Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development

 

 

Opening farms to visitors boosts nearby farms’ direct sales, and vice versa

April 19, 2023

Farmers use many marketing strategies to diversify their incomes and stay in business. New research led by NERCRD Faculty Affiliate, Claudia Schmidt, suggests that two of these strategies—agritourism and direct farm sales—complement one another when they occur within the same community. The findings could help farmers and the local organizations that support them plan strategically for farm resilience and growth.

RRDCs release findings from National Listening Sessions on Rural Community, Economic, and Workforce Development

February 27, 2023

Today the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) are releasing their findings from a comprehensive initiative aimed at identifying the critical investments needed to build community capacity and improve quality of life in rural America. Their report, Investing in Rural Capacity: Comprehensive Summary of National Rural Development Stakeholder Listening Sessions, can be used by a broad audience of practitioners, decision makers, and government agencies to inform where programmatic efforts and resources may be most effective in tackling key issues facing rural communities.

NERCRD releases its 2022 Annual Report

February 1, 2023

NERCRD has released its latest Annual Report, which highlights the Center’s accomplishments and activities of 2022. We are grateful for the many opportunities to work with our regional and national partners in support of a strong and equitable rural recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges facing rural communities. We invite you to download the report for a comprehensive look at the NERCRD’s 2022 activities and impacts, and to reach out if you have any questions or feedback or would like a print copy.
aerial view of city

Land-use webinar series offered by Penn State Extension

January 23, 2023

Penn State Extension is offering a monthly webinar series, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association (PA-APA), to provide in-depth information on land use topics affecting the communities of Pennsylvania, including current planning issues, land-use planning tools and techniques, and local regulations. This series benefits land owners, farmers, elected and appointed officials, developers, and community members who are involved in decision-making processes regarding using or preserving natural resources.
illustration of calendar

NERCRD annual meeting provides opportunity to reconnect, reflect, and look ahead

December 7, 2022

Members of the NERCRD’s Board of Directors (BOD), Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and staff gathered last month in Newport, RI, for their first in-person meeting since 2019 to reflect on the Center’s research and outreach accomplishments and to identify priority areas to guide its 2023 plan of work.
team members posing for photo in stairwell

Catching up with Pennsylvania’s Coming Together for Racial Understanding Team

December 6, 2022

The team discussed how they adapted the Coming Together curriculum for Penn State Extension, the reach and impacts of their work thus far, and their plans for taking it to a wider audience.
One Way sign

Webinar: Dealing with Contentious Public Issues

December 2, 2022

This webinar, presented by Walt Whitmer, Senior Extension Educator with Penn State Extension, explored the changing landscape of contentious issues, how this evolving landscape affects our work, and some of the strategies available to us to navigate this new environment, regardless of program area or expertise. View the recording and related resources here.

Schmidt receives Roy C. Buck Award for paper on women farmers in the United States

November 16, 2022

Claudia Schmidt, assistant professor of marketing and local/regional food systems Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and NERCRD faculty affiliate, is the recipient of the college’s 2022 Roy C. Buck Faculty Award, which recognizes the best article accepted or published by a refereed scholarly journal in the social sciences within the past two years.
sign that reads We're Hiring

NERCRD is hiring!

November 12, 2022

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) is seeking applications for a limited-term, Non-Tenure Track Assistant Research Professor/Associate Director position. The NERCRD is located in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education within Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. The Center’s mission is to work on and coordinate a broad range of issues with land grant universities and other partners in the Northeast as well as nationally in support of rural development.
Jason Entsminger

Farewell to NERCRD Associate Director Dr. Jason Entsminger!

September 12, 2022

Congratulations to NERCRD Associate Director Dr. Jason Entsminger, who has accepted a new tenure-track position at the University of Maine. His last day with NERCRD will be September 14.
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