UNIVERSAL 1 lnformat~on Setv~ces, Inc ;

! EAGLE THURSDAY WEEKLY VERDIGRE, NE Circulahon = 140 1

I

11/06/2008

- - u i v b ! ; - weekend!

Knox County.. .We're Going Places

* . - . . : By Toni Tauber . , -i - , Knox County Economic . . .. . - Develbment Director Since starting my position for

Knox County, I've had many people ask "What is Economic Development?" So, let's start from the beginning, according to Wikipcdia Free Encyclopedia:

Economic development is the development of economic wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants. From a policy perspective, economic development can be defined as efforts that seek to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for a community by creating and/or retaining jobs and supporting or growing incomes and the tax base.

On September 13, 2001, an Interlocal Cooperation A c t Agreement was signed to create the Knox County Development Agency. The Agreement was adopted by local government units within Knox County, along with several financial institutions, and Great Plains Communications. The purpose of the KCDA is to "act as a coordination, education and service organization to foster, promote, encourage, develop, research, analyze and increase the knowledge, appreciation and practice of economic developmcnt and to help to preserve.

-and enhance the Knox ~ County community's cconomic growth".

The Development Agency met for our monthly mceting on October 27, 2008, in Center and focused on "strategic planning" for our agenc We will be holding a community-wi& Strategic Planning session in January 2009 to set our priorities for years to come. We will be inviting several representatives from each of the communities to participate in this session. I f you are interested iq finding out more about this, please contact me at knoxcodevelopment@gpcom.net.

The month of October was busy for me. I was fortunate enough to make it to more communities and meet a lot of great people. I continue my work with the BECA grants we were awarded, as well as search for grants from inquiring parties. I will be serving on the Wind Farm Advisory Board in Verdigre, as well as the Small Business Network Advisory Board through the Centre for Rutal Affairs. There seehs to be so many projects and not really enough space to write about all. I welcome any questions you may have for me relating to projects I am working on that affect your community directly. Please feel free to call me, email me or stop in to say hello. Until next time.. .. -

I U I NIVERSAL lnformatlon Services, Inc

NEWS-TIMES MORNING DAILY I

YORK, NE Circulatmn = 4196

11/28/2008 ~

I Guest Opinion 1 Solution to a Successful

Economic Stimulus Package I By Elisha Greeley Smith

Center for Rural Affairs

Snlall enterprise has a critical role to play in America's econom- ic recovery, especially in rural areas. So when Congress takes up legislation to refuel our economy, s:nall entrepreneurship should be the centerpiece. Microenterprises - owner-operated businesses that provide self employment and per- haps hire a few employees - cre- ate most new rural jobs. Begin- ning farmers and value added agriculture bring additional vital- ity to rural America. There's no better time than now for federal policy to invest in these proven

rural development strategies. Here's how Congress can do it: > Provide a direct incentive for rural enterprise by establishing a Microenterprise and Beginning Farmer Investment Tax Credit of LIP to $10,000 to stimulate small business expansion and new far111 and business startups. > Fund more rural small business loans, training and technical assistance by increasing funding for the Rural Microentrepreneurs Pro- gram. An increase from $4 niil- lion to $25 million in this new farm bill program would pay long-term dividends. >Add funds to the successful Value Added Producer Grants Program. which

makes grants to family-size farm- ers and ranchers to launch new ventures to establish local mar- kets and to process and market high value crops and livestock. An added $24 million would bring the program to the $40 mil- lion authorized by the farm bill. These three provisions would ; jump start rural economy and plant the seeds of long-term rural vitality through entrepreneurship. Congress should embrace them :2

as it develops legislation to prompt economic recovery in America. For more infor~nation

I visit: www.cfra.org

Dysart Reporter Dysart, IA Circ. 703

From Page: 5

1 1/20/2008

Help to Stabilike housing By Jon Bailey

Center for Rural Affairs As a response to declin-

ing housing values and increased foreclosures, Congress adopted the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Part of that law is the Neighbor- hood Stabilization Pro- gram, which provides near- ly $4 billion to address housing issues in commu- nities that could lead to long-term declines of hous- ing values of neighboring homes.

