Tag: state of rural

By Whitney Oachs, CRPD research intern Last summer the Center for Rural Policy reported a “sea change in engagement” after racial justice protests were held in rural communities across the state following the death of George Floyd. Though more attention has been paid to these protests in urban environments, towns as small as Grand Marais ...

By Whitney Oachs, Research Intern As discussed in our recent 2020 State of Rural Report, most farmers were barely getting by before the onslaught of COVID-19. While agricultural land values have remained at historic highs, low commodity prices and increased costs of production have resulted in negative net income, contributing to declining mental health for ...

An economic and demographic update of rural Minnesota By Kelly Asche, Research Associate & Marnie Werner, Vice President, Research For a printable version of the report, click here. Each year, the Center for Rural Policy and Development provides a brief update on various economic and demographic data pertaining to rural Minnesota. As policy discussions concerning ...

By: Kelly Asche, Research Associate There isn’t a week that goes by here at the Center where we don’t use U.S. Census information in some form. Its importance in creating our research and helping to develop good policy cannot be understated. If you were to quickly breeze through our research for this year, you would ...

One economic issue getting a lot of attention is particularly associated with rural areas: agriculture. Global trade, relationships with countries such as China and Mexico, and agricultural commodity prices have a major impact on ag and farming due to the large quantity of commodity crops we export around the world. Prices for corn and soybeans ...

  This week we talk about the Center’s newest undertaking: a new blog that will discuss our latest research and other rural issues. We’ll be posting new pieces weekly, at least for now during the legislative session, and at least bi-weekly after that.  We also talk about the Center’s new State of Rural report for ...

  Our research associate Kelly Asche can tell you all about the State of Rural Minnesota in 2019, the Center’s latest report, and our newly updated Atlas of Minnesota. Listen to his recent interview on KAXE/KBXE Bemidji-Grand Rapids-Brainerd-Ely.

Each year, the Center for Rural Policy and Development provides a brief update on various economic and demographic data in rural Minnesota. As policy discussions concerning rural Minnesota unfold, it is important to understand the past, present, and potential futures of rural regions. This report provides historical data points, illustrating how rural conditions have changed ...

  In the third and final installment of our talk with the Center’s Kelly Asche on the State of Rural Minnesota, we cover the economic picture. Most of Greater MN weathered the Great Recession well thanks to agriculture, which also bolstered the state as a whole. On the other hand, there’s the rise of job vacancies, ...