March MRP Rural Roundup

Across the Field: Regions Connecting for Rural Innovation – Promising Strategies
By Jane Leonard

In addition to the Rural Urban Connections project now underway in Minnesota, Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. is also working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Partners for Rural America (PRA) and the nation’s State Rural Development Councils on a special effort to establish stronger partnerships with key institutions at the state and multi-state regional level and to encourage communities to work together at the multi-state regional level.  Four convenings will be held across the U.S. this spring.

The North Central Regional Convening is scheduled for May 4-5, 2010, in Madison, Wisconsin.

The theme is “Regions Connecting for Rural Innovation – Promising Strategies” and includes:

* Small Business Development (including entrepreneurship)
* Infrastructure (including energy and broadband)
* Tourism (including local food systems)

The convening will focus on USDA key priorities that are also critical issues facing the region and to address these issues with a local and regional strategy to:

 –Promote the creation of new partnerships and regional collaboration
–Enable regions to share “best practices”
–Focus on regional partnerships to enhance rural program delivery and shape rural economic development policy

 Conference outcomes will become implementation plans for each region.

Participation is key – this is our region’s opportunity to ensure USDA hears local views and concerns. You can help by attending the convening and/or help identify participants who need to be at the table.

For more information, contact:

Rick Rolfsmeyer
Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc.
608-967-2322       ricky@wirural.org

LOCAL NEWS –

FUNDING

–The Community Assistantship Program is pleased to announce a summer 2010 grant program. The grant will allow rural communities to hire a student to work on a project defined by those communities. The deadline for project proposals is March 15, 2010. Approved projects will run from May 31, 2010 to August 29, 2010.   Winning communities will review job applications and select the student who best meets their needs. For details on how to apply see the attachment or apply on line: http://www.cura.umn.edu/Programs/ApplicationProcess.php 
 
Eligible organizations include community groups, organizations, and local governments outside the seven county metro.  The Community Assistantship Program (CAP) provides applied research assistance to community-based groups outside the Twin Cities Metro Area. The research and technical needs of community organizations are matched with the support of talented students. The idea is simple: get the resources of a great University working with communities to address the significant issues facing the people of Minnesota. CAP projects typically place students in a community defined and directed part time research assistantship for one semester or over the summer. Students are selected by and report to the community organization. Throughout the project students are supported by a community supervisor, faculty and community mentors. 

– Community POWER (Partners on Waste Education and Reduction) Grants. 
The Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) has made these grants available since 2001 to support community-based waste/toxicity reduction and recycling projects.  In 2010, $168,000 is available to fund approximately fourteen projects of up to $12,000 each. It is anticipated that a minimum of one project will be funded in each SWMCB county. 2010 applications are due March 15, 2010.

To download the 2010 Grant Guidelines, visit the web site below, or click directly on http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/sites/default/files/CP10_Request_for_Applications.pdf

 Contact the Project Manager, Laurie Gustafson, at 651-252-1487 or CommunityPower@RethinkRecycling.com with questions. 

–Residential Solar Rebates (Electric, and Hot Water) available from MN Office of Energy Security.  Rebates up to $10,000 per home are now available to Minnesota homeowners who install qualifying solar electric and solar hot water systems.  Rebate reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis for solar systems that are installed at an applicant’s primary residence by a licensed contractor that meets program participation criteria.  Download detailed application materials for either the Residential Solar Electric Rebate Application or the Residential Solar Hot Water Rebate Application from http://tinyurl.com/ya9v9a3   

–2010 Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program: Letters of interest due April 9, 2010.   EPA is now accepting letters of interest for the 2010 round of the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) Program. EPA, with the assistance of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation, is offering direct technical assistance from national experts to communities, tribes, regions, and states that want to incorporate smart growth techniques in their development. EPA is also interested in identifying and documenting innovative solutions to complex problems faced by communities as they seek to incorporate smart growth practices. EPA expects to select up to 4 applicants for assistance this year.   For more information about the SGIA program, go to http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sgia.htm  

 NOTE: Those interested in exploring collaboration with the MPCA in their application to EPA for the SGIA program are invited to contact Philipp Muessig, MPCA, at philipp.muessig@state.mn.us or 651/757-2594 

–DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.  Go to: http://www.dsireusa.org/   

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

– The 16th Annual AIBL (American Indian Business Leaders) National Business & Leadership Conference at Fond du Lac will be held April 8-10, 2010.  AIBL supports and promotes the education and development of future American Indian business leaders. AIBL’s spirit of success stems from four guiding principles: Education, Leadership, Experience, and Culture.  AIBL is the only American Indian non-profit organization solely dedicated to empowering business students in the United States. Our programs are designed to engage students in activities that stimulate, enhance, and expand educational experiences beyond traditional academic methods. All students are encouraged to participate in AIBL regardless of race, academic major, or career objectives. To learn more about the 2010 conference go to: http://www.aibl.org/2010_aibl_conference

–Leadership GPS: Pathways for Great Leaders will be held April 27, 2010 at 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM at the Hungry Bear Banquet & Conference Center in Bemidji. You’ll learn how to develop the skills for successful leadership through:

• The inspirational journeys of our keynote speakers
• First-hand advice on advancing in a leadership role
• Networking opportunities and
• Exciting panel discussion with area leadership program directors and leaders.

Register Now for the second annual Northwest Minnesota Foundation Regional Summit! http://www.nwmf.org/product.php?productid=342&cat=0&page=1

–Bicycle Tourism Summit – Thursday, April 29, 2010.  This one-day educational and networking event will be held at Breezy Point Resort near Brainerd. Topics include: creating bicycle tours and events; using area trails and bicycle routes to increase tourism; and success stories from bicycle tour operators, lodging properties and businesses that are already capturing this market. Watch for more details as speakers and topics are confirmed at: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/2010-bicycle-tourism-summit/.

–Living Green Expo Opportunity for Travel Destinations.  The Living Green Expo will be held on May 1 & 2, 2010 at the Minnesota State Fair grounds. Featuring the best in green, attendance at the event has surpassed 25,000 in each of the past two years. Green travel destinations are encouraged to apply to exhibit at http://www.livinggreenexpo.mn. Early bird rates end March 15, 2010! If you have questions, contact Jan Joannides, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, 651-789-6571 or JanJoannides@mepartnership.org.

—-SAVE THE DATE: June 9-10 for the Symposium on Small Towns and Rural Urban Gathering “Finding Solutions and Redefining Communities.” The theme for this year’s Symposium on Small Towns will focus on leadership, capacity building, and practical solutions for improving small-town communities and strengthening rural-urban connections. In tough economic times, the importance of connecting with people and ideas outside of our local situations becomes vital.

Participants in the 2010 Symposium will learn about:

• saving money by reducing energy costs and waste;
• filling empty storefronts; and
• creating effective partnerships and collaborations to address issues facing rural communities.

The University of Minnesota, Morris Center for Small Towns and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. and their Rural Urban Connections project are pleased to co-host this event. The Symposium will be a one day event on June 10, 2010. The Rural-Urban Gathering will be held on the evening of June 9, 2010 hosted by Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. The focus of the gathering will be on the newly developing Rural-Urban Partnership Council with its emphasis on education, workforce and entrepreneurship to increase innovation and wealth creation. Both events will be held at the University of Minnesota Morris campus.  Scholarships are available to those who might need assistance with the already low cost to attend.  More information about the Symposium and the Rural-Urban Gathering is on our Web sites at: http://www.morris.umn.edu/cst/  and www.minnesotaruralpartners.org or call 320-589-6451.

OPPORTUNITIES

–We are looking for Bankers in Minnesota that would serve on the Business Plan Competition review, as well as sponsors for this amazing conference that attracts and features our brightest minds in Indian Country.  The 16th Annual AIBL (American Indian Business Leaders) National Business & Leadership Conference at Fond du Lac will be held April 8-10, 2010.  AIBL supports and promotes the education and development of future American Indian business leaders. AIBL’s spirit of success stems from four guiding principles: Education, Leadership, Experience, and Culture. 
AIBL is the only American Indian non-profit organization solely dedicated to empowering business students in the United States. Our programs are designed to engage students in activities that stimulate, enhance, and expand educational experiences beyond traditional academic methods. All students are encouraged to participate in AIBL regardless of race, academic major, or career objectives. For more information, please contact:  Bryan Jon Maciewski, Faculty Business, Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College at 218 879 0821 or email:  bryanjon@fdltcc.edu.  To learn more about the 2010 conference go to: http://www.aibl.org/2010_aibl_conference

–The Minnesota Design Team (www.minnesotadesignteam.org) is seeking architects, landscape architects, planners, and people with historic preservation expertise for the Team’s visit to Crosby and other Cuyuna Iron Range Communities April 22 – 24, 2010.  The Minnesota Design Team (MDT) is an all-volunteer organization that was born of ideals and dreams in the early 1980s. Originally conceived by a small group of architecture and landscape architecture students interested in town planning and design, the MDT today is a well established and respected group of over 300 volunteer professionals.  The MDT assists communities in planning and designing a viable, appropriate future. The MDT works not only with design issues like main street improvements, but also with the fundamental planning process that allows communities to take the initiative in continuing to plan a future that reflects their dreams and interests.  This visit focuses on Crosby but also includes the surrounding cities of Ironton, Deerwood, Cuyuna and others, working to create a regional vision.  The activities will start the evening of Thursday, April 22, and will end the evening of Sunday, the 24th, although many will stay for breakfast on Sunday, the 25th. There will be one team meeting prior to the visit.  Contact Josh Tolkan for more information on becoming a team member at josh.tolkan@gmail.com

–Improve the University of Minnesota’s Services to the Tourism Industry!  The University of Minnesota’s Tourism Center wants to serve you better. To do that, they need your input. Please take 3-5 minutes to share what you know, like and can be improved about their services. By understanding your needs and their performance, the Tourism Center can plan for future educational offerings and product development. Go to:  http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22A8W9Y93XT  and complete the questionnaire. For more information contact Ingrid Schneider at ingridss@umn.edu.

MISCELLANEOUS

– Wealth Creation in Rural America, a project of the Ford Foundation, is based on the premise that low-wealth rural communities can increase wealth, broadly defined, through the use of a triple bottom line approach to development. Experience suggests that development focused solely on economic outcomes often results in depreciation of both environmental and social assets. A balanced approach to development— what we are calling triple bottom line development – benefits the economy, the environment and social inclusion simultaneously.

Practitioners engaged in cluster-based strategies, value chains, entrepreneurship development, and triple bottom line community development financing were selected to undertake this work because they each offer a proven contrast to more conventional and less systemic approaches to rural economic development. We understood from the start that these practitioners represent approaches that are necessary, but are not sufficient to achieve our goal.

We have completed the first two phases of this work. Phase One was an assessment of existing practice. Phase Two was a place-based regional learning experience. While we still have a long way to go and many unanswered questions, we believe there is value in sharing what we have learned from the very first phases of our work.  For more information go to: http://www.yellowwood.org/wealthcreation.aspx 

–AMBER WAVES, March 2010, Vol. 8, No. 1 Amber Waves presents the broad scope of ERS’s research and analysis. The magazine covers the economics of agriculture, food and nutrition, the food industry, trade, rural America, and farm-related environmental topics. Available on the Internet and in print, Amber Waves is issued in print four times a year (March, June, September, and December). The Internet edition, or “eZine,” includes links to web-only resources, such as podcasts and additional articles. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/

–Economic Recovery: Lessons Learned from Previous Recessions.  The rates of employment loss and unemployment in the recent recession are about the same in metro and nonmetro areas, but based on previous recessions, nonmetro employment may recover more slowly. As in past recessions, manufacturing-dependent nonmetro counties felt the effects of the recessions sooner than other nonmetro areas. Unemployment rates continue to be lowest for the college-educated in both nonmetro and metro areas. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/March10/Features/EconomicRecovery.htm

–Access to Affordable, Nutritious Food is Limited in “Food Deserts”.  Some neighborhoods in the U.S., particularly low-income ones, have been dubbed “food deserts” because residents do not live near supermarkets or other food retailers that carry affordable and nutritious food. Low-income residents of these neighborhoods and those who lack transportation rely more on smaller neighborhood stores that may not carry healthy foods or offer them only at higher prices. A lack of healthy options could lead to poor diets and to diet-related conditions such as obesity or diabetes. If low-income households in food deserts can only purchase food at higher prices, they may be more prone to food insecurity—not having enough food for active, healthy living. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/March10/Features/FoodDeserts.htm

–The U.S. Food Environment Atlas at: http://ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas shows food environment factors—such as store/restaurant proximity, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs, and community characteristics—interact to influence food choices and diet quality. Research is beginning to document the complexity of these interactions, but more is needed to identify causal relationships and effective policy interventions.  Objectives of the Atlas are to:

-assemble statistics on food environment indicators to stimulate research on the determinants of food choices and diet quality.

