Center News Releases

LYONS, NE - The Center for Rural Affairs was recently awarded a grant from the CHS Foundation. The grant will allow the Center to promote youth leadership development and expand MarketPlace, an entrepreneurial and small business event now in its third year.

Minden, NE - Terry Whipple, Director of Juneau County Wisconsin Economic Development Corp and the 2006 Nebraska MarketPlace keynote speaker, will kick off the first PK Partnership (Phelps and Kearney counties) Inventors/Innovators/Investors and Entrepreneurs Club (I & E Club) meeting at the Minden Fire Hall on January 19, 2009. The Fire Hall is located at 325 N Colorado Avenue.

LYONS, NE – Grow Garden County will host an all-ages community town hall meeting in Oshkosh on Tuesday, January 13. The community group is working with the HomeTown Competitiveness program to gather ideas for the future of Garden County and to refine priorities for community and economic development. The meeting will be held at the City Auditorium beginning with a light supper at 5:00 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m.

LYONS, NE - The Center for Rural Affairs has secured a grant from the Economic Development Administration to conduct a pilot program based on a model seen in Europe in which a series of small rural businesses work together in a network that then connects with a larger urban business.

LYONS, NE – Two new rural advocates have recently joined the Center for Rural Affairs staff. The Center welcomes Steph Larsen as a new rural policy organizer and Stephanie Fritz as a rural community development specialist.

LYONS, NE - Center for Rural Affairs' Executive Director, Chuck Hassebrook congratulated former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack on his appointment by President-elect Barack Obama to be the next Secretary of Agriculture. "I think he's a good choice to implement the vision for rural America that President-elect Obama put forth in the campaign," Hassebrook said.

North Platte, Nebraska - The Center for Rural Affairs' Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP) and the Mid-Plains Center for Enterprise will host a five-week Business Plan Basics course beginning Tuesday, January 13, and ending on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. Each session will begin at 6:00 p.m. and run approximately 3 hours. Sessions will be held in North Platte, NE at the Mid-Plains Community College South Campus, Room 124. Registration for the course includes materials and a one-year REAP membership. The deadline to register is January 7.

Minden, NE - The PK Partnership (Phelps and Kearney counties) will kick off the first Inventors/Innovators/Investors and Entrepreneurs Club (I & E Club) meeting at the Minden Fire Hall on January 19, followed by additional monthly meetings thereafter. Anyone interested in small business is invited to attend.

LYONS, NE – Dr. Ronald J. Hanson, Neal E. Harlan Professor of Agribusiness in the Department of Agricultural Economics at UNL, will kick off the first of four farm success workshops beginning on January 6th. Dr. Hanson will present from 6-9 pm on intergenerational farm transfer and family relationships.

LYONS, NE – In January of 2009 a new presidential administration will take over in Washington, and health care reform is certain to be on the agenda. Access to affordable health insurance has become a leading obstacle to rural small business and family farm prosperity.

LYONS, NE – Extension Educators, RC&D Coordinators, Economic Developers, Educators, and Resource Providers have an opportunity to attend the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Business Development Workshop.

Note: You will find the information in Spanish at the end of this release

Lyons, Nebraska - On Monday, November 17, 2008 Nancy Flock, Business Specialist with the Center for Rural Affairs' Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP) will hold an informational community meeting at the North Platte Public Library located at 120 West 4th St. Nancy will discuss REAP services in English from 6:00-6:30 p.m. and then provide the same presentation in Spanish from 6:30-7:00 p.m.

Morrill, NE – Marketing Expert Dave Buchholz of David & Associates will offer his expertise to local business owners at marketing seminars on November 12 and 13 at several locations in Western Nebraska.

Note: You will find the information in Spanish at the end of this release

Lyons, Nebraska – On Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Nancy Flock, Business Specialist with the Center for Rural Affairs' Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP) will hold Hispanic and Non-Hispanic office hours in Imperial. Hours will be 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Council Chamber located in the City offices at 740 Court St. Appointments can be made by calling (308) 534-3508.

LYONS, NE – The U.S. Justice Department and 13 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit with the U.S District Court in Chicago on October 20, 2008 seeking to stop the Brazilian meatpacker JBS’s proposed acquisition of National Beef Packing.