Latest Updates from ruralprosperityne.unl.edu

Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension educators received three of 10 awards offered at the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) conference on May 2. The categories for awards received were Excellence in Teamwork, Educational Materials, and Creative Excellence, which is sponsored by another national Extension organization, the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP). 

Often, communities turn to cooperatives — businesses run and owned by community members — to fill a void left by the closure of an essential business such as a grocery store or elderly care center.

In Utica, community members began the process of transitioning their grocery store to the new Centennial Market Cooperative before it closed for good and, in the process, set a new model of what a successful co-op transition can look like.

Community development leadership has mostly looked the same for a long time. A cohort gathers once a month, takes a trade-based leadership assessment and tours a local business. Occasionally they complete a community development project. Lindsay Hastings, a professor in the department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, decided that traditional format was due for a change. 

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has received a $25 million cooperative agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the creation of the Heartland Regional Foods Business Center. This award is among the largest ever received by the university. 

The Heartland Regional Foods Business Center is among 12 such national centers the USDA will establish to serve all areas of the country. The Heartland center will serve Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. 

The 2022 Thriving Index indicates that most rural regions of Nebraska are thriving compared to their peers, though most also face at least some challenges.

Roll out the red carpet! You’ve seen the red carpet rolled out for any number of award shows—the Oscars, the Grammy’s, or the CMT awards. Do communities ever roll out the red carpet?

Recently Marilyn Schlake and I went to Hastings and provided Red Carpet Service training for the Hastings Chamber of Commerce and Adams County Tourism. We held two sessions and had a wide cross section of what we call "front line employees." The attendees ranged from business owners, to waiters and waitresses, to hotel front desk employees.

In week 10 of “The Science of Well-Being,” we will recap the top practices you can use to increase your happiness. These recommendations should look familiar if you’ve been following along.

Farmers market season is fast approaching. Across Nebraska, farmers markets have become integral to the economies and social fabric of dozens of rural communities. To help create more successful markets, Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska has published the Nebraska Rural Farmers Market Handbook.

The handbook grew out of conversations about common farmers market issues, said Ben Jewell, a Rural Prosperity Nebraska extension educator and co-leader for the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Initiative.

In week nine of “The Science of Well-Being,” we learn about the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

A fixed mindset is where we believe that we were born with a certain intelligence level and set abilities that we cannot change. Having a growth mindset means we believe our abilities and intelligence can be developed and improved over time. If we think we have the ability to improve, we will!

You may have seen recent press about Nebraska Extension and The Big 3. This is our new strategic direction which can be boiled down to three ambitions, which we are calling, “The Big 3”. The Big 3 are: Strengthen Nebraska Agriculture and Food Systems, Inspire Nebraskans and Their Communities, and Enhance the Health and Wellbeing of All Nebraskans. You can watch videos explaining our strategic direction here.

There’s an old saying that you don’t know your own backyard. Referring to tourist attractions, the adage conveys a common belief that New Yorkers never go to Times Square, and Arizonans never visit the Grand Canyon. Whether that’s true or not, hometowns often feel so familiar that residents don’t consider what impressions they give to outsiders. First Impressions Online, Rural Prosperity Nebraska’s newest community development program, gives people a view of their own backyard.

In week 8 of this series based on the class “The Science of Well-Being,” we will discuss two strategies for creating better habits—setting goals and situation support. Most of the examples from the class were around healthy eating, but these strategies can be applied to other happiness-supporting habits as well (exercise, meditation, doing acts of kindness).

For weeks 7-10 of this article series on “The Science of Well-Being,” I am going to move away from the class structure because the last four weeks of the class are more about accountability with setting goals and sticking to them. Though this is important, it doesn’t give me as much to write about, so I will delve into details I skipped over from previous weeks.

You may have seen recent press about Nebraska Extension and The Big 3. This is our new strategic direction which can be boiled down to three ambitions, which we are calling, “The Big 3.”  The Big 3 are: Strengthen Nebraska Agriculture and Food Systems, Inspire Nebraskans & Their Communities, and Enhance the Health & Wellbeing of All Nebraskans. You can watch videos explaining our strategic direction here.

In week 6 of “The Science of Well-Being,” we learn about the importance of time affluence and the value of time versus the value of money.

In week 5 of “The Science of Well-Being,” we learn that certain behaviors are scientifically linked to improved well-being, including performing acts of kindness for other people, spending money on other people, and connecting with other people. As mentioned before, social connection is important to happiness, so anytime we can share an experience with others, it will generally boost our mood.