-provide a spatial overview of a community’s ability to access healthy food and its success in doing so.

–Updated Model Sustainability Ordinances can be found at: www.crplanning.com/susdo.htm . Following a directive from the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (then part of Minnesota Planning, and now part of the Minnesota Department of Administration) published a 313-page guide From Policy to Reality: Model Ordinances for Sustainable Development in September 2000 – http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/pdf/2000/eqb/ModelOrdWhole.pdf. This guide offers legal tools to help local government steer changes in their communities that reflect the aspirations of their comprehensive and other plans. Communities can adapt these model ordinances to their own special circumstances.

During 2008 and 2009, the MPCA funded the development and updating of these model sustainability ordinances through a grant to CR Planning (www.crplanning.com).   The following updated model sustainability ordinances can now be accessed at www.crplanning.com/susdo.htm each in PDF format:

• Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance
• Agriculture and Forest Protection District
• Model Community Conservation Subdivision District
• Downtown Mixed-Use District 
• Energy Efficiency Ordinance 
• Highway Commercial District 
• Landscaping and Maintenance of Vegetation 
• Local Food Networks 
• Natural Resources Performance Standards
• Design Standards for Pedestrian-Oriented Districts and Corridors
• Planned Unit Development Ordinance 
• Solar Energy Standards 
• Stormwater and Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance
• Travel Demand Management Performance Standard
• Transit-Oriented Development 
• Village Mixed Use District  
• Model Wind Energy 

– Tools for Rural Communities for Active Living.  Active Living can be defined as a way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines, like walking to the store or biking to work (according to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Living ) The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been supporting research in this area over a period of several years, and has supported the development of Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools to help assess the physical environment features and amenities, town characteristics, community programs, and policies that could potentially influence levels of physical activity among residents in rural communities.

The web site www.activelivingresearch.org/node/11947  describes these tools, which are each downloadable at the site, as follows:

The RALA tools include three separate components: Town-Wide (18 town characteristic questions and inventory of 15 recreational amenities, Program and Policy (20 questions), and Street Segment (28 questions) Assessments. These three assessment instruments are designed to be used together and provide a comprehensive measure addressing many of the unique factors believed to be important to active living in rural communities.

Interestingly, according to a policy brief at the site (Active Living for Rural Youth - http://www.activelivingresearch.org/files/ActiveLiving_Rural.Youth_Brief.pdf), childhood obesity and inactivity are significant and growing problems in many rural areas where the prevalence of obesity and overweight has been shown to be 25 percent higher than urban rates, even after controlling for income, race, physical activity and other known risk factors. This points to the relevance of active living efforts in rural areas, which have not received the focus that urban and suburban areas have.

–The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) has published an article called “The President’s Budget FY 2011: What’s in It for Rural America?” that discusses the proposals targeted for rural areas and people.  To read the article, go to: http://www.rupri.org/leftsidemore.php?selectedid=32

 

Digital Inclusion Summit March 9

Looks like a good event…

I wanted to make you aware of an important upcoming Digital Inclusion Summit, at the Maplewood Performing Arts Theatre, sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Please HOLD THE MORNING OF MARCH 9, 2010 and assist me by sharing this message with other local government, economic development, community, public safety, healthcare, education, arts and business leaders who may attend. Everyone is welcome!

The digital age is creating an information and communications renaissance. But, due to limited access to affordable broadband and a widening gap in adequate digital literacy training and adoption, it is not serving all Americans and their local communities equally. The economic downturn of 2008 added urgency to all this concern. The needs are great. The time has come for new and aggressive action to dramatically improve the individual and community opportunities available in Minnesota and across America. How we react, individually and collectively, to this shortfall will affect the quality of our lives and the very nature of our communities. It is time to re-examine our roles as citizens in the digital age. We have a unique opportunity to leverage innovation and effective collaboration to expand broadband availability and adoption now. Creating informed communities is a task for everyone.

America’s Digital Inclusion Summit
Working Together To Expand Opportunity Through Universal Broadband Access

Tuesday, March 9th from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM Central Time

Live Webcast followed by a Community Conversation at Maplewood Performing Arts Theatre

Join the Federal Communications Commission and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for an overview of the recommendations in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan meant to ensure that all Americans are included in the broadband era. As the FCC prepares to deliver the Plan to Congress on March 17th, hear perspectives from Chairman Genachowski, members of Congress, Knight Foundation President & CEO Alberto Ibargüen and people from across the country that have benefited from broadband. Help create solutions that drive broadband adoption for all Americans.

Live at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC
Videocast at the FCC Commission Room, 445 12th SW, Washington DC
Webcast at the Maplewood Performing Arts Theatre, 2100 White Bear Avenue, Maplewood, MN
Map and Directions

Best Regards,

James

James Farstad
Knight Foundation Consultant

612.279.1175 (Voice/Fax)
612.669.2318 (Mobile)
jamesfarstad.us@gmail.com

 

February MRP Rural Round-Up

MINNESOTA RURAL ROUND-UP

February 2010 – Volume VIII, Number 2 compiled and edited by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy & Jane Leonard

EDITORS’ NOTE:  Please forgive the lack of any special formatting or graphics.  Jane is sending you this edition from Australia, and doesn’t have access to her whizbang usual method of distributing the newsletter. 

–ACROSS THE FIELD
–FUNDING
–MEETINGS/TRAINING
–MISCELLANEOUS

ACROSS THE FIELD – Gathering Sheep and Sharing Ideas in Rural Australia by Jane Leonard

After three years of planning and saving enough personal funding to take a sabbatical to Rural Australia, here I am in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia (a regional center town, population about 10,000 in the western part of Victoria, an Australian state much the same size and population as Minnesota).

I am working with colleagues at the RMIT University center in Hamilton, all of whom are doing research and outreach on and with rural communities in this region, in such arenas as regional development, entrepreneurship, youth development, and health care. Stepping away from the U.S. and Minnesota for a bit is already bringing insights and ideas for home, and great connections with fellow researchers and practitioners here.

Tonight during supper at our home away from home, we were also called on to help herd some escapee sheep back into the neighboring paddock.

Hamilton is known as the wool growing capital of the world — so it was good to experience some of those economic engines up close.

Back home, we continue to gather and herd good ideas and experiences in Rural Urban Connections, the project MRP, Inc. is heading up in partnership with USDA Rural Development. Please check the project website for ways you can participate, in video conferences and the blog, at www.rurb.mn.

The United Nations is also keenly interested in rural urban connections — here’s why:

Two items From the United Nation’s Development Programme Rural-Urban Connections Analysis

1. The benefits of taking a rural-urban linkages framework: 

- Breaking rural to urban poverty cycles
- Generating positive rural urban synergies
- Environmental Sustainability
- More resilient local, regional and national economies
- Governance Structures appropriate to spatial realities

2. “Urban and rural problems are part and parcel of the same phenomenon.

One has causal links to the other.   Categorising one issue as urban only

and the other exclusively as rural ignores their interdependencies and can exacerbate problems….Instead of only treating the effects, a joint move will facilitate looking into the cause and devise ways to counter the issue in a complementing manner.”

And finally, a nod to other great ideas at home: MINNESOTA COMPASS

The recently released Minnesota Compass gives everyone in our state – policymakers, business and community leaders, and concerned individuals who live and work here – a common foundation to identify, understand, and act on community issues that affect our communities.  It does this by: 

•     Providing unbiased, credible information
•     Tracking trends and measuring progress on issues that impact our quality of life.
•     Identifying disparities by including trend data by race, age, gender and income whenever possible.
•     Providing additional resources for addressing issues.

Now find data, analysis, commentary and resources for action for all of Minnesota’s 87 counties, 7 regions, and the state as a whole. To find your geographic area of interest, click on the map on the homepage, or browse the pull-down menus in the top right corner. http://www.mncompass.org/

FUNDING

–New Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant Opportunities.  The Minnesota State Arts Board announced seven new grant programs that will support arts and arts access, arts learning, and arts and cultural heritage across the state, and will give Minnesotans more opportunities to experience the arts. The programs are underwritten by an appropriation from the state legislature from Minnesota’s new arts and cultural heritage fund.  The new programs are intentionally broad and flexible so that a diverse array of activities can be funded. Nonprofit organizations, communities, units of government, educational institutions, arts organizations, artists, and others are encouraged to apply.

Information about the programs is now available on the Arts Board’s Web site at www.arts.state.mn.us. Application deadlines begin in early February.  If you have questions about the arts and cultural heritage fund or the new programs, contact the Arts Board at msab@arts.state.mn.us, 651-215-1600, or 800-866-2787.

–Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program—Broadband Initiatives Program Grant applications accepted February 16-March 10.  For more information go

to:  http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press/2010/BTOP_BIP_NOFAII_100115.html

–National Endowment for the Arts has grants available to nonprofits for Artist Communities: Access to Artistic Excellence.  Support is for a wide array of artistic creativity, including dance, literature, music, and more, that will preserve diverse cultural heritage and make the arts more widely available in communities throughout the country.  Deadline to

apply: March 11, 2010.  For more information, go to: http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/GAP11/DanceAAE.html.

–USDA is offering grant funding for loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas.  Deadline:

 March 15, 2010.  For more information, and to apply go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-1099.htm.

–Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Grant.  Applications are due March 15.  For more information go to: http://ruralhealth.hrsa.gov/funding/SHCPQI.asp

–The East Central Arts Council (ECAC) is pleased to announce a new grant program that will support arts and arts access, arts learning, and arts and cultural heritage across the region, and will give residents more opportunities to experience the arts.  The programs are underwritten by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature from Minnesota’s new arts and Cultural Heritage (ACH) Fund.

The next ECAC ACH grant deadlines is April 1, 2010, for projects starting about 4 months later.  Artists, arts organizations, units of government, and organizations with an arts project are eligible to apply.

Organizations are eligible to apply for up to $15,000 and individual artists can apply for up to $2,500.  Applications are being accepted in the following categories: Arts and Arts Access, Arts Education for all ages, and Arts and Cultural Heritage.  Please take a moment to review the grant guidelines, instructions and applications, available on the ECAC website at http://www.ecrdc.org/ECAC_apps_2010.htm , to determine if your project is eligible or you can contact ECAC staff.  There will be 5 grant deadlines per year for this program.

Many information sessions regarding the new ECAC ACH Fund are being held around the region.  To find out if one is being held in your area contact ECAC by telephone (320) 679-4065 extension 30; or by e-mail at ecac@ecrdc.org.

–Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) 2011-2012 Grants.  The LCCMR has issued its 2011-2012 Request for Proposal (RFP) for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund beginning July 1, 2011.  Proposals responding to the 2011-2012 RFP are due Friday, April 9, 2010.

 Proposals are being sought that provide multiple ecological and other public benefits in specific areas of the following eight categories:

1.  Natural Resource Data and Information 2.  Water Resources 3.  Methods to Protect, Restore, and Enhance Land and Habitat 4.  Land Acquisition for Habitat and Recreation 5.  Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Species 6.  Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and Air Quality 7.  Environmental Education 8.  Creative Ideas

For detailed descriptions of the specific priorities under each of the eight categories, and other information pertaining to the LCCMR’s proposal and funding process, visit the link above or visit http://www.lccmr.leg.mn  and click on “2011-2012 Request for Proposal” or http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/RequestforProposals/2011-2012/2011-2012_rfp.pdf

Anyone with a project idea consistent with the RFP may submit a proposal for consideration by the LCCMR.  LCCMR staff are available to assist proposers, answer questions, or review and provide feedback on drafts of proposals. Proposers are encouraged to submit proposal drafts to help ensure proposals are focused, clear, and contain all necessary information. Drafts must be received by April 5, 2010 to allow adequate time for staff to review.

During Summer and Fall 2010, the LCCMR will be considering all proposals received in response to the 2011-2012 RFP and selecting projects to recommend to the 2011 Minnesota Legislature.  Project funding does not become available until July 1, 2011.  It is intended that this RFP will be the only standard RFP that will be issued until February 2012 (for funding beginning July 1, 2013). Any project seeking funding to begin July 1, 2012 should reply to this RFP.

