NERCRD agritourism research brief featured in Mainebiz story

A feature story written by Renee Cordes and published in MaineBiz includes research on agritourism that was published by NERCRD. The story, which also features a quote by one of the research authors, Jason Entsminger (University of Maine), provides insights into the latest data on Maine agritourism farms, and interviews the managers of several different Maine-based agricultural operations that have incorporated agritourism activities into their business models.

Rural Community Action Guide released to help guide local responses to addiction crisis

March 13, 2020

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has released a Rural Community Action Guide to help equip rural leaders with information and wisdom gleaned from the front lines of addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery in rural America. The guide is intended to help local leaders design effective strategies for deployment in their own communities. (Links to PDF.)

“Farm and Farm Family Risk and Resilience Toolkit” released to support Extension programming

March 13, 2020

A new toolkit developed by Bonnie Braun (University of Maryland Extension) and Maria Pippidis (University of Delaware Extension) provides several tools educators can use to apply the socio-ecological model to risk management and resilience educational programming for farm audiences. The toolkit includes a guidebook, logic models, and communication and programming tools.

Community factors influence how long you’ll live, study shows

March 13, 2020

While lifestyle choices and genetics go a long way toward predicting longevity, a new study shows that certain community characteristics also play important roles. American communities with more fast food restaurants, a larger share of extraction industry-based jobs, or higher population density have shorter life expectancies, according to researchers from Penn State, West Virginia, and Michigan State Universities. Their findings can help communities identify and implement changes that may promote longer lifespans among their residents.

“Compendium of Federal Datasets Addressing Health Disparities” released

March 12, 2020

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal partners have released an updated Compendium of Federal Datasets Addressing Health Disparities. The Compendium was produced by the Interdepartmental Health Equity Collaborative (IHEC) and hosted by the HHS Office of Minority Health. First released in 2016, the Data Compendium serves as a resource that identifies the relationship between socioeconomic factors, social determinants of health, and health equity. This updated Compendium includes descriptions of more than 250 databases, information relevant to public health crises, and information on datasets with more controlled access.

New tourism webinar series launches with a look at national Extension and Sea Grant programming

March 11, 2020

In February 2020, the National Extension Tourism Design Team in collaboration with Sea Grant launched a webinar series to provide programmatic examples from both the Sea Grant and Land Grant networks. The first webinar in the series was held in February and focused on results from a survey conducted nationally to identify the types of Sea Grant and Extension tourism programs offered across the U.S. and programmatic gaps and challenges. A recording and resources mentioned during the webinar are now available.

Innovation is widespread in rural areas, not just cities

January 6, 2020

Conventional measures of innovation suggest that only big cities foster new ideas, but a more comprehensive measure developed at the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development shows that innovation is widespread even in rural places not typically thought of as innovative. This “hidden” innovation brings economic benefits to businesses and communities, according to researchers, whose findings will help decision makers think in new ways about innovation and how they can support it.

Craft-beer boom linked to record-number of US states growing hops

January 6, 2020

Craft breweries aren’t just a fun place to meet up with friends. They may be fueling an unprecedented geographic expansion of hop production across the U.S., according to researchers at Penn State and The University of Toledo. Their findings suggest that as more craft breweries emerge around the country, so may new opportunities for farmers.

Research grant lays groundwork for formation of First State African American Farmers Association

December 19, 2019

Andy Wetherill, an Extension Educator at Delaware State University (DSU) and a member of NERCRD’s Technical Advisory Committee, knew from his participation in a USDA-funded capacity-building grant that farmers who work together can take advantage of economies of scale and can benefit from learning together. Using an output from that project—a manual that guides Extension educators through the process of conducting network analyses of farmer groups—Wetherill helped a group of minority farmers in Delaware form a new network: The First State African American Farmers Association (FSAAFA).

Small grants program continues with “Marketing Hometown America” project

November 22, 2019

With funding from the Northeast Center, a multi-state team will bring the Marketing Hometown America program to the Northeast Region. The team is composed of members from Penn State Extension, West Virginia University Extension, and University of New Hampshire Extension.

Linking farm vitality and health: statewide-forums give rise to new publication for farmers

November 21, 2019

A collection of articles aimed at providing health and economic information to farmers and agricultural professionals was published in The Delmarva Farmer and is a useful resource for those working with farming communities. It was just one of the outcomes from two state-wide forums organized last year by recipients of a Northeast Center grant.