Illinois prepares for 23rd annual rural community economic development conference.
The 23rd Rural Community Economic Development Conference: Past Accomplishments and Options for the Future is taking place on March 7 and 8, 2012, in Peoria, Illinois. We have put together an exciting agenda that will bring together experts from around the country who will share successful community economic development strategies that you can implement in your community.
We expect the available registrations to fill up quickly. So, we would like to offer you the opportunity to reserve your spot at a reduced early bird rate! To RSVP, click here .
Vermont Communities in a Digital Age
Thursday, February 16th; 9am - 4:30pm
Vermont Technical College, Randolph Vermont
Join community leaders from around the state to share ideas and learn how online tools are being used to create jobs, reinvent schools, attract visitors, improve civic involvement, and enliven Vermont communities. The workshop is sponsored by the e-Vermont Community Broadband Project.
Anne Galloway of VtDigger.org will be the keynote speaker. Session topics include mobilizing community resources for emergencies, a hands-on lab exploring online tools for business, a showcase of how technology is expanding the classroom for 4-6th graders, a look at conducting town meetings in the digital age, and ways to increase public Internet access in your town (and why).
Registration is $20 and includes course offerings, refreshments, lunch and the chance to win a Kindle reader and other prizes in our raffle drawing.
e-Vermont partner The Snelling Center for Government is the lead organizer for Vermont Communities in a Digital Age.
You can follow e-Vermont on Facebook and Twitter. Check out e4vt.org for more resources from e-Vermont.
Illinois Rural Partners reflects on 2011 successes
Illinois Rural Partners recently released a recap of their highlights and accomplishments from the previous year. Like other State Rural Development Councils across the nation IRP embodies the spirit or collaboration as it works to coordinate efforts toward a brighter future for rural Illinois.
Illinois Rural Partners........
Connects Rural Partners Members to One Another
Rural Partners connects our membership by providing networking opportunities at conferences; posting information to the updated and interactive website; publishing a newsletter, sharing success stories, funding opportunities and ideas; and responding to individual initiatives across the state. Rural Partners acts as an intermediary to resolve impediments between communities, not for profit corporations, businesses, state and federal agencies, and others helping to resolve impediments to progress.
Sponsors, Plans and Participates in Conferences
Rural Partners co-sponsors and attracts exhibitors to community and business development, broadband, leadership and other conferences to inform rural leaders, enable them to replicate successes of others, and to find creative approaches to address problems and develop opportunities. Rural Partners was a gold level sponsor of the Economic Development Downstate Summit attended by over 200 economic developers and legislators to develop support of favorable legislation for TIF Districts and Enterprise Zones. The annual Rural Economic Development Conference in Peoria is March 7-8 and the annual Leadership Conference is June 6th.
Provides Funding For the Illinois Rural Life Poll
The results of the Rural Life Poll, conducted by the IL Institute for Rural Affairs and partially funded by Rural Partners’ membership dues, has been widely used by community leaders, policy makers, conference planners and others as well as the Rural Partners board.
Publishes Regular and Information Packed Newsletters
Rural Partners is recommitted to provide regular newsletters with articles about funding, conferences, success stories and more. Our members and others are encouraged to contribute articles and information which can help promote your company, your cause or your ideas. Over 95% of our members say they read these newsletters.
Keeps You in Touch with State Government Leadership
As a member of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council and Housing, Child Care, Extension, Transportation and other task forces, Rural Partners is informed of state rural development initiatives and funding opportunities, and steps up to share issues and address problems facing rural communities and businesses.
Updated Rural Partners Website
Rural Partners updated its website to make it more informative, responsive and interactive to better serve our members and others. Check it out at www.ruralpartners.org
Speaks for and Advocates for Rural Issues
Rural communities and organizations look to Rural Partners to be their voice. Rural Partners provided that voice at Illinois affordable housing task force meetings; Governor’s Rural Affairs Council and through its membership in the National Partners for Rural America, Association of Counties, Association of Townships, Extension Partners, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and others.
Supported Establishment of an Annual Housing Awards Program
With others, Rural Partners actively supported the establishment of an annual awards program to recognize and seek duplication of housing initiatives that demonstrated innovation and excellence.
Asks for Feedback from Members
Rural Partners stays in touch with its members. Rural Partners continually seeks input from its members and others to determine their needs and priorities and what services Rural Partners should offer. Continuing existing services in this time of tight budgets, obtaining broadband service and supporting existing businesses and entrepreneurs are current high priority goals.
Join Rural Partners!
