Latest Updates from ruralprosperityne.unl.edu

The heartbeat of rural communities is their leadership. Recognizing this vital aspect of community wellbeing, Rural Prosperity Nebraska invites leaders of rural Nebraska to join in a new series of virtual gatherings aimed at fortifying community leadership development.

Following the success of the Leadership Chautauqua held in Kearney last fall, where over 100 community leaders converged for a day of enlightenment and collaboration, Rural Prosperity Nebraska is forging ahead with the next step in leadership development with three Zoom discussions throughout April.

Rural Prosperity Nebraska, the community development arm of Nebraska Extension, is kicking off a series of discussions focusing on climate resiliency in rural communities. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, this project, titled Rural Confluence, seeks to help educators understand and address climate issues that directly impact rural residents. An informational meeting takes place Tuesday in Niobrara. Niobrara area residents are encouraged to attend to learn how to get involved.

Sidney is welcoming community development professionals from across the country for the 6th annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference May 1-2. Hosted by Rural Prosperity Nebraska, the conference features workshops, seminars and keynote lectures by experts in all things community development, from building tourism assets to strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems.

A farmer can only send emails from his cellphone while sitting atop his grain silo. A rancher cannot process his cattle because his smart ear tags fail to connect to Wi-Fi. A student takes hours to upload her homework because her internet connection is so slow.

These are not fictional scenarios. They are examples of rural residents who struggle with reliable internet. While many Nebraskans are familiar with these situations, a team in Thayer County has figured out a way to bring state-of-the-art broadband to even its most remote residents.

Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska announces the opening of registration for membership for its highly-anticipated 2024 season. Spearheaded by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Buy Fresh Buy Local bridges the gap between producers, sellers and buyers eager for foods grown right here in the Cornhusker state.

The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center (NCDC), a program of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s department of agricultural economics, is seeking applications for its 2024 Cooperative Business Development Mini-grant Program.

It’s a good problem to have when your business outgrows your retail space. But it’s still a problem. Jessalyn and Dustin Crawford, owners of Hey Honey Boutique in Ord, Nebraska, recently overcame this challenge.

Registration is open for the 2024 Local Food and Healthy Farms Conference, which takes place Jan. 25-27 at the River’s Edge Conference Center in Columbus, Neb.

For over 40 years, the Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society’s (NSAS) annual conference has been a mainstay event for farmers to connect and share knowledge. For the third year, the conference is a collaborative partnership with University of Nebraska Extension and Nebraska Specialty Crop Growers to provide the most dynamic and comprehensive farming and local food systems conference in the state.

This article was first published as part of the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics weekly Cornhusker Economics series on Nov. 29, 2023. 

Most rural Nebraskans report being unfamiliar with the Farm Bill and federal agricultural policy, according to the 2023 Nebraska Rural Poll.

Two-thirds of rural Nebraskans surveyed are either very unfamiliar (43%) or somewhat unfamiliar (23%) with federal ag policy. Twenty-seven percent are somewhat familiar, and only 7% report being very familiar.

Cold temperatures have come, the garden has frozen, the leaves are falling, and outdoor activities are coming to an end. It may be a good time to start planning.

Long term planning is very important to communities. I’m not just talking about a comprehensive plan that is required for grant applications. I’m talking about planning on what you want your community to look like in the future.

Personal observations are often obscure to the facts. For instance, recently I worked at a booth at Husker Harvest Days. The booth focused on rural community development. My observations were that many of the agricultural producers decided to not stop at our booth or for those who did stop, conversations showed a disconnect of the importance of their local community to their farm operations. Similarly, when working with communities, I have observed the lack of understanding of the importance of the agricultural producers to the local community’s well-being.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln welcomes Tyler Quick as the newest Extension instructor with Rural Prosperity Nebraska, the community development arm of Nebraska Extension. Born and raised in Alliance, Quick feels rural Nebraska is part of who he is. As a Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension instructor, Quick will work with communities in Blair, Burt, Douglas, Dodge, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington counties. Here’s a little bit about him.

Tell us a little about your family life.

Most rural Nebraskans see a lack of affordable child care options in their communities and believe that increasing access should be a high priority, according to the 2023 Nebraska Rural Poll.

Sixty-one percent of rural Nebraskans surveyed agree that there is a shortage of affordable child care options in their community, while just 6% disagree. Fifty-nine percent also agree their community needs more before- and after-school options.

Rural Prosperity Nebraska successfully organized a groundbreaking Leadership Chautauqua in Kearney, bringing together approximately 120 community leaders from Nebraska and Iowa for a day of transformative discussions. The think-tank-style discussions aimed to reshape community leadership development (CLD) in Nebraska, focusing on innovative strategies and collaborative approaches.

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On an early autumn morning, dozens of Native American middle and high school students gather to harvest and prepare their garden for winter. But these children aren’t farmers. They live in Lincoln and come to East Campus each Saturday as part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program.