pequeños negocios se preguntan cómo se relaciona la ciberseguridad con su negocio, o piensan que nunca podrían ser víctimas de los ciberdelincuentes.
  • Lending
With their approval of several key pieces of legislation, Nebraska lawmakers solidified the importance of small entrepreneurs, local meat processors, and family farms to our state’s economy and way of life.
  • Small Towns
  • Policy
Many small business owners wonder how cybersecurity pertains to their business, or think they could never fall victim to cybercriminals.
  • Lending
Reliable internet has become a necessity. “People living in rural areas aren’t using the internet to play video games. This is our life,” said Doug Riediger.
  • Small Towns
People have traversed the world to visit 365 acres of certified organic fields and pastures nestled in the valley of West Bow Creek in northeast Nebraska.
  • Small Towns
What’s the latest buzz about solar energy? It’s likely the thousands of honey bees that call solar fields home. Commonly referred to as “agrisolar beekeeping,” the practice of placing beehives on or near solar fields is a burgeoning industry.
  • Policy
Decker Gabriel-Woods was drawn to sustainable agriculture when supply chain issues related to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic alerted him to the problem of how people get food. The practice of farming, however, drew him to appreciate and cherish the earth.
  • Farm and Food
Traditions have anchored me and generations of my family. Rooted in the importance of traditions made and new ones sought, I learned at a young age how to use them as I navigate triumphs, challenges, and changes.
  • Small Towns
Las guarderías ofrecen un servicio crítico a las familias trabajadoras y ayudan a mantener girando la economía de nuestras comunidades. Existe una gran necesidad bien documentada de cuidado infantil para servir a los padres trabajadores de las zonas rurales de Estados Unidos. Abrir una guardería, ya sea en el hogar o en un centro, es una oportunidad comercial emocionante que conlleva desafíos únicos.
  • Lending
Day cares offer a critical service to working families and help keep the economic wheels of our communities spinning. There’s a well-documented need for more child care to serve rural America’s hardworking parents. Opening a day care, whether in-home or a center, is an exciting business opportunity that comes with unique challenges.
  • Lending
Last week, the Legislature approved budget bills in Legislative Bills 1011, 1012 and 1013. On Monday, Gov. Pete Ricketts signed and made line item vetoes to all three of them. The Center’s two general budget priorities in LB 759 and LB 1090 were not a part of the governor’s line-item vetoes.
  • Small Towns
  • Farm and Food
  • Policy
This week marks the 13th of this year’s legislative session. There are rumblings at the capitol that the end is in sight—but probably not just yet. We expect the session to last a few more weeks before things wrap up.
  • Policy
On March 29, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts vetoed Legislative Bill (LB) 1073, which would require the state to accept the $120 million in federal funds already set aside for Nebraska to extend the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) into the year 2025.
  • Farm and Food
  • Small Towns
Every county has a U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center that houses Farm Service Agency (FSA) and National Resource Conservation Services (NRCS). This is where farmers and landowners go to access their programs. As a renter you can still work with these agencies.
  • Farm and Food
Time sometimes creeps up on Kent Wiese, who has been working in the meat processing industry in Des Moines, Iowa, since 1976.
  • Policy
Iowa is in danger of losing momentum for local coordination of flood prevention projects. That's the prediction of groups with ties to Watershed Management Authorities, whose funding request fell short at the State Capitol this session.
  • Policy