National agritourism survey seeking input from farms that welcome visitors

March 26, 2024

U.S. agricultural and aquaculture operators who welcome visitors — whether for on-farm education, direct sales, entertainment, recreation, special events and more — are invited to provide input about the forms of support they access and the challenges they face via an online survey, which will remain open until April 30, 2024. This survey is part […]

Webinar: Accessibility in Rural Tourism and Agritourism

Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. ET — This National Extension Tourism (NET) webinar will focus on accessibility in rural tourism and agritourism and will feature speakers Rupa Valdez and Claire Wellbeloved-Stone from the Blue Trunk Foundation. Co-hosted by NERCRD.

Webinar to introduce new open-access data set available on caregiving in North Central US

February 22, 2024

February 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET: A free webinar will introduce a new open-access data set on who provides child, adult, and elderly care and how caregiving affects economic development and quality of life. The webinar is hosted by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development.

NERCRD Annual Report reflects on 2023 highlights

February 2, 2024

We invited you to download the latest NERCRD Annual Report, which highlights the Center’s 2023 activities and impacts, and the regional and national partnerships that make this work possible.

New study tests biasedness of self-reported microbusiness innovation in the annual business survey

February 1, 2024

A study published this month in PlosONE and led by NERCRD Postdoctoral Scholar Luyi Han examined whether microbusinesses, which constitute a significant portion of U.S. firms with employees, are less likely to report innovation compared to other small businesses. Their analysis did not detect a statistically significant bias, suggesting that the observed lower incidence of innovation among microbusinesses is not attributable to survey design.

Women farmers quantitatively linked to better community well-being

January 17, 2024

Having more women in agriculture is associated with greater community well-being, according to researchers at NERCRD/Penn State and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their work is the first to quantitatively assess this link, and their findings suggest that women farmers approach their operations in ways that positively impact their communities.

Inaugural Maryland Agritourism Conference reflects increasing interest in agritourism

December 15, 2023

The first Maryland Agritourism Conference drew strong attendance from across the state and beyond, and included producers, non-profits, Extension professionals, students, and government officials including Maryland’s Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks, who delivered a keynote.

NERCRD annual meetings affirm priority areas and set the stage for a productive 2024

December 15, 2023

Over the course of two recent meetings, members of the NERCRD’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Board of Directors (BOD), and staff gathered virtually to review the Center’s research and outreach accomplishments during the past year and to establish programming emphases for the coming year.

National Extension Agritourism Working Group Meeting

January 10, 2024 at 2pm ET: Join the Agritourism Working Group of the National Extension Tourism Network (NET) for a facilitated discussion about sharing resources and building partnerships. This virtual gathering is an important step for developing a national network of agritourism service providers and a central location for housing the latest research and best resources.

2023 NET Conference upholds tradition of seeding new connections and collaborations

December 11, 2023

More than 80 members of the National Extension Tourism network (NET) gathered in Milwaukee, WI, in September for four days of networking, learning, and experiencing greater Milwaukee. NERCRD staff provide support to the conference planning team, and participated in several presentations and workshops.