Public policy to encour- age housing development and home ownership is a major element of asset- building policy. Rural areas

1

Des Moines Register

Des Moines,lA Circ. 151448

From Page:

m / ' 8.3 -/&?A -'l

1 Rich kt $49 million in farm aid Ineligible recipients cash in, raising doubts about USDA's polic& ability -- r

By PHILIP BRASHER pbrasher@$rnrq.com

Washington, D.C. - People too rich to get farm subsidies are collecting pay- ments anyway because of the Agriculture Department's lax oversight, government investigators say.

The founder of an insurance company collected more than $300,000 a year in farm subsidies from 2003 through 2006 despite exceeding a $2.5 million income eligibility limit. The part-owner of a pro- fessional sports franchise got more than $200,000 a year.

They were among 2,702 rich individuals who collected $49 million in farm subsi- dies over the four-year period in apparent violation of the income limit, according

to the Government Accountability Office, I

the watchdog arm of Congress. The GAO did not release the names, cit-

ing privacy rules, but said wealthy subsidy recipients were scattered among 49 states and that nine of the people lived overseas, including in Britain, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. More than one-third of the individuals lived in five states: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois and Texas.

The U.S. Agriculture Department's failure to catch those violations raises concerns about its ability to enforce the tighter, more complex income limits Congress enacted in the 2008 farm bill, according to the report. I

The investigators estimated that 23,506 SUBSID-U 1

"Unfortunately, professional rportr- teams. I hate to

One (Mw a*er think what might be another. O w year

i we have pa)~llr&~ -Sen. Charles GrassIey, going t0 dead R-la., who requested the

kk; now m investigation by the Government Accountability Office. 1 1

have payments going to owners of I I

, ~ u w f w r & I& US i%!pammt otAgrtcultunanerd@d warty 1 , , $5$!rn1lm(lll ~ L F pegnm+pzpnsz,?~,,U ~ , , i d ~ ~ ~ . ~ l s ~ ~ w n ~ ~

ifdpbl9 bersuse I$nry cdnvd morlr t k n $25 mimPn annually, 1 rmdng a a m by the Cavcmmrn1 kcount&ltq Omr I

1 FROM PAGE 1A I -

I the impme limits. 1 Even the USDA wasn't

I

allowed to see the names of the people caught by the GAO, because the study required using private tax records on file with the In- ternal Revenue Service. In a letter accompanying

the report, officials with the USDA's Farm Service Agency expressed frustra- tion at being unable to get the names and said they needed the power "by whatever means necessary" to obtain them.

Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said if USDA ofttahls think they need more authority, "then they need to dome to Congress so we can d i s m it*"

FSA officials blamed their faiiure to catch ineli- gible recipients on a lack of funding and an inability to use IRS records. They also said the amount of money those people collected - $49 million over four years - represented a tiny fraction of the $16 billion in farm payments the depart- ment makes annually. A total of 1.8 million people received payments from 2003 to 2006.

The USDA samples re- cipients for eligibility, but it doesn't necessarily check them for income ehgibility. Instead, the USDA looks at other factors, such as the amount of payments re- ceived the previous year or whether there was a change in a farm's ownership, the GAO said. The new farm bill requires the USDA to use statistical methods to iden- tify ineligiile recipients.

The old income limit, set in 2002, was fairly simple. The law cut off individu- als who had an average adjusted gross income of more than $2.5 million and derived less than 75 percent of their earnings from farming.

Under the 2008 farm bid. people with nonfarm in- come of mpre than $500,000

people who received farm subsidies in 2006 could be ineligible for payments un- der the new income caps, which range from $500,000 to $1 million and vary ac- cording to which farm pro- grams are affected. The new rules increase "the risk that USDA will make improper payments to more individu- als," the report said.