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

– The South West/West Central Volunteer Connections is launching the 2010 program year with the meeting topic:  “Organization & Volunteer Tax Info.”

 A local area certified public accountant will join us to present on this timely topic.  The meeting is Tuesday, February 16; 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Bremer Bank, Willmar. For questions and more information, contact Sheri Nordmeyer at 320-214-7140 or willmarcsn@yahoo.com 

–Visit the Women’s Business Network’s Destination Station on Saturday March 6, 2010 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

•         Hear inspirational speakers
•         Learn about resources
•         Visit with our clients
•         Get revved up for your entrepreneurial journey!

Admission to the Women’s Expo is FREE, but does require an admission ticket.  Tickets can be emailed to you and will be available soon.  Please contact 218-623-5731 or dawnj@entrepreneurfund.org  for your complementary ticket.  For more information on the Duluth Women’s Expo log onto www.duluthwomensexpo.com

–The Real Food Summit will be at Macalester College in St Paul March 12-14.  Students and allies from across the Midwest will gather to discuss, share, and analyze how and where student movements fit in a larger context of social change and the regional food movement.  While this conference is focused on students, all are welcome.  To find out more info about the conference and details on registration check here:

http://realfoodchallenge.org/MWsummit2010

–MCN’s upcoming Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference,

Remix*Refresh*Reload: Balancing New Media and Traditional Strategy will take place on Wednesday, March 24 at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis.

Visit MCN’s Technology and Communications Conference Web site for more information. http://www.mncn.org/nptech/dotorg_award.htm

–SAVE THE DATE – April 27, 2010 from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM in Bemidji for the NMF Regional Summit  Leadership GPS – Pathways for Great Leadership with keynotes by  Ann Bancroft, Polar Explorer & Leader; Andy Wells, Wells Technology; Dr. Kathleen Annette, Indian Health Service; Kristine Paranica, University of North Dakota Center for Conflict Management. Go

to: www.nwmf.org

MISCELLANEOUS

–Minnesota Office of Energy Security (OES), Minnesota Department of Commerce, works to move Minnesota toward a sustainable energy future, managing energy assistance funds, advocating in the public interest on energy utility rates and facility siting. It provides information and assistance to residents, builders, utilities, non-profits and policy-makers on home improvements, financial assistance, renewable technologies, policy initiatives, and utility regulations.  The comprehensive OES web site, accessible through www.energy.mn.gov contains sections on the following: 

•     Efficiency
•     Renewables
•     Utilities
•     Project Funding
•     Data and Reports
•     Low Income Assistance
•     Federal Stimulus Energy Info

In addition, the web site contains information about the latest in energy-related stimulus opportunities, incentives, and rebates along with Requests For Proposals (RFPs) for energy grants and programs. Visitors have the opportunity to sign up for email notifications about programs and resources of interest, and to ask specific energy questions through an ongoing FAQ section on the website.  The staff members of the OES Energy Information Center are also a helpful resource for information related to conservation, efficiency and renewables, and can be reached at 1-800-657-3710 (MN only), or 651-296-5175, or energy.info@state.mn.us

 –Clean Energy Resource Teams — communities working together!  The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) project is a public-private partnership that works to connect people to technical resources, research energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and projects, identify and provide project funding resources, and hosts meetings and facilitates gatherings. Its central goal is to help community members get clean energy projects on the ground in Minnesota.

At the web site you can learn more about CERTs, browse through their comprehensive resources, find out about grants offered, subscribe to regular updates, check out upcoming events, and find out who your regional contacts are! It’s worth a visit.  Go to: http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/

–New Website: Minnesota Unemployed is a new website that provides a wealth of information about job search sites, career resources, training and education. It also helps provides a network of links to sites that address needs for housing, health care, food, money, transportation, and more.  Go to: http://www.minnesotaunemployed.com/

–SBA Online Courses – Free online courses to help prospective entrepreneurs better understand the basics about starting a small business. These self-paced courses take about 30 minutes to complete, and you can exit a course at any time. Most courses have audio components.

Covered areas include: Starting a Business; Business Planning; Business Management; Financing & Accounting; Risk Management; E-Commerce; International Trade; Federal Tax Training; Marketing & Advertising; Government Contracting; and Small Business Retirement/Exit Planning. Free registration is required.

http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/index.html

–The Center for Rural Affairs is devoting a section its website to Renew Rural America: Strategies for Revitalizing our Communities.  The new section includes ideas for encouraging entrepreneurial small businesses, stimulating innovative community development, and opening up new opportunities for farming enterprises.  To go to the website, hold the Control key and click on http://www.cfra.org/renewrural.

 

MN Rural-Urban Connections project – Please help us spread the word!

Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. would like your assistance to help support and strengthen rural-urban connections — such as increasing access to local sources of healthy foods, developing green energy, caring for our water resources and spurring other innovations that can lead to business growth for the entire state.  

As part of this effort, we are hosting a series of videoconferences and are seeking input from businesses, agencies, individual Minnesotans, nonprofits, economic development groups, academic faculty, staff and students, foundations, associations, industry and a host of other groups.

Following is a brief article that provides more information. We would greatly appreciate if you would distribute this as you see fit – by including in an upcoming e-newsletter, or by forwarding this e-mail to your colleagues and/or members for their potential participation. 

For more information, please contact Deb Miller-Slipek at info@minnesotaruralpartners.org. If you are able to distribute this and can let us know with a quick note to the same e-mail address, we would greatly appreciate it.  Thank you so much.

Best regards,

Jane Leonard, President
Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. 

Minnesota Launches Pilot Project Aimed at Strengthening Rural and Urban Connections to Foster Innovation

 Minnesotans invited to contribute via videoconferences, e-mail, blog, Twitter

As part of a cooperative effort with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. is hosting a series of videoconferences through May 2010 to encourage conversations across the state about rural – urban connections that impact individual lives, communities, and work.  The goal is to foster increased innovation and job growth by leveraging the strengths of rural and urban areas. 

“There’s always been an interdependence between rural and urban areas, with our food supply being one important example of that,” said Jane Leonard, president of Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc.  “Today, more people are realizing the value of those rural-urban connections, and the benefits that come from increasing access to local sources of healthy foods, developing green energy, caring for our water resources and spurring other innovations that can lead to business growth for the entire state.   We want to get Minnesotans talking and thinking about the interdependence between rural and urban areas, as well as future opportunities arising from stronger rural-urban connections.”

Minnesotans are invited to share ideas and examples of rural-urban connections, collaborations and partnerships related to business, workforce, education, arts, food, broadband, health care, energy, and other areas.  The videoconferences will culminate in the Symposium on Small Towns and Rural-Urban Gathering at the University of Minnesota, Morris, on June 9 and 10.  People who are interested in opportunities developing through rural-urban connections are invited to attend the symposium, as well as to help establish the new Minnesota Rural Urban Partnering Council, which will be forming at the Morris symposium.

“Rural and urban areas have always been inextricably tied,” said USDA Rural Development State Director Colleen Landkamer.  “As we move ahead, the health of Minnesota’s economy as a whole will be shaped by how well we use our resources to strengthen those rural and urban connections throughout the state.”

Based on input they receive, Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. will be mapping existing rural-urban connections and examining how to expand them.  “Through the process, we hope to renew the framework for ongoing rural-urban dialogue and build new partnerships,” said Leonard. 

Participants are asked to register for videoconferences in advance at http://blog.rurb.mn/videoconferences/. The next videoconferences are:

•  Wed., Feb. 17 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Central Minnesota, and will focus on rural-urban connections, collaborations and partnerships related to manufacturing, workforce readiness and renewable energy, with videoconference sites in:

-  Brainerd
-  Staples
-  Little Falls
-  St. Cloud
-  Saint Paul 

• Wed., Feb. 24 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Southwest Minnesota, and will focus on rural-urban connections, collaborations and partnerships related to renewable energy, with videoconference sites in:

-  Montevideo
-  Marshall
-  Willmar
-  Hutchinson
-  Morris
-  Edina

For videoconference locations in each town, go to http://blog.rurb.mn/videoconferences/. Additional videoconferences will be held around the state through May 2010; details will be posted online.   Those unable to attend the videoconferences can provide input online through e-mail at feedback@rurb.mn, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rurbmn or comment at http://blog.rurb.mn.

 

Rurb.MN

Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc, in cooperation with the USDA Rural Development, is in the beginning stages of a national pilot project to document and leverage the power of rural-urban connections and resource sharing to help all Minnesota thrive. That project is:

Rurb.Mn – A State of Mind, Hearts, and Action that We are All in This Together!

 

January Rural Round Up

JANUARY 2010 – Volume VIII, Number 1

A compendium of news, announcements, and, yes, some opinions.

Compiled and edited by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy, and Jane Leonard

—Across the Field
–Funding
—Meetings & Trainings
—Opportunities
—Miscellaneous

Across the Field – Way Across to Australia! And More on Rural Urban Connections

by Jane Leonard

Next month I will be writing this column from Australia, on a long-awaited sabbatical, from January 20 to April 20 to study and share ideas on rural development, rural urban connections, innovation, community informatics, entrepreneurship and community economic reinvention – with colleagues from across the Land Down Under.

I was supposed to do this in January 2009, but breast cancer delayed that by one year (I am doing great – recovered and on my way!). Courage, grace, gratitude were the words, actions, and feelings that sustained me and continue to do so.

They fit as well for the economic battles we all continue to wage.  I don’t expect to find THE answer to economic recovery in Australia but we can learn a lot from a country that has less than a tenth of our population, a great desert and Great Plains in its mid-section, and population centers on the coasts (sound familiar?) with demographic and economic evolutions that mirror us.

It’s been crazy getting ready to be away for three months, but I think we’re crazy not to continue to be curious and connected to what’s happening in other parts of the world. 

What Australia has that we don’t have yet is universal health care and the guts to make other shared social and economic infrastructure investments. They get it – especially in the face of extreme economic woes — that government can help create conditions for innovation and enterprise development to develop, to knock the economy out of its doldrums.

For example, last April the Australian government announced it was investing $43 billion ($31 billion U.S.) — in one of the world’s largest state-sponsored nationwide broadband upgrades – to every one of the 21,000 million Australians, rural and urban alike. In contrast, with over 10 times as many people to reach, the U.S. Congress has allocated $7.2 billion for U.S. upgrades.

The Aussies aren’t afraid to create a publicly owned company to stimulate the build-out, in cooperation with the private sector (which was bidding to build a slower, less expensive network with fiber-optic cables reaching as far as local nodes – about a $10 million plan).

The Australian Prime Minister pushed instead for a superior network that would deliver broadband speeds of up to 100 megabits per second — fast enough to download multiple movies simultaneously — to 90 percent of Australian buildings through fiber-optic cables that extend directly to the premises. The remaining 10 percent get upgraded wireless access.

According to a New York Times article written last April, “analysts said the state-sponsored project would be the most ambitious fiber-to-the-premises network to have been undertaken by any nation and would be watched carefully by other governments considering Internet infrastructure spending as a way to stimulate economic growth as the global economic crisis continues.” http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E5DE1E3EF93BA35757C0A96F9C8B63

Rural Urban Connections Project Underway – www.rurb.mn

In addition to the catalytic ability of common good actions like those in Australia, you have to share ideas to prime the innovation pump. That’s what I’m doing in Australia. Back on the home front, in another nod to learning more about innovation, the MRP, Inc. team is putting together the Rural Urban Connections project, now underway in cooperation with USDA Rural Development.

The simple idea is to share ideas, about rural urban connections in Minnesota – in your life and work – that help rural and urban people, places, and businesses and organizations thrive. There’s always been interdependency between rural and urban resources, producers, markets, but we don’t always deliberately call it out or intentionally build on it. 

We really need an integrated approach to rural, urban, and suburban community and economic development and planning in Minnesota, if we want to thrive – not just survive. Innovation and wealth creation in social and economic enterprise in Minnesota depends on a good understanding and application of the rural urban connections we have now and into the future.

Urban (including suburban) people have to face it. Access to and sustainability of the big three –food, energy, and water resources — all depends on having an understanding and support of, and respect for the rural people and places that steward those resources. 

