Niobrara Nebraska from nearby hill

Blog Posts & Stories

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Four people standing in a group chatting. They stand in a green park with a large, green tree branching over them. More people stand in the background looking at tables and produce.
Liz Stewart
La comunidad crea un mercado de agricultores; el mercado de agricultores crea comunidad
Aunque el Mercado de Agricultores de Bertrand ha concluido su temporada, el impacto de este encuentro semanal perdurará durante todo el año. A lo largo de los años, este pueblo rural de Nebraska, de 709 habitantes, ha visto una y otra vez cómo los mercados de agricultores locales comienzan con fuerza y luego desaparecen. Esta vez, cuando el mercado necesitaba un nuevo comienzo, Meredith Cole fue quien le dio una nueva imagen.
  • Small Towns
Four people standing in a group chatting. They stand in a green park with a large, green tree branching over them. More people stand in the background looking at tables and produce.
Liz Stewart
Community creates farmers market; farmers market creates community
Even though the Bertrand Farmers Market has wrapped up for the season, the impact of this weekly gathering will last all year. The rural Nebraska village of 709 has seen local farmers markets start strong and then fade away time and time again over the years. This time, when the market was in need of a fresh start, Meredith Cole was the one to give it a facelift.
  • Small Towns
A group of people sit at a table scattered with papers. Two people are facing away from the camera, and one is talking and the other is holding up a pen and smiling.
Audra Espinoza
Cómo identificar líderes nuevos y emergentes
Todos los pueblos pequeños que prosperan tienen algo en común: personas dispuestas a dar un paso al frente, invertir su tiempo y trabajar junto a otros para mejorar su comunidad.Los buenos líderes no solo dan continuidad al trabajo que ya se está haciendo. También inspiran a los demás, generan impulso y ayudan a construir un futuro mejor para todos.
  • Small Towns
A group of people sit at a table scattered with papers. Two people are facing away from the camera, and one is talking and the other is holding up a pen and smiling.
Audra Espinoza
How to identify new and emerging leaders
Every thriving small town has one thing in common: people who are willing to step up, invest their time, and work alongside others to make their community better. Strong leaders don't just keep good work moving forward. They inspire others, build momentum, and help shape a brighter future for everyone.
  • Small Towns
A unique perspective of a brick building. The camera faces the corner of the building, and people walk on both sides. The sky is blue and is scattered with clouds.
Rhea Landholm
La inversión en el desarrollo de viviendas impulsa a las comunidades rurales
Las comunidades de todos los rincones del país enfrentan una falta de viviendas asequibles, lo que afecta directamente la estabilidad económica a largo plazo de los pueblos pequeños. En las zonas rurales, en particular, la escasez de vivienda provoca una reacción en cadena. Las familias jóvenes pueden verse obligadas a mudarse porque no encuentran viviendas asequibles o de buena calidad. Además, las personas mayores pueden permanecer en casas más grandes porque no existen opciones de menor tamaño, lo que reduce la cantidad de viviendas disponibles para los compradores más jóvenes.
  • Lending
A unique perspective of a brick building. The camera faces the corner of the building, and people walk on both sides. The sky is blue and is scattered with clouds.
Rhea Landholm
Investment in housing development boosts rural communities
Communities in every corner of the country struggle with a lack of affordable homes, directly affecting long-term economic stability of small towns. In rural areas specifically, housing shortages create a chain reaction. Young families may leave because they cannot find affordable or quality housing. In addition, older residents may remain in larger homes because downsizing options do not exist, which reduces available inventory for younger buyers.
  • Lending
Four people standing under a white tent holding leafy greens. They are smiling and laughing and having a good time.
Guest Writer
Durante la Semana de Bienvenida, reúne a tus vecinos
Internet y el mayor acceso a la tecnología han integrado a nuestras pequeñas comunidades en un panorama global. Explorar el mundo resulta sencillo desde la comodidad de nuestros hogares. Sin embargo, tu próxima experiencia cultural podría estar justo al salir de casa. Basta con recorrer tu vecindario para que surja una experiencia cultural.
  • Small Towns
Four people standing under a white tent holding leafy greens. They are smiling and laughing and having a good time.
Guest Writer
Bring together your neighbors during Welcoming Week
The internet and expanded access to technology has made our small communities part of a global landscape. Exploring the world is easy from the comfort of our living rooms. However, your next cultural experience may be right outside your front door. Walk around your community, and a cultural experience may come to life.
  • Small Towns
A man in a green shirt and a camo baseball cap gives a thumbs up to the camera. He has a beard, is smiling and is in the cab of a tractor.
Nash Leef
Construyendo una ventaja defensiva: un mentor en conservación utiliza la economía práctica para asegurar el futuro de su granja
Como mentor de conservación, Clay Govier destaca que adoptar prácticas regenerativas no debería implicar sacrificar los márgenes de ganancia. Por el contrario, explicó, los agricultores pueden crear una "ventaja defensiva" para sus operaciones.
  • Policy
A man in a green shirt and a camo baseball cap gives a thumbs up to the camera. He has a beard, is smiling and is in the cab of a tractor.