"It's hard to have faith in USDA's ability to police these income limits," said Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, who requested the GAO in- vestigation.

"Unfortunately, it's one thing after another. One year we have payments going to dead people; now we have payments going to owners of professional sports teams. I hate to

would lose crop subsidies and d-er payments, but someione with non- farm income of as much as $1 million a year could still get conwhation payments.

The am9,unt of farm in- come also ould make a dif- ference for some wealthier

lose one p of subsidy - fixed. a ual payments.

The Bus administration proposed a much stiffer means tes P for all recipients

in average an-

was far too restrictivel.

be doubled for

fall the h N e s t on South-

Farm B au Federation. The corn 3 lexity of the new

lawyers and the CPAs are the ones who make out best." I

F - m , bri- m-

think what might be next," ht Jaid. in 2007, the GAO reported

that the USDA had paid $1.1 billion in farm subsidies to more than 170,000 dead in- dividuals over a seven-year period. Although such pay- ments could have been le- gitimate so long as the dead farmer's estate hadn't been settled, the USDA often didn't know when a fanner had died and didn't moni-

I tor estates sufficiently, the

" "' " ." .".'["*"< ,." ", ,*,, l r . ..

~ ~ l ~ @ a r m a n +E-,I, . A- 459 q . , , @9k , , ! ' ~ , l l ~

I IL. I LZ P ' ~ 8 .

100.0% ~ .. . -

I

investigators found. Chuck Hassebrook,

executive director of the Nebraska-based Center for Rural Affairs, sai- rrSak "has consistently failed to l i t payments to their intended beneficia- ries" and doesn't try to get the funding it needs to do a better job.

The income limits affect several USDA programs, including crop subsidies and land-conservation pro- grams. Payment recipients either own land or operate farms. People who apply for subsidies are required to certify that they meet

UNIVERSAL ' Information Services, Inc -

(402) 342-31 78

MIRROR-SUN 1

THURSDAY WEEKLY i ' LYONS, NE i

Circulation = 735 1 1 1 /06/2008 1

! IIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

unced their intention to

SmithfieldBeef Group i

together slaughter more than 85% of U.S. cattle.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Justice recently gave their imprimatur to the sale of the Smithfield Beef ; Group (the Na! ions fifth larg- i est beef prod~lcer) to JBS. i

There is good news, how- ever. he JusficeTbepartment t and 13 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in Chicago, seeking to stop JBS's pro-

* .'

' U NIVERSAL Information Services, Inc

NEWS WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WEST POINT, NE Circulation = 2990

1 s Jnletimes you eat the bear. .. Lyons - Nearly ten years

a:*o 1 first wrote about the gr wing threat of vertical i~i:<gi;liicin arid concentration

.- in mea:packing. Snlithfield, - Car-gill; IBI-9 etc. were buying

up packin:: plants and indus- trial hog production facilities at ;I i-)~.cath~ahing pace.

MJc spc )ke loud1 y and often about ~ h r need for the Justice I1~p;ll-t ~n!:nt to take on these rnergel,::. We c:rlled on USDA

"tiYwrjtCrules that define the . . .

"unrcasrt~:nhle preferences" , that the Packcrs and Stock-

yards Act prohibits and get h~isy enl'orcing them to prevent packers from discriminating againsl sm;tller volume fam- ily farm anti railch livestock

'Thousarids of family farm- ers and t-anchers rrorn across A~nerica joined 11s in telling everyone that \would listen that :retion was needed from USDA ant1 lustice. 14 lot of people -

olilicians, agency officials, olnmodity groups, etc. - told

. - - . . . .. . -. . . . . . . - -.

us nothing would ever come of it. And for a long time, noth- ing did.

But then, in the 2008 farm bill, Congress required USDA write rules defining "unreason- able preference" to protect family farmers and ranchers against volume based price discrirninat~on.