This isn’t a new idea. In fact, back in May 1968, former Minnesota Governor and then-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman gave a speech in Washington, D.C. to the leaders of the nation’s “rural-oriented industries” on the topic: “Rural/Urban Balance – Whose Responsibility?”  

Freeman said: “We are met here today to discuss this portion [rural] of America in a period when almost all of the national conscience is focused on yet another segment of the land, the great cities.

“It is almost as if we were two Nations; one rural, one urban, with separate problems, separate solutions, separate destinies. But in fact – as well as rhetoric – we are still one Nation, indivisible, with indivisible problems, indivisible solutions; with but one destiny. And unless we recognize this, we shall never overcome the terrible strains that threaten to rend the social fabric of our land.”

Powerful words. A powerful confrontation of reality, so relevant to our challenges, and opportunities today. We’ll be sharing more of that speech in the months ahead, so stay tuned.

To answer the 2010 question of rural urban balance, we will begin simply, to collect through videoconferences and other online forms of social gatherings – the stories, examples, experiences you have of rural urban connections in businesses, food and agriculture, arts, health care, education, telecom & info technology, workforce development, energy, environment, and other areas that emerge from these conversations and idea-sharing opportunities. Check the schedule (to be posted towards the end of January) and other ways to provide your input at www.rurb.mn. 

The first videoconference is in southeast Minnesota on January 19 from 4 to 5 p.m. Sites include Adams, Houston, Owatonna (pending) and the TIES offices in St. Paul. Contact Pam Matchie for specific location directions and to RSVP (pmatchie@decisionresourceassociates.com).

Along the way, with the help of our Graduate Research Assistant at the UM Center for Regional and Urban Affairs, we’ll start physically mapping those connection stories you contribute.  We’ll all either be astounded at the number and depth, or worried that not enough connections exist to prime the innovation pump and sustain our state.

And, mark your calendars and please attend the University of Minnesota, Morris, Center for Small Towns’ annual Small Town Symposium, June 9-10  http://www.morris.umn.edu/services/cst/symposium/2010

At the Symposium, we’ll be hosting the Rural Urban Gathering, to share what we’ve collected between January and May 2010 on rural urban connections, and to ask you to consider joining the Rural Urban Partnering Task Force, to keep supporting existing and emerging rural urban connections.

We are co-hosting the Small Town Symposium because we believe deeply in the work of the Center. They are a catalyst for the innovations happening at the University and in and around Morris on sustainable community development. The University of Minnesota Morris was GREEN before it was fashionable. They were GREEN because they knew western Minnesota needed to figure out how to reinvent its economy and what better lab than a university town with experiment and outreach centers.

We are co-hosting the Symposium because it was cancelled last year due to the poor economy. It’s crucial that people gather face-to-face to inspire, cajole, take risks together and go out better prepared to help their own communities do the same.   The worst thing we can do these days is to hunker down.  We have to go out and help each other reset to a new, better normal.

So – go to www.rurb.mn to do a couple of things:

1. add your two cents to the discussion blog – stories, experiences, examples of rural-urban connections in your life and work
2. sign up for a videoconference near you (the schedule will be posted later in January)

 

And please go to our Twitter site to join in the discussion at 140 characters or less! http://twitter.com/rurbmn

Minnesota Community Pride Contest Back for 2010!

We’ll provide more details in May, but start thinking now about entering your community in the 2010 Minnesota Community Pride contest, brought back by popular demand thanks to Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc., the Minnesota State Fair, and MinnPost.com.

All communities entered and winners will be recognized at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, September 5, in Carousel Park.  See www.reinventingminnesota.org to see which communities were award winners last year.  Share your ideas, share your pride with your neighbors statewide.

FUNDING

–Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. The Minnesota Office of Energy Security requests proposals from Minnesota local units of government who are eligible for these stimulus program competitive grants. Funding is to reduce energy use, create or retain jobs, and to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Applications are due Jan. 25. For more information go to: http://www.commerce.state.mn.us/EnergyRFP/EECBG.html

–Energy Projects in Commercial, Industrial & Non-Profit Buildings.  The MN Office of Energy Security is requesting proposals for competitive funds to implement cost-effective projects that maximize energy savings, displace fossil fuel energy inputs and reduce the total energy demand of buildings. Applications are due Feb. 12.  For more information go to: http://www.energy.mn.gov [select: Active RFP]

 –New funding opportunities for three of Minnesota’s Regional Arts Councils!  As a result of new partnerships three additional granting opportunities for residents living in the counties associated with the East Central Regional Arts Council, the Central MN Arts Board, and the Southwest MN Arts and Humanities Council are available.  For more information please visit the grants page website (http://www.forecastpublicart.org/grants-program-info.php) and attend one of these upcoming workshops either in the Twin Cities or in your region! The deadline for all Forecast grants is February 6^th, 2010! 

 · Wednesday January 13 - 6:30-8:30pm – at the Paramount in St. Cloud [ map ]
· Wednesday January 13 - 6:30-8:30pm – at SMAHC office in Marshall [ map ] 

Please RSVP to melinda@forecastpublicart.org  if you plan to attend a workshop and they’ll reserve a spot for you as well as keep you updated on workshop locations, parking information, and last minute changes.  Also, contact Melinda Childs, if you have specific questions about these funding opportunities by email or phone 651-641-1128.

–Indian Education: Professional Development Grants are available to non-profits and Institutions of Higher Education to improve the number and quality of Native American educators who teach Native American children and youth.  Deadline:  February 15, 2010.  For more information go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-30201.htm.  

–High School Equivalency Exam (HEP) funding is available to non-profits to help migrant and seasonal farm workers and their children obtain a general education diploma (GED) that meets the guidelines for high school equivalency established by the State in which the HEP project is conducted.  Deadline:  February 16, 2010.  For more information and to apply go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-29807.htm.  

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

–The Home Grown Economy 2010 – Equipping you to Build Community-Based Food Systems conference will take place February 15-16 at SW MN State University in Marshall.  Online registration is at www.regionalpartnerships.umn.edu or call Toni Merdan with questions at 218-847-5056.

–Webinar Series.  The Heartland Center for Leadership Development in collaboration with the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship has announced a new Webinar series with the theme Strategies for Community Prosperity. Each Webinar will start at 12:00 PM Central Time and run for one hour.  The cost of each is $59.99 but you may purchase the entire series at one time for $250.00.  For more details and registration information about the Webinar series go to: http://www.heartlandcenter.info/webinar_reg/. The schedule is as follows:

January 21, 2010       Rural Communities Can Thrive in the 21st Century

February 18, 2010     Entrepreneurial Coaching–From Crisis to Economic Growth

March 18, 2010          Plowing New Ground–Refreshed Leadership Development for Revitalized Economies

April 15, 2010            Energized Youth–Energized Communities

May 20, 2010             People Count–Rebuilding Rural Communities with People Attraction Strategies     

–The MN Council of Nonprofits has a fantastic line-up of network lunches taking place all over the state. MCN’s network lunches are casual, one-hour long guided conversations about specific topics of interest to you and your colleagues. Network lunches are free and open to anyone who’d like to attend; no RSVPs or registrations are necessary. Just show up and join in.  Go to:  http://www.mncn.org/event_networklunches.htm  for a schedule.

–SAVE THE DATE: June 9-10 for the Symposium on Small Towns and Rural Urban Gathering — “Finding Solutions and Redefining Communities” at the University of Minnesota, Morris. The theme for this year’s Symposium on Small Towns will focus on leadership, capacity building, and practical solutions for improving small-town communities and strengthening rural-urban connections. In tough economic times, the importance of connecting with people and ideas outside of our local situations becomes vital.

Participants in the 2010 Symposium will learn about:

• saving money by reducing energy costs and waste;
• filling empty storefronts; and
• creating effective partnerships and collaborations to address issues facing rural communities.

The University of Minnesota, Morris Center for Small Towns and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. and their Rural Urban Connections project are pleased to co-host this event. The Symposium will be a one day event on June 10, 2010. The Rural-Urban Gathering will be held on the evening of June 9, 2010 hosted by Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc.  and will continue as part of the June 10 program as well. The focus of the gathering will be on the development of the Minnesota Rural-Urban Partnership Task Force with its emphasis on education, workforce and entrepreneurship to increase innovation and wealth creation.  Scholarships are available to those who might need assistance with the already low cost to attend.  More information about the Symposium and the Rural-Urban Gathering is at http://www.morris.umn.edu/services/cst/symposium/2010 or call 320-589-6451.

OPPORTUNITIES

–Northeast Entrepreneur Fund will host a two-day Northland Flavor Marketplace in Duluth at the Holiday Inn Conference Center on Sunday, March 7, noon – 4:00 p.m. and Monday, March 8, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Northland Flavor Marketplace will allow regional artists to display their products to potential retail buyers such as gift shops, bookstores, floral shops, jewelers, and similar outlets. This is a wholesale opportunity, not a retail event. Eligible artists will be provided a draped exhibit table to display their product lines to event visitors.

Potential event participants include but are not limited to crafters, visual artists, sculptors, potters, jewelry makers, photographers, musicians, specialty food producers, and writers. Cost for a two-day display table is $150.  To be eligible to display at the Northland Flavor Marketplace, an artist must:

• Reside or work in the 11-county region served by the Northeast Entrepreneur Fund.*
• Provide one or more reproducible product lines (i.e., a product that can be produced and sold in quantity).
• Be able to take wholesale (not retail) orders for product lines during the event.
• Have the capacity to fulfill wholesale orders from event attendees within a reasonable time.
• Demonstrate experience in selling to a wholesale market, or attend one or more preparatory sessions sponsored by Northeast Entrepreneur Fund.

To learn more about Northland Flavor, please visit the Northland Flavor site. http://www.entrepreneurfund.org/northlandflavor.html

 MISCELLANEOUS

–22 Minnesota GreenCorps Members Serving Statewide.  Minnesota GreenCorps is an environmentally-focused AmeriCorps program, coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Starting in late September 2009, 18 full-time and 4 half-time AmeriCorps members are serving at host site locations throughout the state, including 4 members at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Members will be serving until the end of August 2010. The members hold one of the following five positions:

• Local Government Energy Conservation
• School Waste Prevention
• Living Green Outreach
• Local Food Systems
• Urban Forestry

The 15 host sites include counties, cities, school districts and nonprofit organizations.  A detailed listing of all the member activities and host sites can be found at the web site above. Funding for Minnesota GreenCorps was provided through the Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS) and ServeMinnesota.

For more information about Minnesota GreenCorps, please contact Stephanie Souter, coordinator, at 651/757-2749 or stephanie.souter@state.mn.us  Another round of member and host site selection may occur in mid-2010 should the program be continued for the service year starting fall 2010.For more information go to:

http://www.nextstep.state.mn.us/greencorps

–26 Minnesota GreenStep City Best Practices – in draft form for comment. Go to

http://www.MnGreenSteps.org   To be formally launched at the League of Minnesota Cities conference in June 2010, GreenStep Cities is an assistance program to support, encourage and recognize implementation of sustainable development best practices by Minnesota cities, especially small and medium-sized cities. Program developers include the MN Pollution Control Agency, MN Office of Energy Security, the League of MN Cities, the MN  Association of Small Cities, the Clean Energy Resource Teams, the Great Plains Institute, the Izaak Walton League-MN and the Urban Land Institute-MN.

Minnesota cities assisting in the program design/piloting to date are Pine River, Grand Rapids, Apple Valley, Bloomington, Edina, St. Louis Park, Victoria and Falcon Heights.

See a summary of draft best practices at http://www.MnGreenSteps.org organized into the categories of:

• Buildings
• Land Use
• Transportation
• Water & Solid Waste
• Community & Economic Development

For each of 26 draft best practices, approximately 6 specific actions – options for how a city can implement the best practice – are being researched and very preliminary drafts have been posted for comment at  http://www.minnesotaikes.org/sustainability/sustainability.html These actions and best practices will be changing during the next six months, but comments are welcomed on the version posted by the Minnesota Izaak Walton League. Send comments to philipp.muessig@state.mn.us

 –Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Launches Foreclosure Prevention Initiative.   The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation offers a free tool kit of information to help homeowners and the banking industry avoid unnecessary foreclosures and to stop scams that promise false hope to consumers at risk of losing their homes. The tool kit includes a new brochure entitled, “Is Foreclosure Knocking at Your Door?,” which encourages consumers facing difficulties to contact their mortgage servicers and apply for loan modifications.  Go to:  http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/loans/prevention/index.html

–Financial Literacy Research Consortium is a research initiative launched by the U.S. Social Security Administration to better inform the public about retirement options. The consortium is made up of research centers at Boston College, the RAND Corporation, and the University of Wisconsin and will develop innovative materials and programs to help Americans plan for a secure retirement.  Go to:  http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/flrc-pr.htm

–THE ASPEN INSTITUTE offers a free publication called Measuring Community Capacity Building: A Workbook in Progress for Rural Communities.  The document outlines the steps, defines terms and offers and examples and strategies for measuring capacity building.  Go to:  http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/community%20strategies%20group/MEASURING_COMMUNITY_CAPACTIY_BUILDING.PDF.

