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.

Welcoming Stephen Alessi to the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development

June 4, 2024

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) is pleased to announce that Stephen Alessi has joined the Center as Associate Director, effective June 3, 2024. In this role, Alessi will lead the NERCRD’s outreach and Extension-oriented activities by fostering and strengthening the Center’s relationships with Northeast land-grant universities and rural development partners, and by identifying and responding to opportunities for cross-state collaborations and sharing of programs.

New data briefs document recent changes in U.S. agritourism and direct-to-consumer sales sectors

June 4, 2024

Researchers from the University of Maine and Penn State have released a set of comprehensive data briefs that shed light on two small but important sectors of U.S. agriculture — agritourism and direct-to-consumer sales — utilizing data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The briefs, published by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, provide valuable insights into the current status of these sectors and also document recent trends, both nationally and for each state.

Catching up with NERCRD small-grant recipients: The UNH “Downtowns and Trails” team celebrates five years of programming!

May 29, 2024

In 2017, a multi-state team led by Shannon Rogers (University of New Hampshire) was awarded a NERCRD small grant to develop a knowledge-sharing network in New England to help communities capitalize on the potential benefits of trails for fostering vibrant downtowns. Now they’re celebrating five years of programming, and marked the occasion by publishing a new, retrospective report. Click to learn more about the impacts and outcomes of this innovative Extension program!

Agritourism Research and Extension Collaborative honored with USDA NIFA National Partnership Award

May 22, 2024

Congratulations to members of the Agritourism Research and Extension Collaborative, who were recognized with a 2023 USDA NIFA Partnership Award for their multi-state work advancing agritourism! The award honors the collective efforts of a network of individuals that spans more than a dozen states at 11 Land-Grant Universities, and two community partner organizations who collaborated on several projects to advance agritourism nationally.

Caregiving data for Northeast U.S. region now available

April 29, 2024

NERCRD partnered with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) to deploy a survey in the Northeast on “Caregiving Across the Lifecourse.” The data include responses from 4,480 Northeast households in the Northeast U.S., and is available online.

New Publication from National Extension Tourism Network Highlights Opportunities for Extension in Outdoor Recreation Economies

April 25, 2024

Outdoor Recreation is a growing sector of the U.S. economy, and building the recreation economy in the U.S. has been identified as one of the USDA’s top priorities . Recreation economies are intertwined with multiple community domains, and therefore pose an opportunity for the Cooperative Extension System, which is uniquely positioned to assist communities with […]

Innovation linked to international exports for both rural and urban firms

March 28, 2024

U.S. firms actively engaged in creating innovative products or processes are more likely to expand into international markets, according to new NERCRD-led research. The findings, which apply to both rural and urban companies, could inform efforts aimed at boosting U.S. exports.

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.