And last month the Depart- ment of Justice and 13 state Attorneys General filed suit to stop JBS, the B r a ~ ~ l i a n -

I meatpacking conglon~erale, I from acquiring National Beef , Paclung. That deal would have i - given JBS, Tqson and Cargill 85% of national beef slaughter 3 (35% for JBS alone). i Those thousands of farm- - ers and ranchers knew back € then, and those that are left still know today, that sometnnes the 3 bear eats you ... and sometimes g you eat the bear. Maybe, just "; maybe, the tables are turning.

John Crabtree, Center for Rural Affairs

u NIVERSAL Information Services, Inc

NEWS WEDNESDAY WEEKLY CREIGHTON, NE Circulation = 13 10

RURAL AFFAIRS Values. Worth. Action.

. -"-------- " - --.-

'Left In The Dust ' ?

I) By Elisha Greeley Smith, elishas@cfra.org, Center f ir R~nrol Aftllirs

Congress is trying, once again, to leave rural America behind, like an old forgotten relic in the dust. .- I

According to the Center for Rural Affairs' most recent liural Brief, the .I g new farm bill continues considerable funding for commodity subsidy pro- grams, $35 billion over the five year life of the farm bill to be exact. An ad-

~=

ditional $10.4 billion was authorized for nutrition programs and $25 billion for conservation programs.

In comparison, the farm bill only requires $150 million in spending for q three rural development programs over the life of the farm bill. That is a 1 233: 1 ratio of commodity subsidy spending to rural development spending. 3

This gap is even greater considering only two business and entrepreneur- ial development, programs, recgived mandatory C-ongressional spending in 6 S e bill - a ratio of $1,167 in commodity subsidy spending for every $1 of rural development spending that promotes entreprcncurship and community

I Whether we make our living from* land or from another profession, we ; . still need strong communities and towns in rural America. , A.

5 We need strong rural development initiatives that build businesses, create

jobs and make our communities attractive, economically viahlc places to 1

It's apparent by the lack of rural development funding in thc final version i~

of the farm bill that the federal government is leaving rural eon~munities, ' k and the 60 million people who call rural America their home, in the dust. g To view the entire Rural Brief, visit http://www.cfra.org/1~0dc/1419. The Center for Rural AfSairs was established in 1973 as an unafjliated

nonprojt corporation under IRS code 501(c)3. Z'ltc Ceriter,fi)r Rural AfSLIirs j was formed by rural Nebraskans concerned about fatnily ,fartns and rural 1 communities, and we work to strengthen small businesses, futriily farms and ranches, and rural communities.

--.-" .-,.--- .. .. . . . -. -..----,*.-- X

RECORD I

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY CHADRON, NE Circulation = 2673

I. " Prescription for health care: By Eli:-[!a Greeley Smith Cenfcr for Rural Affairs

One oi' llie most important thin2.s Congress will deal wit11 ill 2009 is I~ralt l~ carc reform. Thc 60 million people in rural America have much to gain, and much lo lose, in any debate over reform of the hcalth care sys- tein.

Rur.:rI Arncrica prcscnts a unique set of challenges for hcalth cart reforln. Rural people have leas acccss to hcalth nct- worl\s anil Isc;~llh c:wc providers, grwtcr rates of disability and chronic discascs an t i higher use

rates of all public Iiealth care programs.

And largely as a result of highcr rates of self-e~nployment and small business e~nploynicnt, rural Americans have lower rates of employer-provided ben- efits and are more likely to be under insured or uninsured for longer periods of time.

Health carc is also a major barrier to rural cconoll~ic devcl- opment that creates genuine opportunity and reduccs povcr- tY.

Microenterprise and small business dcvelopmcnt is the

most effective path in many commr~nities for low and mod-; erate income rural people to pull themselves out of poverty. But i f ,

B sni~all entrepreneurs cannot gain. B affordable access to health carei

for the~nselves or their employ-" eas, that path out of poverty is 1 blocked. I

Any hope ofbuilding genuine economic opportunity for strug- I gling rural Amcricans through 1

6 entrepreneurship must be; accolnpanied by reforming the-^, health care systelil in a way that benefits both small business owners and their employees.