 –If you’re new to – or have yet to venture into – social media recruitment, you might want to check out CareerBuilder’s recent webinar on the subject (now available on demand here http://insight24.com/clients/insight24/promo/career_builder.html). Not just a clever name, “Social Media Basics for Your Employment Brand,” gives a quick and easy-to-digest overview of what social media is and its value as an employment branding tool.  Hosted by Melissa Murray, emerging media consultant for Personified, CareerBuilder’s consulting arm, the webinar also covers such topics as: how companies are using social media to impact their business; how to begin creating a social networking strategy; and various policies and etiquette to follow. There’s even an informative Q&A at the end of the session.

Click to watch the first half of the two-part webinar on demand: http://insight24.com/clients/insight24/promo/career_builder.html Or for a quick sneak peek, check out the 10 steps to getting started with your social media strategy:

1. Set a Goal - Determine where you want to create a presence, and what the purpose of that presence is.
2. Master One Medium - There are a lot of social networking sites out there right now. So many in fact, that it can be overwhelming trying to decide where to start. Begin by simply picking one site on which to create a profile and get comfortable using before you venture elsewhere.  Explore the site to see what others might be saying about your brand. See if they’re engaging and if what they’re saying is negative or positive. Figure out how others are using the site and engaging on it.
3. Manage Your Online Reputation - Once you’ve seen what people are saying, create a plan for responding to those comments.
4. Create a User Experience - Create a Facebook page, for example, and post videos, photos or content that gives insight into what it’s like to work at your organization – information users wouldn’t find anywhere else. By providing them an inside look at your organization, you’re creating an exclusive user experience, engaging them and compelling them to want to work for you.
5. Listen, Learn and Engage - This step denotes an ongoing process. Once you have a profile and are active on the site, you can start to listen to the conversations about your brand. Allow employees and job seekers to post questions about the company. You may find that they’re concerned about issues you never would have considered addressing before.  Don’t be afraid of criticism, either. This is an opportunity for you to respond and clarify misconceptions about your brand. (Because the truth is that people are going to talk about your brand – regardless of whether you’re there or not. At least now you have the opportunity to steer the conversation in your favor.)
6. Highlight Specific Jobs - Use the medium as a platform to give information beyond just a job description. You can post employee testimonials, for example, of others who hold that position and be advocates for both the company and the job.
7. Visually Stimulate - Sharing videos and photos of company events is a great way to give candidates snap shots into your organization – in ways they’ve never seen.  ”Day-in-the-life” videos, for example, give would-be employees an idea of what it’s like to work for your company, and they resonate stronger than anything job seekers might read.
8. Boost Your Rankings - Having a presence on multiple social networks can improve your rankings in Google search results, making it easier for job seekers to find you when they perform organic searches for either your company or your industry.
9. Promote - Tapping into those passive talent streams and connecting with your ideal talent requires promotion – both internal and external. Use your social networks to market your open positions, company news, or other messages you want to get across to job seekers, and make sure to communicate internally, too, so your employees can further their efforts as brand advocates and push that information out, too.

10.  Dedicate Time and Effort - Whatever you to, keep at it. It takes time to build a following and generate engagement - and even longer to see a return on your business, but in the long run, you will reap the rewards for your efforts.

Source: Career Builder http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2009/12/11/10-steps-to-getting-started-with-social-media/#more-5983

–Ever wondered how health might be linked to planning, how 20-Minute Neighborhoods could save the world, or what we can learn from the revival of a Gulf Coast town in Mississippi? These are just a handful of topics raised on the Orton Family Foundation’s new blog, Cornerstones.  Check it out at: http://www.orton.org/blog

 

December Rural Roundup

DECEMBER 2009 – Volume VII, Number 12

Compiled by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy, and Jane Leonard 

It’s a big pre-holiday issue, so pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and dig in to a good read.

–Across the Field
–Funding
–Meetings-Trainings
–Opportunities
–Miscellaneous

Across the Field – The season of preparation

 - by Jane Leonard

What are you doing to prepare for the holiday season and the New Year? I pulled out my mother’s flute and had it reconditioned several months ago so I could start to practice again for the first time in two years. The motivation was playing Christmas music with my niece at our family gathering. It’s been hard to practice between all the other things going on, but I have found it to be a great way to clear the cobwebs, take deep breaths, and just hear the music.

My wish for you this holiday season is that you find your music, too, and enjoy and share it with others.

Rural Urban Connections project has public launch in January, 2010.

The week of January 10, the team here at Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. will be starting in earnest on the first phase of the Rural Urban Connections project – collecting your stories, examples, and reflections on the rural urban connections, collaborations and partnerships in your lives and work. 

Why Rural Urban Connections?  Minnesota has always been a place where our economy depends on rural urban interdependency – the interconnections of urban and rural people, ideas, places, resources, and enterprises. We don’t always view it that way because we’ve become so accustomed to the perception of rural –urban differences and separation. Rural urban interdependency is what has fueled our economy and community building from before statehood to the present day, from the ox-cart days of trading between Hudson Bay and St. Paul, to the rural wheat that anchored the world-class urban milling industry in Minneapolis, to the rural iron ore that powered our country through two world wars and 20^th century industrial and urban development, and more.

Rural Urban Connections are critical for our future, with opportunities for innovation and wealth creation in locally available and renewable energy and food systems that create new and emerging enterprises and jobs, alongside a steady, sustainable and reliable framework of other key natural resources (water and wind, for example), lifelong education, health care, transportation and telecommunications and more.

We are setting up a series of weekly videoconferences and webinars across the state, from January through May, to gather your stories and interest, culminating in a statewide gathering in early June, to form a Rural Urban Partnering Council. The Council would provide a way for people and organizations to more intentionally share ideas and support for existing and emerging connections and partnering that could ultimately lead to increased innovation and wealth creation in Minnesota. 

Check out our project website at http://rurb.wordpress.com after January 1 to see the videoconference schedule and locations. If you can’t attend the videoconferences, add your two cents via the webinars, project blog, Twitter (http://twitter.com/rurbmn) and other social media platforms to record your ideas, comments, suggestions on this evolving project.

Statehood license plates still available; funds go to restore the Capitol Building

Finally, on a personal note, it’s been nearly a year since I completed my stint as Executive Director of the Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial Commission. The work we began continues through several channels, including the statehood commemoration license plate program. You can still buy special Sesquicentennial License Plates to commemorate Minnesota’s 150 years of statehood, with a portion of the plate fee going to help restore the Capitol Building.

Visit http://www.preservethecapitol.com to learn more about the need for and the work on the Capitol restoration.

The license plates are available at all deputy registrar offices until 2011. Cost is $35 plus an $8.50 filing fee. http://www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/index.html

Even though I have been in our State Capitol Building many times, I am still moved by its beauty and solemnity each time I enter. After 100 years of duty, it is falling apart. You can help fix it and show your Minnesota pride every day, like I do, by purchasing a commemorative license plate.

FUNDING

–The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology announced the creation of the Beacon Community Program, which will provide $235 million in grants for HIT incentive payments to eligible providers.   Letters of intent are due on or before January 8 and applications are due February 1, 2010. Award decisions are anticipated in March and programs will last for a 36-month period.

Cooperative agreements will be awarded to 15 qualified nonprofit organizations or government entities representing diverse geographic areas, including rural and underserved communities. Eligible entities must be a U.S.-based, nonprofit organization or a government entity falling into one of the following five categories:

• State, local, tribal or territorial government entity with a public health focus
• Integrated delivery network or health system with broad community partnerships
• Independent physician association or consortium of medical groups
• Public/private partnership aimed at health system improvement and/or community health improvement
• ONC-funded regional extension center with the capacity to expand its services.

For purposes of this cooperative agreement, stakeholders include, but are not limited to, primary care providers (PCPs), practicing clinicians, hospitals, public and private payers, consumers, local and state public health departments, safety net providers, employers, academic institutions, charitable foundations, industry, laboratories, pharmacies, employers, quality improvement organizations, hospital associations, government entities, and medical societies. Proof of nonprofit status is required for all nonprofit applicants.  Complete information is online at http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt.

–NEW PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT for the Native American New Enterprise Program, which will be able to bring opportunities for independent business success to the Midwest region.  This program provides a path for developing a business and an opportunity for funds to develop the business, whether the business is just beginning or it has been operating for a few years.  The best part of the program is, it is completely free to all Tribal Members in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This program is a  partnership with the Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation (MMCDC) and the Bold Thinking Institute. 

Until May 2010, this program will be openly available and participants can sign up at anytime between now and May 2010.  In addition to the educational resources, as the participants set and reach their goals, they may also have access to up to $10,000 in funds to help them grow their business.  The goal is to support entrepreneurship on and off reservations through online, one-on-one mentoring along with formalized online learning modules and milestone achievements.  Participants will also have the opportunity to speak and work directly with business coaches. Any questions about this program should be directed to info@boldthinking.com.  Below are three links to a general program description, an announcement flyer, and a link an information page. 

• Program Description – 5 Page Document
• Program Flyer – 1 Page 
• NANEP Webpage with Sign Up Instructions

–2010 Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) program of the EPA.  Deadline for applications is:  January 8, 2010.  40 awards are available in the amount of $25,000 each, with 1-4 grants awarded in each EPA Region.  The EJSG program supports communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues.  The program assists recipients in building collaborative partnerships to help them understand and address environmental and public health issues in their communities.  To see the projects funded in the last cycle, go to:  http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/resources/publications/ej/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2009.pdf.   The Request for Applications can be downloaded at:  http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/resources/publications/ej/grants/rfa-small-grant-2010.pdf.  

Pre-application conference calls will be held on December 17 (see p. 21 of the Request for Applications for times and how to RSVP).

–AmeriCorps Indian Tribes Planning Grants application deadline is January 26, 2010.  These grants go directly to Tribes and Tribal organizations to assist with developing an AmeriCorps program that will be eligible to compete for a grant in the next AmeriCorps program grant cycle.  The NOFA is available at: http://www.americorps.gov/pdf/09_0818_nofa_acplanning.pdf.  

–USDA Rural Development’s Section 502 Guaranteed Loan Program is making $400 million available under the Recovery Act for refinancing Section 502 Direct and Guaranteed Loan Program borrowers.  For more information, see Federal Register, 11/2/09, at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-26269.pdf.  

–Community Development Transportation Lending Services (CTAA) applications accepted on an ongoing basis.  This funding provides loans of $2,000 to $2,000,000 to support transit services in rural areas.  For an application, visit: http://www.raconline.org/pdf/TransportationApp.pdf.   

–Rural Development Leadership Network accepts applications accepted on an ongoing basis.  The Rural Development Leadership Network assists community leaders to strengthen their practical skills, knowledge and credentials while remaining involved in their community development work.  For more information, visit: http://www.ruraldevelopment.org/studycom.html.   

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

– The Nonprofit Fundraising and Economic Outlook will be held next Friday, December 18 from 9-11 a.m. at North Central States Regional Council in St. Paul.  This free briefing will take a look at the factors affecting your organization, and what nonprofit are experiencing and can expect for the year ahead.   The Nonprofit Fundraising and Economic Outlook speakers will illuminate information from two reports to be release that day – the 2009 Minnesota Nonprofit Economy Report, a new 4th Quarter Current Conditions survey report of nonprofit fundraising, as well as from the state’s November Economic Forecast to provide a comprehensive look at what boards and managers can expect from the coming year.  As part of the presentation, participants will take part in a town hall meeting-style conversation about budget and personnel actions organizations are taking now, and alternative strategies.

