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Recent posts by Brian Depew

From the desk of the executive director: coronavirus upheaval threatens small businesses

By Brian Depew on April 21, 2020 - 12:00pm

The economic crisis brought on by COVID-19 threatens the long-term prosperity of small businesses in our communities. The initial government action falls short of what our communities need.

The CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, included $500 billion for relief to big corporations and $377 billion for relief to small businesses.

From the desk of the executive director: Center helps businesses resist predatory lenders

By Brian Depew on March 17, 2020 - 10:30am

At the Center for Rural Affairs, we make around 100 loans per year to small rural businesses in our home state of Nebraska. We recently launched a new online lending platform to help our clients resist predatory lenders.

The new platform allows us to prequalify borrowers for larger loans within two business days. Underwriting and final approval follow. We will soon launch an express loan that will allow us to approve certain loans under $10,000 within two days.

Staying safe and engaged as we tackle the Coronavirus together

By Brian Depew on March 17, 2020 - 9:30am

The Center for Rural Affairs is committed to continuing our work for opportunity and justice for everyone in rural America during the rapidly evolving response to the Coronavirus.

COVID-19 and the ripple effects will create new challenges for rural people and rural places. Our work may look different in the days ahead, but we will continue to serve our mission in all ways possible.

From the executive director: connecting housing and economic development 

By Brian Depew on December 10, 2019 - 11:30am

The Center has long focused on strategies to support economic vitality for small communities. Our work to assist small businesses, develop value-added agriculture, and improve policy all focus on creating widespread opportunity for people who live in rural areas.

Increasingly, we see small town housing as an economic development issue. While adequate and affordable housing is a quality of life issue, it also plays an important role in economic development. A lack of local housing can undercut successful business start-up or business growth strategies.

From the desk of our executive director: Get big or get out, a redux

By Brian Depew on October 23, 2019 - 9:00am

Asked about the plight of dairy farmers in Wisconsin, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said, “[The] big get bigger and small go out and that’s kind of what we’ve seen here...

Everyone will have to make their own decisions economically whether they can survive.”

The Center for Rural Affairs was founded in 1973. Earl Butz was Secretary of Agriculture. Butz had a similar view, “Get big or get out.”

Butz believed farm consolidation was inevitable.

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