U NIVERSAL lnformat~on Servlces Inc

TIMES-TRIBUNE THURSDAY WEEKLY BEAVER CITY, NE Circulation = 873

1 111 312008

Adult Education Opportunities ' Up'coming events at the day,Dec. 1 f romnoon- I p.m. in Formel Center McMillen Hall. Room 201 with

2 for Business & Industry Diane Lyons as the instructor. Let from the Mid-Plains Center us treat you to a bite of lunch while

for Enterprise you learn useful tips and tools for reducing mistakes and proofreading

2008 Norris Lecture, The Power tinle Pre-registration is mandatory of Telecommunications in Rural and a minimum enrollment is re- Economic Development wtll be quired. held on Monday, Nov. 17 at 6:30

- p.m. in Tipton Hall, Weeth Theater -, Business Buyers Worksho~wi l l

-, Dr. L ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ & J. Malone giving 66. -heid a t a 'later l a t e to be an- the lecture that is free and open to nounced. This workshop is de-

the public. !<ere's an excit~ng op- signed to help potential business portunity to learn how Senator Not- owners educate themselves on the ris' rurnl electrification concepts benefits and pitfalls of buying an may be applied to the prob]e~ns of existing business. Elljoy refresh-

today. ments and a working lunch as you hear presenters from the account-

2008 Norris ing, banking, marketing, and retail the Rural En t r e ~ r e n e " r i a l professions as well as representa- Comn~unity will bc held on Tues- t ives from the ~~~~l ~~~~~~~i~~ day, Nov. 18 a.m. - p Assistance Project (REAP) and in McMillen Ifall, Room 213 with M ~ c ~ ~ ~ Economic Developlnent Dr. leading the panel dis- Corporation (MEDC), Topics cov- cussion. There is no admission, ered will include business plan however, seating is limited. writing, valua?ionl, I ~ Y beneftts,

~~~~h G~ L~~~~ - H~~ to be a loans, knowing how to market to Grammar, Punctuation & Proof- customers, training, and much readin- Prn will be held on Mon- more.

------- - ---I Upcoming Community Ser- I vice events from McCook Community College

I Digital Camera Basics will be ,

on Thursdays, Nov. 13, 20; Dec. 4, 11 from 7 - 9 p.m. in McMlllen Hall, Room 213 with Tor Olson as 1 the instructor. Understand how to I use your dtgital camera or learn

"

what to look for when updating or 1 buying. -

- - i Attitudinal Dynamics o f , Driving - ADD - Defensive Driving Course is held quarterly on the second Saturday of the month. The next session will be on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Hormel Center for Business and Technology in McMtllen Hall, Room 201 with Carol Stensvad as the instructor. ADD inlpresses the participant to choose respons~bility to improve self-work/self-esteem and to maintain personal and finan- cial power through the use of good choices. For additional information and registration, please contact Nebraska Safety Council at (888) 704-7233, ext . 113. registration reauired. Pre- I . _ i

U NlVERSAL Information Services. Inc

DAILY PRESS & DAKOTAN SATURDAY WEEKLY YANKTGN, SD Circulation = 82 12

OPINION EDITORIAL

ises - owner-operated businesses that provide

rise by establishing ment Tax Credit of sion and new farm

reasing funding for the Rural Microentrepreneurs nse from $4 million to $25 million in this new farm d pay long-term dividends.

o 2 d t l funds to'the successful Value Added Producer Grants

By Chuck Hassebrook Center for Rural A fairs

UNIVERSAL 1 lnformatlon Services, Inc ,

DAKOTA CO. STAR WEDNESDAY WEEKLY SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE Circulation = 2448

11/06/2008

Green Planet amona beneficiaries of Rural i -

said, is committed to deliv- ering the funding necessary for rural coinlnur~ities in Ne- b

braska to succeed arid reniain strong. "Kural 1)evelopment posted a record year in Fiscal Year 2008," he said, "deliver- ing more than $189.9 million to rural Nebraska. This fund- ing for rural communities," he said, "comes through a variety of programs to assist individu- als, community development activities. farmers/ranchers and local businesses.