Speakers:

• Kate Barr, Executive Director, Nonprofits Assistance Fund;
• Ruth Deffley, Membership and Chapter Coordinator, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits;
• Renae Oswald-Anderson, Project ReDesign Director, MAP for Nonprofits;
• Mark A. Peterson, President and CEO, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota;
• Jon Pratt, Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits;
•  Ron Reed, Project ReDesign Consultant, MAP for Nonprofits; and
• Christina Wessel, Minnesota Budget Project Deputy Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

For additional information contact Christine Durand at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits at 651-757-3082 or cdurand@mncn.org  

–Registration for the 2010 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference – is open! Conference dates are January 26–27, 2010 at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd.   The theme this year is “Achieving Success in the ‘New Normal’“- speakers and topics provide tools for responding to current market trends. Watch your mail for the conference brochure or click here for a complete schedule.  Registration rates reflect the shorter schedule that you requested: “Early registration” is $169, and second (and all subsequent) attendee rate is only $149. Online registration is preferred – a link to registration and hotel information is here.

–The Home Grown Economy 2010 – Equipping You to Build Community Based Food Systems, will be held at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, on February 15^th and 16^th.  Interactive Video Sessions will be held on Tuesday, February 16^th at the following campuses:  University of Minnesota, Crookston – University of Minnesota, Morris – Bemidji State University and Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls.  Watch for further details at: http://collinpeterson.house.gov

–Northeast Entrepreneur Fund will host a two-day Northland Flavor Marketplace in Duluth at the Holiday Inn Conference Center: Sunday, March 7, noon – 4:00 p.m. and Monday, March 8, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Northland Flavor Marketplace will allow regional artists to display their products to potential retail buyers such as gift shops, bookstores, floral shops, restaurants, jewelers, and similar outlets.  To apply for the Northland Flavor Marketplace event, or to register for one or more of the preparatory sessions, go to www.entrepreneurfund.org/northlandflavor . For more information on Northland Flavor, contact Suzanne Semborski, NEF Special Projects Manager, suzannes@entrepreneurfund.org  or call 218-623-5729.

–Save the Date! –The 2010 Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference will be taking place on Wednesday, March 24 in Minneapolis.

–Save the Date! 2010 Minnesota Campus Compact’s Summit and Awards Luncheon will be Thursday, June 17, 2010 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center featured speaker will be Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page. 
Minnesota Campus Compact’s 2010 Summit will convene higher education leaders from across Minnesota to celebrate powerful  campus-community partnerships that produce positive results for students and for communities throughout the state – and to explore opportunities for developing even deeper partnerships, more engaged institutions and citizens, and a more just, democratic, and sustainable world.

 –Save the Date for the Minnesota Rural Health Conference June 28-29, 2010.  Help to plan the conference.  Contact Karen Welle at karen.welle@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3865.

OPPORTUNITIES

–The State Policy Fellowship Program seeks highly-qualified candidates to serve two years as entry-level analysts. Fellows will work in a state policy organization belonging to the SFAI network, such as the Minnesota Budget Project, or at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.  Fellows will gain hands-on education and experience while working alongside experts in state policy to analyze the impact of state budget and tax policy choices on low-income residents and promote positive reforms. The program offers a competitive salary with health benefits and features professional development opportunities.

To expand the diversity of voices that speak with authority in state policy debates, the program seeks highly qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds who recently received a graduate degree in public policy, public affairs, economics, social work, public health, law, or a related field, and have an interest in state fiscal policies affecting low- and moderate-income households.  Completed applications must be submitted online by January 15, 2010.  Find more information or apply.

 MISCELLANEOUS

–AMBER WAVES, December 2009, Vol. 7, Issue 4.  Amber Waves presents the broad scope of ERS’s research and analysis. The magazine covers the economics of agriculture, food and nutrition, the food industry, trade, rural America, and farm-related environmental topics. Available on the internet and in print, Amber Waves is issued in print four times a year (March, June, September, and December). The internet edition, or “eZine,” includes links to web- only resources, such as podcasts and additional articles. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December09/

–Food Insecurity up in Recessionary Times. The recent economic downturn has brought a sharp increase in the number of Americans who report having difficulty meeting their food needs. In fact, in 2008, the number and percentage of U.S. households classified as “food insecure” reached the highest level recorded since Federal monitoring of food insecurity began in 1995. USDA’s food and nutrition assistance programs provide additional resources in times of rising food insecurity. In fiscal 2008, combined expenditures for all USDA food and nutrition assistance programs totaled $60.6 billion, an increase of 10 percent over expenditures in 2007. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December09/Features/FoodInsecurity.htm

–Science, Technology, and Prospects for Growth.  Recent increases in inflation-adjusted crop prices have sparked renewed interest in the potential for continued increases in crop yields, particularly since increases in crop yields could affect food security, bioenergy production, and the Nation’s response to global climate change. Although market forces and biological factors influence corn yields, research investments have been the driving force behind increasing corn yields in the past. Continued scientific advances could accelerate the rate of growth in corn yields, but achieving a nationwide yield of 300 bushels per acre by 2030 would require a tripling of the projected growth rate, and would be historically unprecedented. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December09/Features/USCornYields.htm

–Global Economic Crisis Threatens Food Security in Lover Income Countries.  Import capacity is expected to decline in many lower income countries due to the global economic downturn, with potential food security implications. Based on an ERS study, the number of food-insecure people in 70 developing countries was estimated to increase 2 percent in 2009. The highest growth in food insecurity is likely to be in Sub-Saharan Africa because domestic agricultural production is assumed to revert to average levels following above-average production in 2008 and remain the most vulnerable region through the next decade. See:  http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December09/Features/GlobalEconomic.htm

–Removal of Government Controls Opens Peanut and Tobacco Sectors to Market Forces.  Farm legislation in the early 2000s eliminated longstanding supply controls and geographic restrictions on the production of peanuts and tobacco. Adjustments to the new environment occurred rapidly as many producers decided to quit growing peanuts and tobacco, and a substantial number of producers quit farming entirely. While farm numbers declined at a different rate for peanuts and tobacco, the ensuing consolidation produced fewer, but larger, farms for each crop that are more efficient and responsive to market developments. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December09/Features/PeanutTobacco.htm

–Debt Landscape for U.S. Farms has Shifted.  Farm business debt levels have risen noticeably over the past decade, reaching a record $240 billion in 2008. But the value of farm assets has grown even faster, increasing the wealth of farm operators. Nonetheless, recent declines in farm income and falling land prices have raised concerns about the financial position of U.S. farms that rely heavily of debt. In 1986, nearly 60 percent of farms used debt financing. By the end of 2007, farm debt was more concentrated in fewer, larger farm businesses, with only 31 percent of farms owing debt. And while the unused debt repayment capacity of farm operators is much lower than it was during the 1980’s farm financial crisis, larger farms are more likely to use a high share of their debt capacity. As a result, while the farm sector as a whole is in sound financial shape, some segments of the sector could be over-extended if incomes and land prices continue to fall. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December09/Features/DebtLandscape.htm

–Income Volatility is Rising, with Mixed Effects on Nutrition Assistance Participation.  Income volatility has increased over the last four decades, with the greatest increase among those with the lowest incomes. The interaction of income volatility and program design has important implications for eligibility and participation in food and nutrition assistance programs, with some families not applying when eligible and others leaving while still eligible. In recent years, the effects of income volatility were eased when major nutrition assistance programs extended the periods for which households receive benefits. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/December09/Features/IncomeVolatility.htm

–Ethanol and a Changing Agricultural Landscape. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 established specific targets for the production of biofuel in the United States. Until advanced technologies become commercially viable, meeting these targets will increase demand for traditional agricultural commodities used to produce ethanol, resulting in land-use, production, and price changes throughout the farm sector. This report summarizes the estimated effects of meeting the EISA targets for 2015 on regional agricultural production and the environment. Meeting EISA targets for ethanol production is estimated to expand U.S. cropped acreage by nearly 5 million acres by 2015, an increase of 1.6 percent over what would otherwise be expected. Much of the growth comes from corn acreage, which increases by 3.5 percent over baseline projections. Water quality and soil carbon will also be affected, in some cases by greater percentages than suggested by changes in the amount of cropped land. The economic and environmental implications of displacing a portion of cornethanol production with ethanol produced from crop residues are also estimated. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR86/

–The Debt Finance Landscape for U.S. Farming and Farm Businesses.  Income and wealth for farm businesses have changed noticeably this decade. Debt levels have been rising, asset levels have outpaced debt despite a recent fall in land prices, and equity has more than doubled for farm businesses. However, recent declines in farm income and falling land prices have raised concerns about the financial position of U.S. farms. Total farm sector debt reached a record $240 billion in 2008, a $26-billion increase over 2007. Debt is expected to decline to $234 billion in 2009. The distribution of debt among farm operators has also been changing. In 1986, nearly 60 percent of farms used debt financing. By 2007, the number had dropped to 31 percent. In essence, farm debt has become more concentrated in fewer, larger farm businesses. Lenders and farm operators indicate that real estate accounts for the largest use of farm debt. Debt repayment capacity utilization (DRCU) of farm operators has dropped since the 1980s. DRCU dropped from 27 percent in 2000 to 22 percent in 2007. Larger farms are more likely to use more of their debt capacity. See:  http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/AIS87/

–The Consumer Data and Information Program: Sowing the seeds of Research.  Changes in the American public’s food consumption and purchases in recent decades, together with advances in medical knowledge of dietary effects on health, have heightened awareness of the importance of understanding what people eat and where and why they eat it. Most U.S. consumers have diets that do not meet dietary guidelines’ recommendations, and rates of obesity and overweight are rising for all consumers. American food markets are dynamic in offering new products and retail outlets to consumers, changing the food choices available. At the same time, food firms have been challenged by food safety recalls, adverse consumer reactions to new technologies, and increasing mandates for nutritional quality and information. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/AP/AP041

–The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released the fall 2009 edition of Community Developments focusing on bank strategies to mitigate the impacts of foreclosed properties on communities across the country.  This issue of Community Developments highlights the emerging work of innovative community partnerships and the tools and resources available to help them return foreclosed properties to the productive housing stock.  It describes multiple strategies for managing and renewing real estate owned properties held by national banks and other lenders, including donations, discounted sales, and property rehabilitation.  It also describes how federal funds are being used to stabilize neighborhoods nationwide.  In some cases, the community stabilization efforts of national banks can also receive positive CRA consideration. Community Developments can be accessed on the OCC’s Web site at:  http://www.occ.gov/cdd/CD_News_fall_2009.pdf.

–Over the course of the recent recession, rural economies have held up better than their metro peers, thanks to strong rural economic gains early in the downturn. The long-term health of rural American in the twenty-first century will rest on developing policies that focus on amenity-based development, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the article "Prospects for a Rural Recovery" at:

http://www.kansascityfed.org/regionalaffairs/mainstreet/mainstmain.htm?ealert=MFG1125.

--The Enduring Challenge of Concentrated Poverty in America: Case Studies from Communities Across the U.S. is a report resulting from a joint project of the Federal Reserve System and the Brookings Institution.  The document contributes to an understanding of the dynamics of poor people living in poor communities, and the policies that will be needed to bring both into the economic mainstream.  For the report, visit:  http://www.frbsf.org/cpreport/docs/cp_fullreport.pdf.  

–Community Development Resource Guide.  The Center for Rural Affairs has published a resource document for accessing funding for community projects.  To get the guide go to:  http://www.cfra.org/files/Community-Development-Resource-Guide.pdf.   

–Rural Poverty Rate Increasing Faster Than in Metropolitan Areas.   In the past five years the level of poverty in rural America has increased at a rate five times that of the poverty increase in metropolitan areas.  Since 2003 the rural poverty rate jumped by 17 percent, while the metropolitan poverty rate climbed by about 3 percent. The increase in rural poverty since 2003 reverses a trend from the 1990s when the gap between rural and metropolitan poverty rates decreased.  To read the story, go to: http://www.dailyyonder.com/poverty-rate-jumps-rural-america/2009/11/23/2466.  

–Rural Amenities.  The rural outdoors has become a major asset for rural communities—and a key advantage that some rural areas have over urban areas. The rural outdoors can be enhanced through the construction of recreation facilities, but undeveloped rural landscapes have their own special appeal, both for recreation and as attractive places to live. This briefing room looks at the appeal of rural landscapes, the importance of forest landscape preferences, and the role of scenic amenities across the rural-urban continuum.   To read this article, visit: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/RuralAmenities/.  

