Exploring the potential of industrial hemp in Pennsylvania

Archive for News

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.

Policy brief explores influences on local government decisions

June 28, 2018

As part of a five-year, multi-state research project, researchers at Cornell University conducted a national survey to learn more about how well informed Americans thought their local leaders were, how levels of trust might vary when the issues at hand are controversial, and what local leaders should base their decisions on when those issues are controversial. The researchers summarized their findings in a recent policy brief published by the Cornell University Community and Regional Development Institute. (Links to PDF.)

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.”

National Academies releases proceedings from “Achieving Rural Health Equity and Well-Being” workshop

June 28, 2018

To explore the impacts of economic, demographic, and social issues in rural communities and to learn about asset-based approaches to addressing the associated challenges, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop on June 13, 2017. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Congratulations to NACDEP award winners!

June 28, 2018

Congratulations to our colleagues who were recognized with awards from the National Association for Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) in Cleveland last month! Award winners from the Northeast include Michael Dougherty and Daniel Eades, West Virginia University (WVU), and Neal Fogle, Penn State.

Dispatch from Scotland: Reflecting on rural innovation and “food tourism”

June 10, 2018

Northeast Center Director Stephan Goetz traveled to Edinboro, Scotland this spring to attend the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conference on rural innovation, where he learned about the UK’s strong ties between rural development and tourism.

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