"Nebraska," Blehm added, "continues to lead the nation in the energy program receiv- ing over 170 awards out of the over 650 projects award- ed nationwide. M'e were able, through the energy program this year, to assist agricultur- al producers and rural, small businesses with reneyable energy efforts and energy ef- ficienc), in~provements.

In addition to our energy programs, Rural Development delivered over $1 8 million to Nebraska to assist with busi- ness start-up and expansion needs Blehm said resulting in

Gnnis Christiansen (far right), president/CEO. Green Hanet Farms, South Sioux City, says assistance to over the $10 million guaranteed loan received from the USDA's Rural Development program jobs, will be used to assist in the purchase of equipment for the company's new soy protein pro- "On the individual level,"

i duction operation in South Sioux. Shown with Christiansen are (from left) Marla Sponder, Blehni said, "Nebraska had a I 5 First National Bank, Sioux City, partnering in the loan financing program; Susanne Stoeger- banner year in the rural hous- I Moore, chief sales/marketing officer, Green Planet; Tim Foster, executive, vice president, ing ProEY"In with over, $70

, - engineering, Green Planet; and Scot Blehm, Nebraska state director, USDA Rural Develop- 'Ieet the

I, ment. (Photo by Jolene Stevens) housing needs of rural Nebras- I . kans. Despite the current real : : ---- .

By Jolene Stevens Star Reporter

~- Email: sscstar@cahleone.net

"We are committed," Scot Blehm, Nebraska director for the USDA's Rural Develop-

, ' I . ment Program, said, "to de- ! livering the funding needed

: to help rural communities to ;succeed and remain strong." :His comments came during ; a visit Wednesday to the new Green Planet Farms operation in South Sious City.

1 Blehm's visit marked the partnering by the Rural Devel- opment agency in a guaran-

-teed $10 niillion loan to assist .,for the purchase of equipment

, !for the new operation. A cere- 1 monial presentation of a check I 'for the loan, guaranteed by 1 ' First National Bank, Sioux City, :, ,was among the day's events. . .. " "USDA Rural Development,"

I Blehm added, "is pleased too 1 , . assist Specialty Protein Pro- , . ..

<ducers, L.L.C. in helping to 1 grow its business through the I start-up of Green Planet Farms. I Green Planet Farms will bring

jobs to Nebraska with the po- i tential of over 65 employees in i =its first phase of production ) "'starting this past month and

another 135 employees in its , :second phase." I ' First American Bank's Presi- 1 -dent Ed DenBeste, Sioux City,

1 said the bank sees Green Planet Farms as "playing a vital role"

: - in expanding the area's value- ; .added agricultural base and

employment in the tri-state %rea. "The coinDan" will." he

said, "to be able to partner with the USDA Rural Develop- ment ion this effort through the IJSIlA's Business and In dustry Guaranteed Loan pro- grams to arrange a final pack- age to assist in launchinl: this new venture."

Green Planet Farms, with patent-pending technology for separation of soybean protein and oils in a water process without the traditional use of hexane as a solvent, received earlier guaranteed loans of

$8.2 million through the Kwal Development program and U s Bank, Sioux City. fo rcons t ruc ' tion of the plant.

"We appreciate," Green Plan- et's Christiansen said, "thc re- spective banks and the [ISDA Rural 13cvelopment's efforts in taking time to understand the uniqueness of our company, the potential of its propriety process and the high quality

'products we anticipate will re- sult from this process."

Rural Developnient, Hlchm

estate market, our programs i continue to be a viable option for rural cifjzens seeking honi- , eownership.

"Conimunities," Blehm add- ed, '!benefited by receiving ~

--more than $1 1 million for es- 1 sential community facilities ! such schools, hospitals and emergency response facili- ties and over $ 2 2 million for municipal water and waste wa- ter systems." I

f

'said, "be among ar.ea leaders in the organic industry. Sevral members of the City of ~o;th Sioux City take a moment to rest during the day's

"We're proud," DenBeste busy event. (photo by Jolene Stevens) # I

---- - - - - - - - ---- I h- -- - - - - - - - -

