Latest Updates from ruralprosperityne.unl.edu

In 2019 renovation began on the Blue Star Memorial Highway (Highway 83), which runs through Valentine. Capitalizing on their Main Street being under construction, the city decided to modernize its downtown in conjunction with the overhaul. To help with this project, they turned to Rural Prosperity Nebraska’s newest Extension educator at the time, Jenny Nixon. Little did Nixon know that Valentine would be her first and last community development project.

Festival and Fair season is here! In the world of Extension, that means that each office is working very hard to prepare for 4-H’s role in county fairs. We are gathering volunteers, getting kids signed up, holding workshops, and we’re all freaking out a little bit . . . or sometimes a lot!

I have been busy during the last couple of months doing advocacy for Extension. What does that mean? Well, it means I have traveled to Lincoln and Washington D.C. to speak with legislators about Nebraska Extension and our county commissioners. It really isn’t a hard job to ask for support for Nebraska Extension. With offices in almost every county and a long history of important research and programs delivered to the public, nearly everyone has heard of Extension and has had good experiences with them.

A growing number of Nebraska school districts are sourcing ingredients for their school meals from local farmers.

In a state like Nebraska, that makes sense, said Jordan Rasmussen, an Extension educator with Rural Prosperity Nebraska. But as much as the farm-to-school movement is a logical extension of the state’s robust ag economy, it’s also a holistic approach to improving Nebraska’s communities.

“Not only does it address a community’s physical health, but also economic, educational and social health,” Rasmussen said.

Jennifer Lester Moffitt, under secretary of agriculture for marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, visited the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s East Campus on May 23 to participate in a roundtable discussion on the $25 million grant awarded to Rural Prosperity Nebraska to create the Heartland Regional Food Business Center.

Rural Prosperity Nebraska will kick off the 10th season of its Rural Fellows internship program next month. Beginning June 5, 21 students will live in 10 rural communities across the state, working on community development projects that range from public health to downtown creative arts districts.

Valentine will show off its newly renovated Main Street when community leaders and business professionals come to the city to attend the fifth annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference June 8-9. Hosted by Rural Prosperity Nebraska in a different community each year, the two-day event features workshops, seminars, and keynote lectures focused on all things community development, from entrepreneurial environments to tourism enhancement. 

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.