Your voice can be heard, along with others, through Illinois Rural Partners. For more information, go to www.ruralpartners.org
Illinois Rural Partners is a member-driven forum that links individuals, businesses, organizations and communities with public and private resources to maximize the potential of rural Illinois.
WISCONSIN THINKS SMALL; VERMONT INNOVATES: TWO GREAT STORIES FROM THE DAILY YONDER
Two engaging stories by Craig Nettles recently published in the Daily Yonder highlight what a little gumption and creative thinking can produce in rural areas.
Can a group of citizens from small town Wisconsin entice Internet providers to set-up shop in sparsely-populated, seeming unprofitable rural areas? You bet, just take a look at the town of Three Lakes, located in the far northern part of the state. Not only did town residents unite to attract broadband, they used its availability to attract new residents. Read the Daily Yonder story at:
In rural northern Vermont, it’s not so much what they have but what they do with it. The Vermont Council on Rural Development had previously been involved in the 3-county Northeast Kingdom area to better connect businesses with the Web, but a new contest backed by locals folks and businesses brought over 100 contestants and produced some amazing work. Yes they can! You can lean how through the Daily Yonder at:
Investing in our Farm and Forest Future is the final report of the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership. It offers five recommendations to help reinvigorate the state’s rural economy: • Build a major campaign to celebrate the distinctiveness of the working landscape that is Vermont.
• Target strategic investment through a Vermont Agriculture and Forest Products Development Fund.
• Designate and support “Working Lands.”
• Develop tax revenue to support working landscape enterprise development and conservation.
• Create a State Planning Office and activate the Development Cabinet.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) launched this broad-based partnership as a way to focus efforts to keep our farm and forest economy healthy and prosperous. Click HERE to read it online. For a print copy of the report, please contact VCRD at 802 223-6091 or info@vtrural.org
WISCONSIN RURAL PARTNERS AWARDS THREE TOP RURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES FOR 2011
Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. awarded the Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2011 at a ceremony at the Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center in Mosinee, Wisconsin on Friday, December 2nd, 2011. The awards were presented by Wisconsin Rural Partners president Dennis Deery at the luncheon of the 2011 Wisconsin Rural Summit.
The three efforts receiving Top Initiative awards are:
Building Community Capacity through Broadband, statewide through offices in Madison. The University of Wisconsin-Extension led the effort to secure the two largest grants in UWEX history: federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grants and matching partner funds totaling approximately $45.9 million. These grants will benefit communities by laying over 600 miles of fiber optic cabling connecting 182 anchor institutions (libraries, schools, hospitals, police, fire, government and healthcare) in Douglas, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Marathon and Grant counties. Education and outreach efforts are occurring in these counties and also through the College of Menominee Nation to close the digital divide and bring citizens and businesses online and into the communities’ economic mainstream.
Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen, Mineral Point. The Innovation Kitchen is the only community-based food processing center in the United States with a full time, professionally licensed staff. Using this model, farmers, chefs, culinary professionals, and food entrepreneurs can start and grow their own businesses and private-label food brands.
Neshkoro Enhancement Committee, Neshkoro. The spirit and hard work found in a Marquette County village of 434 has resulted in myriad successful projects, including the creation of two parks, a home and garden tour, a summer concert series, a community chorus (with over 50 members!), the Scarecrow Festival and many other initiatives. As the nomination said, “If we can do it, other communities can too.”
Click here for complete descriptions of the 2011 Top Rural Development Initiatives and local contacts.
Wisconsin Rural Partners is a statewide non-profit organization that develops leadership, networks and voice for rural Wisconsin. WRP is the federally-recognized State Rural Development Council for Wisconsin.
This is the twelfth year that Wisconsin Rural Partners has recognized Wisconsin=s Top Rural Development Initiatives. The program is designed to identify, highlight, and share innovative models, practices and programs that have a positive impact on rural Wisconsin communities. Wisconsin Rural Partners created the program to provide a mechanism for rural communities to learn from each other.
ISSUES FACING RURAL ILLINOIS: RESULTS FROM THE 2010 ISSUES SURVEY
Urban and rural Illinois residents share views on some issues but a survey of over 1,000 individuals shows they differ on the importance of other key concerns. Illinois Rural Partners and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs conducted a rural issues survey in 2010 to understand broad trends affecting rural Illinois, report on the opinions rural and urban Illinois residents hold about quality of life issues and use survey data to foster debate about rural development policy in Illinois. Approximately 45% of the surveys were completed by non-metro residents and 55% from those in urban areas.
