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.

NERCRD innovation research featured on Farms.com

A study by researchers at NERCRD and the U.S. National Science Foundation was featured on Farms.com on April 2nd. The article highlights a paper published in Economics Letters that found that U.S. firms actively engaged in creating innovative products or processes are more likely to expand into international markets. Click to read the full article.

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.

Linking Health Care Reform and Economic Development in the Agriculture Sector

Researchers and Extension professionals engaged with this project explored how health insurance decisions affect farm and ranch families. Activities included interviewing farmers, hosting webinars, analyzing policy impacts, and developing tools for professionals who work with farm families.