NERCRD in the News

West Virginia town with people enjoying a bike path and creek.

WVU Extension leads efforts to enhance sustainability of tourism in rural communities

July 8, 2026

This article by Hannah Booth (West Virginia University Division for Land-Grant Engagement) highlights the Tourism, Resiliency and Indicators for Post-Pandemic Planning (TRIP) project and a recently published study by the TRIP project team. NERCRD Director Stephan Goetz, Associate Director Stephen Alessi, and Faculty Affiliate Luyi Han are members of the project team. The TRIP project is led by WVU’s Doug Arbogast, who is also a member of the NERCRD Technical Advisory Committee.

News and Events

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If you’re looking for past or future events in the NERCRD webinar series, visit: https://nercrd.psu.edu/tag/webinar/.

Researchers earn NSF grant to measure local innovation activity

August 13, 2024

A team of researchers — including NERCRD’s Zheng Tian and Stephan Goetz, and their collaborator Timothy Wojan, an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow — were awarded a two-year, $300,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a new method for accurately measuring innovation activity in small geographic regions.

US companies’ global market reach linked to cloud computing use

August 12, 2024

U.S. firms that use cloud computing services are more likely to export their products and services, according to a new study by researchers at NERCRD and U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The team said the findings were stronger for firms located outside of large cities and demonstrate the need for expanded availability of the high-speed internet required for cloud computing to support economic development.

New Research Snapshots shed light on the economic and social impacts of caregivers in the North Central and Northeast U.S.

July 18, 2024

A multi-state team of researchers has released preliminary findings from a groundbreaking survey that examined the caregiving experiences of households in the North Central and Northeast regions of the U.S. The findings were released as two regionally focused “Research Snapshots,” which provide insights into caregiver demographics, who is receiving care, the financial and personal impacts […]

two people engaging in a sales transaction with the help of a smartphone

High-speed internet linked to more farms offering agritourism

June 25, 2024

The availability and adoption of high-speed broadband appears to boost the number of farms offering agritourism activities, according to a new study led by NERCRD researchers. Their findings, the researchers said, bolster the argument for expanding broadband availability in support of farm operators who want to benefit from the growing consumer interest in on-farm experiences.

Welcoming Stephen Alessi to the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development

June 4, 2024

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) is pleased to announce that Stephen Alessi has joined the Center as Associate Director, effective June 3, 2024. In this role, Alessi will lead the NERCRD’s outreach and Extension-oriented activities by fostering and strengthening the Center’s relationships with Northeast land-grant universities and rural development partners, and by identifying and responding to opportunities for cross-state collaborations and sharing of programs.

New data briefs document recent changes in U.S. agritourism and direct-to-consumer sales sectors

June 4, 2024

Researchers from the University of Maine and Penn State have released a set of comprehensive data briefs that shed light on two small but important sectors of U.S. agriculture — agritourism and direct-to-consumer sales — utilizing data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The briefs, published by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, provide valuable insights into the current status of these sectors and also document recent trends, both nationally and for each state.

Report cover: "Downtowns and Trails" by UNH

Catching up with NERCRD small-grant recipients: The UNH “Downtowns and Trails” team celebrates five years of programming!

May 29, 2024

In 2017, a multi-state team led by Shannon Rogers (University of New Hampshire) was awarded a NERCRD small grant to develop a knowledge-sharing network in New England to help communities capitalize on the potential benefits of trails for fostering vibrant downtowns. Now they’re celebrating five years of programming, and marked the occasion by publishing a new, retrospective report. Click to learn more about the impacts and outcomes of this innovative Extension program!

very large group posing for photo in two-story hotel lobby

Agritourism Research and Extension Collaborative honored with USDA NIFA National Partnership Award

May 22, 2024

Congratulations to members of the Agritourism Research and Extension Collaborative, who were recognized with a 2023 USDA NIFA Partnership Award for their multi-state work advancing agritourism! The award honors the collective efforts of a network of individuals that spans more than a dozen states at 11 Land-Grant Universities, and two community partner organizations who collaborated on several projects to advance agritourism nationally.

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.

screenshot of document showing recreation data and images

New Publication from National Extension Tourism Network Highlights Opportunities for Extension in Outdoor Recreation Economies

April 25, 2024

Outdoor Recreation is a growing sector of the U.S. economy, and building the recreation economy in the U.S. has been identified as one of the USDA’s top priorities . Recreation economies are intertwined with multiple community domains, and therefore pose an opportunity for the Cooperative Extension System, which is uniquely positioned to assist communities with […]

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