U NIVERSAL Information Services, InC

RECORD WEDNESDAY WEEKLY CHADRON, NE Circulation = 2673

Lack of capital By Center for Rural Affairs

j 'The Center. for Pl~ral ASSairs i recently releasccl a report titled ' "Small Business Needs i P.ssessment." l 'he I.cport cxani- 1 . ' lnes the findings of rcccnt s y - i vey \\rorl< by the Rural

Enterprise Assistance t'rqjcct (RE:AP), a program of thc Center for Rural Affairs.

The "Small Rusincss Nccds Assessment", a sclf-adminis- tesed survey, was mad2 available to approximately 1,000 cntrc- -

~. . . I

a problem for small businesses I prcncurs and to local cl~arnbers ers and the people that serve of comlnercc, econonlic devel- them. opment org:iniziztions, Nebraska According to the results of Economic Developers this survey, rural small business- Association members, the es, regardless of size, maturity Nebraska Bankers Association or any other characteristic, and other service providers that appear to have similar chal- \vorI< with Nebraska's small lenges and needs. Marly srnall businesses. business owners start out with

The purpose of the survey limited anlounts of financial ' was to gather infi>rmatioo to resources and insuft'icient busi- e ~ a l ~ i a t e the needs of Nebraska's ness plans. As businesses grow s~iiall businesses hot17 the per- and mature? financial issues and .

spectives of both business own- related cliallcngcs continuc to 1 many. Other issues

included lack of training, lack of planning and the challcngc of

"The REAP program is very

less needs in Nebraska. P will be using the results c sur\,ey to figure out ways

n t needs that exist," stated Jeff

ess the survey, visit:

UNIVERSAL 1 lnformat~on Senllces, lnc

TIMES THURSDAY WEEKLY PENDER, NE

i I Circulation = 1338

11/06/2008

Pender school board still has M too many questions about grant -

By Jason Sturek Pender Tirr~es Managing Editor

A special school board meeting on Monday to take a closer look at whether Pender should spend $3,300 to take part in a Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act (RECA) grant didn't make much headway.

The board cited a lack of information about how roughly $41,000 will be spent in cooperation with Bancroft-Rosalie, Lyons-Decatur Northeast and the Center for Rural Affairs (CRA), who is matching con- tributions from each community to fund a program that has to be completed by spring of 2009.

: At the board's regular meeting on Oct. 20, the j board heard from CRA's Stephanie Fritz about the I program. which was originally accepted by Pender's i administration back in 2006 but hadn't progressed i since. At that time, the board said it didn't have ! enough information to make a decisioll but decided i to hold a special meeting, which it did on Tuesday. i But written answers from Fritz that. were submit-

ted by Pender's administration apparently didn't i

sway the board to act. A lack of information was again cited.

The board directed the school's administration to write another letter to the Center for Rural Affairs to let that organization know that Pender would like to secure similar funding in the future.

In the meantime, the whole program is sitting in ; limbo as the other communities have expressed that " they would like to move forward but have had to wait while Pender decides what it will do.

Partition mix-up Also on the agenda Monday morning was what to

do with bathroom stall partitions for the A~nericans with Disabilities Act bathroom projerl that came in the wrong color.

Because the partit~ons were custom made and can't be returned, the board decided to store them for a future bathroom upgrade and re-order the pan- els in the correct color.

This will hold the project at least a few more weeks.

I U NIVERSAL Information Services. Inc

SUN-TELEGIL4PH - MORNING DAILY

SIDNEY, NE Circulation = 2565 I

11/26/2008

lllllllllHllllllll lllillllllll IHI 1

Solution To A Successhl Economic Stimulus Package 1 mall enterprise has a critical role to play in technical assistance by increasing funding for the Rural America's economic recovery, especially in rural Microentrepreneurs Program. E I areas. So when Congress takes up legislation to An increase from $4 million to $25 million in this new '