Survey results provide evidence to suggest that conditions are getting better in rural places. National level data suggests that for the past year, rural America (and Illinois) has been on the rebound. Rural counties in the Midwest are doing better than rural counties in the High Plains and Intermountain West. According to the website Rural Yonder (2010) two-thirds of rural counties have lower unemployment rates in October 2010 than they did in 2009. One explanation for job recovery in rural regions is high commodity prices which have spurred a positive ripple effect through rural communities. This has resulted in increased purchases of farm equipment, farm labor increases, and rising land prices
But these positive short term trends are overshadowed by some worrisome longer term trends. Data from 2010 shows that rural counties nationally and in Illinois continue to show population declines between 2000 and 2010. Of the 102 counties in Illinois, 9 of 36 (19.4%) metro counties lost population. Remarkably, 54 of 66 (81.8%) of non-metro counties lost population.
The state is experiencing a persistent and growing wage gap between rural and urban counties in Illinois. The gap between metro and non-metro wages increased from $9,922 in 1990 to $11,418 in 2008.
Metro and non-metro residents alike agreed that jobs, healthcare and education ranked highly. But compared to their urban counterparts, non-metro residents placed more importance on a skilled workforce to meet demand and on keeping young people in their communities. Non-metro residents were less optimistic and also more concerned about Internet access, local government, and the adequacy of school funding, Internet access, than their metro counterparts.
For more information on the 2010 Illinois Rural Life Survey contact Jerry Townsend of Illinois Rural Partners or Christopher Merrett at the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs.
Vermont Working Landscape Partnership Program
New White House Rural Council named
On July 28th the Associated Press issued a rather depressing story for those who live in rural America. The local headline read, “Rural America Disappearing? Population share hits low”. Indeed, in the last hundred years the population of the rural United States has plummeted from 72% to the current 16%.
On the other hand, President Obama recently affirmed the importance of rural America in creating the White House Rural Council. “Strong rural communities are key to a stronger America,” said President Barack Obama. “That’s why I’ve established the White House Rural Council to make sure we’re working across government to strengthen rural communities and promote economic growth.”
The Council, created on June 9, 2011 by Executive Order, will coordinate programs across government to encourage public-private partnerships to promote further economic prosperity and quality of life in rural communities nationwide. Chaired by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, the Council will be responsible for providing recommendations for investment in rural areas and will coordinate Federal engagement with a variety of rural stakeholders, including agricultural organizations, small businesses, and state, local, and tribal governments.
In the coming months, the White House Rural Council will focus on job creation and economic development by increasing the flow of capital to rural areas, promoting innovation, expanding digital and physical networks, and celebrating opportunity through America’s natural resources. The Council will begin discussing key factors for growth, including:
Jobs: Improve job training and workforce development in rural America
Agriculture: Expand markets for agriculture, including regional food systems and exports
Access to Credit: Increase opportunity by expanding access to capital in rural communities and fostering local investment
Innovation: Promote the expansion of biofuels production capacity and community based renewable energy projects
Networks: Develop high-growth regional economies by capitalizing on inherent regional strengths
Health Care: Improve access to quality health care through expansion of health technology systems
Education: Increase post-secondary enrollment rates and completion for rural students
Broadband: Support the President’s plan to increase broadband opportunities in rural America
Infrastructure: Coordinate investment in critical infrastructure
Ecosystem markets: Expanding opportunities for conservation, outdoor opportunities and economic growth on working lands and public lands
The Obama Administration has set goals of modernizing infrastructure by providing broadband access to 10 million Americans, expanding educational opportunities for students in rural areas, and providing affordable health care. In the long term, these unparalleled rural investments will help ensure that America’s rural communities are repopulating, self-sustaining, and thriving economically.
Partners for Rural America welcomes the establishment of the White House Rural Council. “The functions of the Council closely resemble the work of the national Rural Development Partnership,” said Rick Rolfsmeyer, PRA Board Chairman. “We look forward to assisting the council in any way possible. As work to revitalize rural America progresses, PRA and State Rural Development Councils stand ready to assist on the state level.”
Please remit your 2012 Membership Dues to Partners for Rural America to support efforts to advance the National Rural Development Partnership and State Rural Development Councils throughout the nation, to advance policies that address the challenges before rural America, and to promote funding to support SRDC direct services in meeting the needs of rural communities in their states.
About Partners for Rural America
Our Mission & Goals
Partners for Rural America (PRA) exists to support the efforts of its member State Rural Development Councils
(SRDC’s), which are uniquely positioned:
To expand economic and social opportunities for America’s rural communities and their residents;
To promote equal treatment of rural America by government agencies and the private sector;
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• Build a major campaign to celebrate the distinctiveness of the working landscape that is Vermont.
