Article on New Hampshire’s “quiet” innovation highlights NERCRD research

In this opinion piece written for the New Hampshire Business Review, Dr. Charlie French (University of New Hampshire Extension) cites NERCRD research on “latent” or hidden innovation, and provides several examples of “quiet innovation” from rural New Hampshire communities that are leading to gains in employment, income, and quality of life. Dr. French leads UNH Extension’s Community and Economic Development team.

$500,000 grant to focus on how rural innovation happens, how to inspire more

July 12, 2018

A research team led by Northeast Center Director Stephan Goetz will receive $500,000 over three years to study innovation in rural communities and find ways for communities to support rural entrepreneurs.

Happiness helps football players do better, and it could help economies too

July 11, 2018

World Cup football teams with a higher proportion of players smiling in their official portraits have scored more goals on average in all group phases since 1970. The authors of this study argue that smiling is a reflection of confidence. Greater confidence results in a greater capacity to overcome complex situations and score more goals. Center Director Stephan Goetz and his colleague David A. Fleming-Muñoz decided to explore whether this same smiling-creativity link holds for entire societies by looking at the relationship between happiness and creative capacity. (Links to article published in The Conversation.)

Tourism and Extension: Opportunities to connect with National Extension Tourism team

July 3, 2018

Wineries, breweries, fall festivals, hiking, camping….these are just some of the joys of the great outdoors and the bucolic beauty of visiting a thriving farm. Activities such as these are important economic drivers to many business owners living in rural America, and represent an arena of potential for the Land Grant system. A national group of Extension-affiliated professionals is interested in creating best practices to better help rural communities develop resilient businesses and advance Extension work under the tourism umbrella.

Hot off the presses: Several newly published NERCRD analyses available online

July 2, 2018

From entrepreneurs’ use of Twitter to the impacts of a popular Extension program, several newly published manuscripts co-authored by NERCRD staff shed light on a wide range of community and economic development topics.

Exploring the potential of industrial hemp in Pennsylvania

July 1, 2018

A multi-disciplinary team of Penn State Extension staff, faculty and researchers, along with NERCRD staff, worked together to create a new publication on industrial hemp production that explores the production practices, economics, and policies around this crop.

Beer and spirits: Supplying the craft beverage boom with local ingredients

June 30, 2018

Western PA has experienced a recent boom in local breweries and distilleries, but the supply chain supporting these businesses is not well understood. A Penn State Extension team including NERCRD Associate Director Heather Manzo conducted research in 2017 to assess current and future production levels and supply chain actors and to identify future potential for local and regional sourcing of ingredients. While the study focused on Western PA, some findings may be useful to other Northeast states.

Seeking feedback on economic analysis of Northeast states

June 30, 2018

In 2016, NERCRD Technical Advisory Committee Chair Paul Gottlieb launched a strategic planning effort on the Center’s behalf aimed at understanding the economic development issues that are especially important to the rural areas of the Northeast. Last month, he took this effort on the road, sharing his findings at the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) annual conference in order to garner feedback from state-based experts.

New USDA map explores what’s working in rural opioid programming

June 29, 2018

A new interactive feature on the USDA rural opioid misuse webpage allows visitors to learn about actions rural leaders are taking to address the opioid epidemic.

Opioid programming webinars available online

June 29, 2018

The Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup is hosting an ongoing series of webinars on Extension substance abuse programming that could be shared quickly across state lines and used to help address the growing opioid crisis. Although several webinars have already taken place, recordings and other resources are available online. Mark Skidmore, Director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, is coordinating the working group.

Rural America population once again on the rise, according to new publication from Carsey Institute

June 28, 2018

A new research brief titled “Domestic Migration and Fewer Births Reshaping America” was released by the University of New Hampshire Carsey Institute for Public Policy earlier this year and shows that population migration patterns “are reverting to those common before the recession.”