–Identifying Avenues to Build Community Strength is in the November issue of the Center for Rural Affairs’ newsletter.  The article offers seven activities to help community leaders create a better future for rural communities that create opportunities for rural people.  To see the article go to: http://www.cfra.org/node/2361.   

–The DatelinERS newsletter offers concise summaries of USDA ERS reports and events at www.ers.usda.gov/News/.

–Rural and Urban Children Lack Health Insurance More Often than Suburban Children.  Analysis of new Census Bureau data underscores the need to consider health reform’s impact on children. A new brief from Marybeth J. Mattingly and Michelle L. Stransky at the Carsey Institute takes a closer look at the geographic distribution of health insurance for children. Based on recent data from the 2008 American Community Survey, the analysis shows that one in ten children are still uninsured and that insurance rates vary considerably by geographic area. In fourteen states, rural children are least likely to be insured. In another eight states, rural and urban children are insured at about the same rate, significantly lower than suburban children. Further, the data also shows rural children are least likely to be covered by private insurance and most likely to depend on public plans for their health care. Go to:  http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/IB-Mattingly-HeathInsuranceChild-09.pdf

 

November MRP Rural Round Up

NOVEMBER 2009 – Volume VII, Number 11

Compiled and edited by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy & Jane Leonard

–Across the Field
–Funding
–Meetings/Trainings
–Opportunities
–Miscellaneous

ACROSS THE FIELD – Tis the season: Be strategic and compassionate. Give to the Max! by Jane Leonard

A new day dawns in Minnesota today, November 17 — Give to the Max Day. Give online at www.GiveMN.org.

Here at Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. we’re taking a different twist on this special day. We’re not asking you to donate to us. We’re a policy development shop and community/economic improvement organizer. Yes we could always use more financial support. But today we’re asking you think about the organizations that are trying to help the neediest of our fellow citizens in this incredibly difficult time of economic challenges. Today, help those most in need.

Be strategic and compassionate about where you do donate, and do try to donate today because on November 17 donations will be matched. (And if you are reading this after November 17, still give if you can.)

For Give to the Max Day, the Saint Paul Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation and Bush Foundation have committed $500,000 in matching contributions to support community needs in Minnesota and to cover transaction fees so that 100% of all donations go to the nonprofit organizations.

According to the GiveMN.org website description, every donation made during Give to the Max Day will receive a portion of the $500,000 match. Any individual may donate. Donations through the GiveMN.org site to nonprofit organizations are tax deductible and irrevocable (donations will not be refunded.) Only contributions to Minnesota-based nonprofits through the GiveMN.org site will be matched.

You can give anytime, any other day, so keep that in mind as you make your year-end giving decisions. But today, November 17, your donation through GiveMN.org will go a little further with the generous match from Minnesota’s philanthropic community.

Give your ideas and experiences: Rurb.Mn is underway

And finally, please give us your input on your own experiences and ideas for rural urban connections, via www.rurb.mn, which is the online platform (still under construction) for our new project on rural urban partnering & connections.

Rurb.MN is a state of mind, heart, and action that we are all in this together – rural, urban and suburban people, places, and organizations — helping each other and Minnesota thrive. Say it fast enough several times over (without the “dot”) and rurb.mn becomes an interesting way to express the melding of rural, suburban, and urban together.

We are making good headway getting things set up for the next 18 months of this project, with your input being the first phase, through email, and other social media, videoconferences and face-to-face meetings over the next few months, then a statewide gathering in June 2010 to share what we’ve learned and to organize a Minnesota Rural Urban Partnering Council to keep the momentum going.

If you would like to be a part of this project and/or be on the project contact list, email me at jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org, and/or leave a comment on the blog at www.rurb.mn.

FUNDING
–Minnesota Loan Forgiveness Programs for health professionals http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/loans/index.html applications are due December 1. Contact Amy Vallery at amy.vallery@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3870 for more information.

–Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Grant Program http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/index.html#rural pre-applications are due December 14. Contact Doug Benson at doug.benson@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3842.

–The Minnesota Department of Health is offering mini grants of $2,000 or less to help clinics improve their ability to be patient-centered health care homes. The purpose of these mini-grants is to assist clinics in implementing patient-family-centered involvement in clinic re-design and to assist clinics in implementing health care home standards.
Applications are due December 15.

The expectation is that the projects will be implemented between December 2009 and May 2010. The Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is administering the grants on behalf of MDH. For a copy of the application, go to http://www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/homes/index.html.  

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

–The Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Minnesota Humanities Center will host listening sessions to obtain public input for a 10-year plan and 25-year framework for the use of funds made available through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) on November 17, 2009, in the Twin Cities and November 18, 2009, in Marshall. All sessions will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. An online survey will also be available at www.ACHFMinnesota.org. The results of this collaborative planning process will be reported to the legislature by January 15, 2010.

–Blandin Foundation’s 2009 Broadband Conference will be held Wednesday, November 18 – Thursday, November 19, 2009 in Duluth. The theme of this year’s conference is: Realizing Our Broadband Future: Getting from Here to There. It will focus on the future of Minnesota communities, providing community leaders with the information and tools they need to position their communities in the future. Location: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Duluth MN Cost: $105. For more information and to register, click here. http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=988

–SW/WC Volunteer Connections will be hosting the following professional development event with speakers on December 7th: “A Time to be Bold: Engaging Volunteers in a Shifting Environment” presented by Mary Quirk. If you have any questions or would like to R.S.V.P., please contact Deb Mortenson at (320) 235-0850, ext. 1114 or at debm@heartlandcaa.org.

–2010 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference – “Achieving Success in the ‘New Normal’” will be held January 26-27, 2010 at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd. For more information go to: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/2010-explore-minnesota-tourism-conference/ or contact Gayle Junnila at 651 757-1852 or gayle.junnila@state.mn.us  

–The Home Grown Economy 2010 – Equipping You to Build Community Based Food Systems, will be held at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, on February 15th and 16th. Interactive Video Sessions will be held on Tuesday, February 16th at the following campuses: University of Minnesota, Crookston – University of Minnesota, Morris – Bemidji State University and Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls. Watch for further details at: http://collinpeterson.house.gov  

–Northeast Entrepreneur Fund will host a two-day Northland Flavor Marketplace in Duluth at the Holiday Inn Conference Center:
Sunday, March 7, noon – 4:00 p.m.
Monday, March 8, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Northland Flavor Marketplace will allow regional artists to display their products to potential retail buyers such as gift shops, bookstores, floral shops, restaurants, jewelers, and similar outlets. To apply for the Northland Flavor Marketplace event, or to register for one or more of the preparatory sessions, go to: http://www.entrepreneurfund.org/nlfmp.htm. For more information on Northland Flavor, contact Suzanne Semborski, NEF Special Projects Manager, suzannes@entrepreneurfund.org or call 218-623-5729.

–Save the Date for the 2010 Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference on Wednesday, March 24 in Minneapolis.

–Save the Date! 2010 Minnesota Campus Compact’s Summit and Awards Luncheon will be Thursday, June 17, 2010 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center featured speaker will be Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page.

Minnesota Campus Compact’s 2010 Summit will convene higher education leaders from across Minnesota to celebrate powerful campus-community partnerships that produce positive results for students and for communities throughout the state – and to explore opportunities for developing even deeper partnerships, more engaged institutions and citizens, and a more just, democratic, and sustainable world.

–Save the Date for the Minnesota Rural Health Conference http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/conf/index.html June 28-29, 2010. Help to plan the conference: Contact Karen Welle at karen.welle@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3865.

OPPORTUNITIES

–Funds Available for Students – Two $1,000 awards are available to full-time students interested in connecting their experiences in the classroom and in the community. Fill out a brief application http://www.servicebook.org by November 30th, 2009 to be considered for one of two Carter Academic Service Entrepreneur awards given to Minnesota college and university students. The awards support innovative service learning projects that feature strong partnerships between students, faculty, and community partners. To learn more, visit mncampuscompact.org.

–The 2010 Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference will be taking place on Wednesday, March 24 in Minneapolis. The planners are seeking proposals and ideas for breakout sessions…if you would like to submit a breakout session proposal or if you have a great idea for a breakout session for the 2010 Nonprofit Technology and Communications Conference, they’d like to hear from you! Submitting a breakout session proposal or idea is easy – you can view the details and instructions at: www.mncn.org/nptech/rfp.htm. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, December 2, 2010 at 5 p.m.

–New Careers in Nursing http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20905 scholarship applications due December 15.

– ORHPC needs Rural Hospital Capital Improvement grant reviewers in January. Contact Doug Benson at doug.benson@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3842 or Cindy LaMere at cindy.lamere@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3852.

–Minority Nurse Scholarship Program http://www.minoritynurse.com/scholarships/apply-2010-minority-nurse-scholarship-program applications due February 1.

MISCELLANEOUS

–RURAL AMENITIES – The rural outdoors has become a major asset for rural communities—and a key advantage that some rural areas have over urban areas. The rural outdoors can be enhanced through the construction of recreation facilities, but undeveloped rural landscapes have appeal on their own, both for recreation and as attractive places to live. This briefing room looks at the appeal of rural landscapes, the importance of forest landscape preferences, and the role of scenic amenities across the rural-urban continuum. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/RuralAmenities/

–USDA Launches ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ Initiative to Connect Consumers with Local Producers to Create New Economic Opportunities for Communities. The initiative hopes to begin a national conversation to help develop local and regional food systems and spur economic opportunity. Americans are invited to join the discussion and share their ideas for ways to support local agriculture. USDA will engage in this conversation which can be viewed at USDA’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/usda . Producers and consumers can comment on the ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ YouTube playlist, as well as submit videos or provide comments on this initiative by e-mailing KnowYourFarmer@usda.gov.

Editors’ Note: If you have items of news, announcements, etc., for the next MRP Rural Round-Up (scheduled to go to press on Tuesday. Dec 15), please send them to jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org.

Jane Leonard
President
Minnesota Rural Partners
1533 Grantham St.
St. Paul, MN 55108
USA
phone (651) -303-5263
jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org
www.minnesotaruralpartners.org

 

October MRP Rural Round Up

OCTOBER 2009 – Volume VII, Number 10

 Complied and edited by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy, and Jane Leonard

 –Across the Field

–Funding

–Meetings/Trainings

–Opportunities

–Miscellaneous

 

Across the Field: Rural-Urban Partnering — a State of Mind, Hearts, and Action – We are All in This Together!  by Jane Leonard

We received word late last month that Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. (MRP, Inc.) will host a national pilot project with USDA Rural Development Rural Business-Cooperative Service to document and leverage the power of rural-urban connections and resource sharing to improve wealth creation opportunities. The work builds on years of efforts that MRP, Inc. has organized in resource coordination and sharing, rural entrepreneurship development, and community informatics across Minnesota. 

The current project begins with engaging people and ideas to create a Minnesota Rural Urban Partnering framework (that framework being the people, places and organizations that care about and support rural – urban interdependence).

We will take those initial stories and do a more detailed online inventory and mapping of the partnering already occurring to show its strength, breadth and depth, and the economic, demographic and cultural factors at work, and spotlight opportunities for other helpful connections and partnering.

The initiative to intentionally support rural urban partnering would be an evolution from the original state rural development council function hosted by MRP starting in the mid 1990s. Our aim with more focused rural–urban coordination and resource sharing is to spur innovation and wealth creation in a host of development arenas. It would also build a solid foundation of urban allies for rural policy development and advocacy and vice-versa.

We need your help! We are collecting rural-urban partnering examples, stories, partners and interested people and organizations later this fall and winter through a series of online gatherings, culminating in a statewide face-to-face gathering, probably in June 2010. We’ll send out a schedule, invites and instructions on how to use the several methods of social media we’ll be using online in the early stages of the project. But if you have ideas right now that you are bursting to share – send them to me at jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org.

Parallel to the mapping track will be efforts to document and analyze the ways that Minnesotans currently coordinate education and workforce development pathways across rural-urban lines. And we’ll lift up for national viewing one of the more well-known ways rural and urban people connect in Minnesota, through local farm – local/regional food networks that help increase access to healthy food and balanced meals for children and adults alike, supporting healthful lifestyle choices.

The pilot project runs from this fall to April 2011.

In Minnesota in the early 21st century, as it is in many states across the nation, rural and urban lines continue to blur — spatially, culturally, and economically. Instead of continuing to treat these interdependent places, people, and economies as separate entities, we believe more can be gained – socially and economically – by intentionally building a rural-urban partnering framework that supports existing partnerships and spurs many more new connections, coordination, and collaboration for the benefit of all.

