“Placemaking as an Economic Development Tool” kicks off webinar series offered by Penn State Extension

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July 6, 2017

How local municipalities can use an economic development strategy known as “placemaking” will be the topic of a web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension on Wednesday, July 19.
Presenting the 75-minute webinar from noon to 1:15 p.m. will be Brad Neumann, a senior educator with Michigan State University Extension. This webinar is the first in Penn State Extension’s summer-fall webinar series.

Small Business Innovation Research Program now accepting applications

July 5, 2017

The USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is accepting grant applications through Thursday, October 5, 2017. Funds may be awarded up to $100,000 for a Phase I project. Proposed Phase I projects should prove the scientific or technical feasibility of the approach or concept. Projects dealing with agriculturally related manufacturing and alternative and renewable energy technologies are encouraged across all SBIR topic areas. USDA SBIR’s flexible research areas ensure innovative projects consistent with USDA’s vision of a healthy and productive nation in harmony with the land, air, and water.

USDA accepting rural community development grant proposals

July 5, 2017

Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) grants are awarded to help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes support housing, community facilities and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Applications will be accepted through July 25, 2017.

Still time to register for National Extension Tourism Conference

July 5, 2017

The National Extension Tourism Conference is an opportunity for Extension professionals and others working in the broad area of tourism and recreation – including tourism service providers and businesses – to share programs, initiatives, research, and success stories, and to network with other professionals. Scheduled for August 8-10, it is taking place in Princeton, NJ, and is being hosted by Rutgers University New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension.

Analyzing farmer networks is focus of new training manual

May 19, 2017

A new publication in the Northeast Center’s Rural Development Working Paper series provides guidance to Extension educators on analyzing existing farmer networks. Economic and social networks organized around local and regional food systems or value chains have the potential to increase traditionally underserved farmers’ access to the resources, skills and scale of logistical or distribution assets that are prerequisites for profitable expansion into urban markets.

CAPE project issues findings on signs and stigmas associated with prescription drug misuse

May 18, 2017

The results of a national survey that examined the signs and stigmas associated with prescription drug misuse were released this month by the Community Assessment and Education to Promote Behavioral Health Planning and Evaluation (CAPE) Project. The team reports that nearly 70 percent of U.S. individuals could correctly identify prescription drug misuse, but many didn’t know what to do about it.

Urban food networks featured in special-topic issue of Metropolitan Universities Journal

May 4, 2017

A recent issue of Metropolitan Universities Journal explores the role urban universities play in addressing food-system issues facing their communities. NERCRD Board Member Sabine O’Hara of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) authored one of the featured papers, which describes UDC’s Urban Food Hubs program.

Rural manufacturing resilience is focus of new report from USDA Economic Research Service

May 4, 2017

Rural manufacturing plays a significant role in the health of rural economies. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), rural manufacturing provided “almost twice the jobs and three times the earnings that production agriculture provided” in 2011. A new report by ERS explores the factors affecting rural manufacturers’ survival, including size, location, goods produced, and access to capital.

School districts in the Northeast are most likely to serve local foods on a daily basis

May 3, 2017

The USDA’s first Farm-to-School Census, which explored how frequently local foods were served in schools and which locally sourced foods were served more often, found that schools’ daily use of local foods was most prevalent in the Northeast, according to a new report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service.

New project aimed at solving agricultural water issues through community engagement

May 3, 2017

A group of institutions led by Penn State has received nearly $2.2 million for the first year of a planned four-year, $5 million project aimed at developing a model for engaging communities and stakeholders to ensure adequate supplies of good-quality water both for and from agriculture. Partners include the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, Arizona State University and the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

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