Rural Prosperity Nebraska

For Nebraska — a major agriculture and livestock state — effective biosecurity is critical to protect animal health, farm productivity, export markets, and rural livelihoods. In addition, many opportunities exist for the state in growing its bioeconomy (economic activity derived from its biological resources). For Nebraska’s rural communities and agriculture sector, combining strong biosecurity wi...

Webinar presentation by Rural Prosperity Nebraska Director Mary Emery, with special guest Nebraska Extension Educator Beth Nacke, discussing the data and details about the 2025 Well-being report from the Nebraska Rural Poll, and what the data means for rural Nebraskans.

Learn about the 2024 Nebraska Rural Poll community data. How do rural Nebraskans feel about their community? Are they satisfied with the services provided by their community? Have these views changed over the past 29 years? What should communities invest in to retain their population or attract new residents? After a presentation of Rural Poll results from Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Chuck Hibberd (f...

Learn about the 2024 Nebraska Rural Poll housing data. What housing programs or priorities do rural Nebraskans support? How do they rate various housing characteristics in their community? What are their general perceptions of housing in their community? After a presentation of Rural Poll results from Becky Vogt, Sharon Hueftle (from the South Central Economic Development District) and Shannon Har...

Learn about the 2024 Nebraska Rural Poll: Artificial Intelligence data. Artificial intelligence (AI), designed to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, is increasingly impacting daily life. However, many people are still learning about it and are unsure of the impacts it may have. Some have concerns, but others are optimistic about its uses. How many rural Nebraskans have used AI...

How concerned are rural Nebraskans about various economic issues? What impacts do rural Nebraskans believe international trade has on the state as well as their own household? What items do they think are important to consider when determining US trade policy? After a brief discussion of the report highlights by Brad Lubben, Jill O'Donnell from the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade...

In this Session, participants had the opportunity to explore leadership beyond community boundaries. Together the participants and hosting educators explored how regional partnerships can be linked and leveraged to support growing community leadership capacities. Watch the recording to learn more about how regional partnerships are a focus of Rural Prosperity Nebraska.

Join us for a webinar discussion on the recent findings of the 2024 Rural Poll report on well-being in rural Nebraska. This insightful discussion will explore how rural Nebraskans are navigating challenges like inflation, labor shortages, housing costs, and declining farm income, as well as how these issues affect their mental health and overall satisfaction with life. We’ll also examine changes i...

The second session of the Lead and Succeed Lunchbox webinar series focuses on addressing the "Who's missing?" question in community leadership development. The conversation begins with understanding why some Nebraskans are missing from the community leadership table and shifts into a rich conversation on what strategies might be best deployed to get new individuals involved in community leadership...

The “Lead & Succeed Lunchbox Series” webinar is a summer-long series focused on revamping community leadership development in rural communities. With topics addressing leadership roles as well as leadership systems within communities, the webinars’ audiences include current community leaders, those who wish to take on leadership roles within their communities, and those simply interested in engagi...

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 recently overcame this challenge with the help from business coaches from Rural Prosperity Nebraska’s eCommunities program, setting a benchmark for how collaboration among businesses benefits Nebraska’s communities.

While the majority of Nebraska’s communities revolve around agriculture, many students in the Lincoln and Omaha metropolitan areas do not feel a connection to the land or their food sources. But for Nebraska’s Native tribal members, not only is that connection a tradition, it’s part of their culture. This is why dozens of Native American middle and high school students gather each Saturday to work...

The 6th Annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference will be held May 1-2, 2024, in Sidney, Neb. The CEC Conference empowers community members by showcasing tools and resources designed to fuel community growth and prosperity. Engage with local, regional, and national presenters as they share their successful strategies in building entrepreneurial ecosystems. Join in dynamic discussion...

Nebraska is home to more than 3,000 licensed childcare and daycare centers. But Our Place After School Care in Hastings is unique among its peers. While many Nebraska communities have found solutions to the burgeoning need for quality childcare through grant funds or contracts with licensed locals, Our Place serves a different and often overlooked demographic—teens with special needs. Learn more a...

Rural Prosperity Nebraska’s eCommunities program helps entrepreneurs start their own businesses, from coming up with ideas to cutting the red ribbon. One business that has benefited from the expertise of the program’s eCoaches is 1to1 Techologies in Central City. Doris Lux, an eCoach from the eCommunities program, has helped owner Cody Lawson along his 15-year journey. To date, the eCommunities pr...

It’s an uncommon experience to walk into a grocery store and feel at home. But that’s exactly the atmosphere Amparito’s Market, owned by Raul Sarmiento, Sr., is striving for. On the outside, the market looks like any other grocery store. But when you walk down the aisles, you notice very few of the products originate in the United States. The import store opened in May with help from Rural Prosper...

Across Nebraska school districts are sowing the seeds of healthy living by connecting students to their food through farm-to-school programs. These programs go beyond traditional chalk-and-talk education. Instead they give students hands-on experiences that teach them about nutrition, where their food comes from, and what it tastes like. The mantra that many schools use for their programs is: cafe...

Cooperative businesses are not new to Nebraska. Dozens of cooperatives are spread across the state, from grocery stores to farm and ranch suppliers. And yet, most cooperatives are created because a community or region is missing that type of business. That is what has made the Centennial Marketplace Cooperative, in Utica, a little bit different. Learn more about business and co-op transitions at h...

Zoom meeting recording of the USDA roundtable discussion with Vice Chancellor Mike Boehm, RPN Director Mary Emery, Under Secretary Jennifer Moffitt, and additional partners of the $25M Regional Food Business Center grant.

The Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference is hosted by Rural Prosperity Nebraska and takes place over two days in a different Nebraska community each year. While focused on economic and entrepreneurial development, what sets this conference apart is the format. Instead of being in a single auditorium, each CEC session takes place inside different locally-owned businesses of the hosting...

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’...

Finding childcare that is high in quality and low in cost is a struggle for many parents. Particularly in Nebraska. The Cornhusker State is the ninth most expensive state for childcare for married couples, and fourth most expensive for single parents. To help close this growing gap, many communities across Nebraska are getting creative in how they’re making childcare more accessible and more affor...

“Hometown.” The word often evokes a sense of nostalgia, when life was simpler, safer, better. But there’s nothing to say that the town you live in now can’t feel the same way. Marketing Hometown America is a program where Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension educators help make your community a home. Not just for you, but for the long-time residents, the newcomers, and even those looking to move th...

Rural Nebraska communities are no strangers to cooperatives. Between the panhandle and the Missouri, you can find any number of cooperative grocery stores in Nebraska. But foods and markets aren’t the only kinds of cooperatives in the Cornhusker state. In Beatrice, Michael Sothan, the executive director of Main Street Beatrice, is establishing a real estate cooperative to stimulate economic growth...

Jordan Rasmussen promotes the Rural Fellows program for Summer 2023, originally scripted for KRBX.