Nash Leef
Building a defensive edge: conservation mentor uses practical economics to secure his farm’s future
As a Conservation Mentor, Clay Govier emphasizes that embracing regenerative practices shouldn’t come at the cost of profit margins. Rather, he explained, farmers can create a "defensive edge” for their operations.
  • Policy
Two women, one in a yellow dress and the other in a blue top and blue jeans, stand at the entrance to a green house with clear plastic walls. In the foreground are raised beds with leafy veggies. In the background are yellow school buses.
Erin Schoenberg
Help us get more young hands in the soil
A growing Center for Rural Affairs program is helping teachers get their students out of the classroom—and into the greenhouse—to learn about nutrition and farming firsthand. Moving the needle can...
  • Small Towns
  • Farm and Food
A woman in an orange tank-top is holding a creme-colored tote bag that reads "Cairo Farmers Market".
Liz Stewart
El Mercado de Agricultores de Cairo es "lo mejor que un pueblo pequeño puede ofrecer"
En pocos años, el Mercado de Agricultores de Cairo se ha convertido en una tradición de los martes por la noche para los miembros de esta comunidad de aproximadamente 800 habitantes.
  • Small Towns
A woman in an orange tank-top is holding a creme-colored tote bag that reads "Cairo Farmers Market".
Liz Stewart
Cairo Farmers Market is ‘the best of everything that a small town has to offer’
In a few short years, the Cairo Farmers Market has become a Tuesday night tradition for community members in this town of about 800 people.
  • Small Towns
A man in a green and white button-up, blue jeans, and sun glasses is standing in a golden brown field. The field is surrounded by trees and blue, cloudy sky.
Nash Leef
Conservation mentor finds ways to make farming fun
For Scott Heinemann, adopting soil health practices didn't begin with a grand vision; it started with an unexpected nudge. Years ago, while feeding cattle and cutting corn silage on his operation, Scott was urged by Natural Resources Conservation Service staff to plant cereal rye cover crops on his silage acres.
  • Policy
A speaker in a conference room adressing a scattering of people sat at square tables. The carpet is green and the walls are beige, and a projected image of the words "Grant writing for Novices" displays behind the speaker.
Val Ankeny
Center workshop offers child care providers guidance for securing grants
What comes to mind when you think about the challenges that child care providers face in rural communities? Rising costs and low wages? Looming cuts to Medicaid? Staffing shortages and burnout? Grant...
  • Small Towns
A woman in a gray sweatshirt and black shorts is smiling and standing under a white farmers market tent. She has a table in front of her, and people are walking up and down the concrete path. There is also a white sign that says "Welcome Snap Here".
Liz Stewart
Farmers market and nonprofit join efforts to connect people to local foods
When the managers of Highland Park Farmers Market in Hastings, Nebraska, approached Prairie Loft Center of Outdoor and Agricultural Learning several years ago about taking over the market, the organization didn’t feel ready to take on the responsibility. This year, the timing felt right.
  • Farm and Food
A woman in a gray sweatshirt and black shorts is smiling and standing under a white farmers market tent. She has a table in front of her, and people are walking up and down the concrete path. There is also a white sign that says "Welcome Snap Here".
Liz Stewart
Un mercado de agricultores y una organización sin fines de lucro unen esfuerzos para conectar a las personas con alimentos locales
Cuando los administradores del Mercado de Agricultores de Highland Park en Hastings, Nebraska,se acercaron hace varios años a Prairie Loft Center of Outdoor and Agricultural Learning para proponerle hacerse cargo del mercado, la organización no sintió que estuviera lista para asumir esa responsabilidad. Este año, el momento pareció ser el indicado.
  • Farm and Food
Three people standing behind a wooden desk. The sign on the desk says ‘Sarpy County Bicycles,’ and there are water bottles, coozies, and other merchandise on the desk.
Amanda Fritzen
Lifelong cycler builds community one ride at a time
For most of his life, Todd Kay has been on two wheels. The New York native started racing BMX bikes at 14 and never stopped. Over the next 40 years, cycling became more than just a hobby. It became a career, a community, and eventually, a way of life.
  • Lending
Three people standing behind a wooden desk. The sign on the desk says ‘Sarpy County Bicycles,’ and there are water bottles, coozies, and other merchandise on the desk.
Amanda Fritzen
Un ciclista de toda la vida construye comunidad, un paseo a la vez
Durante la mayor parte de su vida, Todd Kay ha estado sobre dos ruedas. Originario de Nueva York, comenzó a competir en carreras de bicicletas BMX a los 14 años y nunca dejó de hacerlo. A lo largo de los siguientes 40 años, el ciclismo se convirtió en mucho más que un pasatiempo: se transformó en su carrera, su comunidad y, finalmente, en su estilo de vida.
  • Lending
A Big Lake Solar farming family—Lilian Nyairo, her children, and her brother in Law Stephen Nyairo.
Heather Sparks
A seed of hope: land use and getting the conditions right for agrisolar projects
An agrisolar project in Minnesota is proving that, given the right conditions, solar and farming can coexist fruitfully. While public worries about the implications of the loss of fertile farmland often presented in opposition to solar energy linger, a report by Center for Rural Affairs shows that the total projected conversion rate of land use from prime farmland to solar energy production remains relatively small at 1.45% to 2.9% of farmland.
  • Policy