If you want to join and/or support this effort, please contact jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org or Jane at 651-303-5263.

FUNDING

–American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Communities Putting Prevention to Work.  Deadline:  10/30/09.  Grants are available for community-based prevention and wellness strategies that support specific, measurable health outcomes to reduce chronic disease rates.  For more information, go to: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=9TphKzwSqSZSBdlLP9xQGJzplRnSGTR3Gmh4WNDQZzCnGW7b3T72!-1017983794?oppId=49571&mode=VIEW .

–For information on ARRA Funds, see http://www.recovery.gov/ and http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/arra/recovery-program.htm .

–Health Careers Promotion Grant – Applications will be available November 2 and due November 30. Contact Lorry Colaizy at lawrence.colaizy@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3851 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/index.html#health

–Assisted Living Conversion Program For Eligible Multifamily Housing Projects.  HUD has made $20 million available in grants to eligible multifamily housing developments specified in the RFP, for conversion to assisted living facilities.  The deadline is November 5, 2009.   For more information, go to: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=cM91KpXQnvcPlqN9Z1Qyppmp9K7fLYmJgQK5XQjL0fhN34q01Gcg!361947375?oppId=49301&mode=VIEW 

– Applications are now being accepted for the new Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). These grants help local governments acquire, develop, restore and maintain parks and trails of regional or statewide significance. Funding comes from the Parks and Trails Fund, created by the Minnesota Legislature from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The overall program is called the Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program which consists of the Regional Park Legacy, Regional Trail Legacy and Solar Energy Legacy Grant Programs. More information and applications for these grant programs is available at:   http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/recreation/index.html . The application deadline is November 13, 2009.

–Regional Trauma Advisory Committee Planning/Implementation Grant applications are due November 30. Contact Tim Held at tim.held@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3868 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/traumasystem/rtac/rtacfactsheet.html

–Minnesota Loan Forgiveness Programs for health professionals applications are due December 1. Contact Amy Vallery at amy.vallery@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3870 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/loans/index.html

–Rural Veterinarian Loan Forgiveness Program .  Contact Amy Vallery at amy.vallery@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3870 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/loans/vet.html

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

–Foreclosure Response Podcast Series by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.  Through interviews with experts on various facets of foreclosure—from neighborhood impacts, to loan modifications, to new response strategies—listeners will be engaged in understanding problems and advancing solutions. Each week, since September 24, 2009 and continuing for 10 weeks, a new interview will be released.   To listen to the interviews visit: http://www.frbatlanta.org/rss/ForeclosureResp.cfm.  

Podcast I:  Land Banking as a Foreclosure Mitigation Strategy with Frank Alexander, Professor of Law at Emory Law School.  The first interview in the series looks at land banking. The current economic and mortgage crisis has caused the number of foreclosures to swell, destabilizing neighborhoods by leaving them dotted with vacant and sometimes abandoned homes. Frank Alexander, Professor of Law at Emory Law School, discusses the issues and opportunities that land banking represents for stabilizing communities across the country.

Up next:  Visit the series Web site next week for the second podcast installment with Kristopher Gerardi, an economist in the Research Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, who will be talking about loan modifications. 

–The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Leadership Institute is an opportunity to grow your leadership skills and learn to create change. The Institute is designed by and for nonprofit leaders. The nine-month intensive experience will provide you the space and structure to step back and think about the issues facing nonprofits today. It will also enhance your skills to make you a better leader in your organization, the nonprofit sector and your community.   Want to know more? MCN will be offering free informational sessions around the state that will also highlight scholarship opportunities for the Leadership Institute. Please RSVP online by logging in and selecting “RSVP for Free Events, Briefings and Convenings”. http://www.mncn.org/leadershipinstitute/infosessions.htm 

Marshall, October 22, 11 a.m.-noon

Hutchinson, October 23, 2-3 p.m.

Rochester, October 27, 11 a.m.- noon

Brainerd, October 28, 11 a.m.- noon

St. Cloud, October 28, 3-4 p.m.

Duluth, November 11, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Grand Rapids, November 11, 3-4 p.m.

St. Paul, November 13, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Webinar, December 10, 3-4 p.m.

Webinar, January 13, 1-2 p.m.

For more information contact Bao Vang, Program Coordinator, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
at 651-757-3087 or bao@mncn.org  

–SW/WC Volunteer Connections will be hosting on December 7th: “A Time to be Bold: Engaging Volunteers in a Shifting Environment” presented by Mary Quirk. If you have any questions or would like to R.S.V.P., please contact Deb Mortenson at (320) 235-0850, ext. 1114 or at debm@heartlandcaa.org.

 –Telling a Story with Social Media webinar will be Tuesday, November 3, 8-9:30AM with presenter Ann Treacy of Treacy Information Services.  Everyone has a story to tell, whether you’re recruiting people or businesses to your region, selling a product or preparing a presentation on future of broadband in rural areas. Social media tools such as YouTube and podcasts can help you establish your story, social networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn help you spread the word and ongoing blogs or Twitter can help maintain the story. We’ll talk about how to tell your story with social media.  For more information and to register, click here:  http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=991

– Twin Cities Media Alliance Fall Forum: Networking And The New Media Landscape: Reporting News, Building Community, Making Money http://tinyurl.com/yfxo3uv. This participatory forum offers journalists, bloggers and news consumers the opportunity to make connections and share best practices for news reporting, building audiences, and raising revenue. It will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m, Saturday November 7, Minneapolis Central Library. Check out the web site for Twitter hashtags and other ways to follow the conference from afar.

–Blandin Foundation’s 2009 Broadband Conference will be November 18-9, 2009 in Duluth.  The theme of this year’s conference is: “Realizing Our Broadband Future: Getting from Here to There.” Location: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Duluth MN (http://www.hiduluth.com/) Cost: $105. For more information and to register, click here.  http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=988

 –Save the Date for the Minnesota Rural Health Conference June 28-29, 2010.  Help to plan the conference: Contact Karen Welle at karen.welle@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3865. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/conf/index.html

OPPORTUNITIES

–The Initiative Foundation is currently looking for four communities to take part in their next Healthy Community Partnerships (HCP) program.  This program provides a community team with a combination of leadership training, grant funds, technical assistance and resource referral as they work to make their community a better place.  HCP is open to communities that have never participated or graduates whose core group went through the training at least five years ago.  To learn more about the program you can:

read the press release, http://www.ifound.org/docs/files/News_HCPRecruitment8.31.09.pdf

visit our website, http://www.ifound.org/community_health.php

download the fact sheet http://www.ifound.org/docs/files/HCP_FactSheet.pdf

Or contact Dan Frank, Program Manager for Community Development at 320-632-9255, dfrank@ifound.org

–Health Policy Fellow applications due November 13. http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20904

–New Careers in Nursing scholarship applications due December 15. http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20905

–Minority Nurse Scholarship Program applications due February 1.  http://www.minoritynurse.com/scholarships/apply-2010-minority-nurse-scholarship-program

 MISCELLANEOUS

–USDA Launches ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ Initiative to Connect Consumers with Local Producers to Create New Economic Opportunities for Communities.  The initiative hopes to begin a national conversation to help develop local and regional food systems and spur economic opportunity. Americans are invited to join the discussion and share their ideas for ways to support local agriculture. USDA will engage in this conversation which can be viewed at USDA’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/usda . Producers and consumers can comment on the ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ YouTube playlist, as well as submit videos or provide comments on this initiative by e-mailing KnowYourFarmer@usda.gov.

–The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued a waiver recently, revising their property flipping regulations for properties purchased with Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds.  FHA is waiving, for one year, Section 203.37a(b)(2) of the FHA regulations, 24 CFR, with regard to sales of foreclosed or abandoned properties acquired and resold by for-profit and non-profit entities using NSP funding and performed under NSP agreements.  This section provided that a mortgage secured by a property would not be eligible for insurance by FHA if the contract of sale was executed by the prospective borrower within 90 days of the previous acquisition of the property by the seller.  For a copy of the waiver, go to: http://www.treia.com/clubportal/images/clubimages/999/PROPERTY%20FLIPPING%20WAIVER%20REQUEST.pdf  .

–Strength Matters is a new collaborative that brings together three national networks of nonprofit owners and developers in the affordable housing field — Housing Partnership Network (HPN), NeighborWorks America and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) — to advance the strength, productivity and profitability of their member organizations and to communicate the best practices of these owners and developers to the private, public, and philanthropic sectors. On the website: (http://www.strengthmatters.net ) there is a recording of an introductory Webinar that was hosted by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).  The PowerPoint presentation that accompanied the Webinar can be downloaded from the website, as well as other documents like CFO Best Practice papers.

–CFED released the 2009-2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard – CFED’s research on wealth, poverty and the financial security of American families – in September.  The Scorecard uses the latest data to assess the 50 states and the District of Columbia on 92 outcome and policy measures which describe how well residents are faring and what states can do to help residents build and protect assets.  For more information, go to: http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=2471&id=2471 .

–The September 2009 issue of Leadership Guide features an article on The Four Elements of a Sustainable Organization by Don Tebbe, Executive Vice President, TransitionGuides.  The article is an excerpt from a paper entitled “Building a Sustainable Organization”.  To read the paper, go to: http://www.transitionguides.com/newsltr/Featured%20Articles.htm and click on the link for September 2009. 

–A Compass for Understanding and Using American Community Survey (ACS) Data: What Users of Data for Rural Areas Need to Know is a guide for those who use rural social, economic, and housing data from the Census Bureau. ACS will provide updated data that will replace some of the information previously provided in the decennial Census. To get a copy, go to http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACSRuralAreaHandbook.pdf .

– Your Money Counts.com is a comprehensive online learning resource that helps people understand finances and make informed financial choices. This online guide to financial and credit education provides people with interactive calculators, information on current money issues, in-depth information on specific money topics, financial education booklets, and quizzes to test their financial knowledge.  Go to: http://www.yourmoneycounts.com/ymc/home?WT.svl=901 

 –Mayo Clinic offers perspective on health care reform in the New England Journal of Medicine. http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1890&query=home

–Healthy Communities-Healthy People: A series examining care in rural America.  Go to: http://files.cfra.org/pdf/Healthy-Communities-Healthy-People.pdf

–Shortage of Health Care Workforce Hits Rural America Hard in September Center for Rural Affairs newsletter.  Go to:  http://www.cfra.org/taxonomy/term/1533

–Suicide Prevention online, one-to-one “chat service” for veterans. The veterans tab is on the left-hand side of the site.  Go to: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 

–Tobacco Control in Rural America.  This July 2009 publication highlights tobacco-related disparities facing rural areas and examines the unique challenges to tobacco control and prevention efforts in these areas.  It also includes examples of promising interventions implemented by some of our grantees to demonstrate how organizations are addressing the issue of tobacco use in rural communities.  Go to:  http://www.americanlegacy.org/PDF/Tobacco_Control_in_Rural_America.pdf

–Homegrown Responses to Economic Uncertainty in Rural America - Discusses how rural communities can approach economic development by looking inward to community strengths and existing resources.  Go to:  http://ruralsociology.org/StaticContent/Publications/Ruralrealities/pubs/RuralRealities3-2.pdf

–Local Community Action Agency Directory  - A directory of local community action agencies (CAAs) developed by VirtualCAP.org that provides contact information by either state or agency name.   Go to:  http://www.virtualcap.org/caalisting.cfm

If you have items for inclusion in the next Rural Round-Up, please send them to jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org.

 

Tom Vilsack speaks at Oct 5 Freeman Forum

Here’s the news on the latest Freeman Forum…

FREEMAN LECTURE – GREAT CONVERSATIONS

Featuring U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, J. Brian Atwood, Dean, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Allen Levine, Dean, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

Feeding the World: At Home and Abroad
Monday, October 5 | 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall

As the head of the United States Department of Agriculture, Secretary Vilsack oversees a $134 billion portfolio that includes leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and rural development.

Join us for a wide-ranging conversation about food aid and international development, obesity and nutrition, food security, farm and foreign trade policy, and a host of other topics related to the USDA’s mission.

Admission is free, but tickets are required. (Limit of four per person.)

Please bring a non-perishable food item to help those in need.

This event is part of The Ultimate Homecoming.