1 our economy, small entrepreneurship should be the farm bill program would pay long-term dividends. Add funds to the successful Value Added Producer

i Microenterprises - owner-operated businesses - - Grants Program, which makes grants to family- I

tha t provide self employment and perhaps hire chuck size farmers and ranchers to launch new ventures a few employees - create most new rural jobs. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ b ~ ~ ~ k ~ to establish local markets and to process and mar- Beginning farmers and value added agriculture GUEST ket high value crops and livestock. bring additional vitality to rural America. COLUMNIST An added $24 million would bring the program

There's no better time than now for federal to the $40 million authorized by the farm bill. policy to invest in these proven rural develop- These three provisions would jump start rural 5

ment strategies. Here's how Congress can do it: economy and plant the seeds of long-term rural vitality Provide a direct incentive for rural enterprise by through entrepreneurship.

establishing a Microenterprise and Beginning Farmer Congress should embrace them as i t develops legisla- Investment Tax Credit of up to $10,000 to stimulate tion to prompt economic recovery in America. small business expansion and new farm and business startups. Chuck Hassebrooke is a columnist from the Center for I

Fund more rural small business loans, training and Rural Affairs and can be contacted a t 402-687-2103. -

STANDARD

OXFORD, Nebraska

Date: Thursday, November 20,2008 Frequency: WEEKLY Circulation: 81 9 Clip Size: 27.04 sq. inches Ad Rate: $3.73 Pagelsection: 2 Lz

AgrilEco-Tourism workshop offers education, networking

The 2009 Governor's Agri/Eco- Tourism Workshop will, offer the ~ebr ikka tourism industry a fun way to nefwork. learn .and -cross- promote business.

This year's workshop will take place Feb. 3 and 4 at the Sandhills Convention Center in North Platte.

It is sponsored by the Nebraska Department . of Economic Development's Travel and Tourism Division along with co-sponsors Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Keynote speaker Ross Ament will talk about "Putting Experience Into Your Business." Most agrileco-tourism attractions work to build a memorable experience for visitors, and Ament's lively presentation will examine some of the best practices in a variety of events, environments and participatory experiences.

Guest speaker Greg Wagner, best known for the entertaining television and radio spots he does as spokesman for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, wiii speak about the diversity of Nebraska tourism and how, even in an economically challenging time, agri/eco tourism destinations can band together and find success.

Other sessions include Web site design' and development, community building, hunting, the

BiU and building conservation efforts into your business.

BIT Mobile will lead three sessions on Web 2.0: "Are you a Blogger?," "Being a Good Social Networker." and "Podcast Tours."

Robert Moore, with Wright Law Co., will givt a two-part presentation on the liability issues concerning parking lots, the American with Disabilities Act. animals, direct marketing and operations. The session will include fact sharing, discussion and court decisions from actual cases.

On Tuesday evening, plan to attend "A Taste of Nebraska Agri- Tourism", a social event featuring samples of Nebraska wines, beers and an array of homegrown and homemade foods.

If you would like to have an exhibit booth at either the entire conference or at Tuesday night's special event, where you can showcase your food or beverages, please contact Karen Kollars at k k o l l a r s @ @ g .

For more information on the 2009 Governor's Agri~Eco- Tourism Workshop, please visit www.VisitNebraska.gov/industry,

There yoii can download a program, view speaker bios and register online.

Universal Information Services , Inc. http://news.universal-info.com Profile: Ill - Center for Rural Affairs Recipient: John Crabtree

Page: 111