June 20, 2022
While the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a massive economic blow to the U.S. tourism sector, some rural communities benefited from the crisis in terms of employment gains, according to a team of researchers from the NERCRD and West Virginia University. Their study, which is the first to document COVID-19’s economic impact on tourism in the U.S. at the county level, may help guide the development of rural tourism and destination management strategies that enhance community resilience.
May 23, 2022
On Friday, May 27 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, the Council on Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (C-FARE) and the Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC) are holding a panel discussion on building the capacity needed for impactful investments in rural prosperity. Panelists, including NERCRD Director Stephan Goetz and Associate Director Jason Entsminger, will outline recent trends affecting rural communities, the assets they have at their disposal, and the capacities they have and need to promote shared economic prosperity over the long-term. This webinar is the first in a series of events aimed at integrating findings from the RRDCs' Rural Development Listening Sessions Initiative and work recently published by the St. Louis Fed and the Federal Reserve Board on investing in rural communities.
May 12, 2022
Several members of a team funded by NERCRD’s small-grant program in 2017-2018 have recently published a guide that builds on their NERCRD-funded project and explores the use of forums as a community engagement tool in Extension work. The comprehensive how-to guide is designed to help Cooperative Extension professionals develop issues forums in both onsite and online settings.
April 12, 2022
The sentiments and emotions expressed in tweets on Twitter can be used in real time to assess where supply chain disruptions due to a pandemic, war or natural disaster may lead to food shortages, according to researchers at NERCRD, Penn State and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.
March 24, 2022
We are pleased to share our latest Annual Report, which highlights the Center’s accomplishments and activities of 2021. While this was another very challenging year in many respects, we are grateful for the many opportunities to work with our regional and national partners in support of a strong and equitable rural recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges facing rural communities.
March 17, 2022
An exciting development in the NERCRD's tourism and recreation economies work is the funding of two new projects, both led by West Virginia University, that will examine tourism and resiliency through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 4, 2022
Twenty-six leading community development scholars and practitioners from around the country—including over a dozen collaborators in the Northeast Region—teamed up to publish a new book that explores how innovation manifests itself in rural places and ultimately contributes to entrepreneurial development and community resilience. The book was edited by Dr. Charlie French, program leader and Extension associate professor of community and economic development at the University of New Hampshire. Funding to support this effort was provided by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.
January 26, 2022
Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) took formal actions recently to recognize the significant contributions of the RRDCs, which are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.
January 26, 2022
The nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) released findings this week from a national survey of rural development stakeholders. Conducted in the fall of 2021, the survey is part of a year-long Listening Session Initiative aimed at identifying key priorities and critical investments for rural communities’ recovery and growth.
January 19, 2022
The School of Natural Resources at West Virginia University (WVU) invites Ph.D. applications for a funded project (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture) that aims to better understand tourism sustainability indicators as related to COVID-19 in rural gateway communities in eastern US.
December 9, 2021
Congratulations to former NERCRD Postdoctoral Scholar Dr. Sarah Rocker, who accepted a position as a National Program Leader with USDA NIFA, effective November 22. Rocker’s three-year tenure with the NERCRD ended on September 1.
December 7, 2021
The NERCRD annual meeting that took place virtually November 4-5, 2021, marked a change in the makeup of the Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Committee as follows.
December 7, 2021
Members of the Northeast Center's Board of Directors (BOD) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met virtually in early November to review the Center's progress towards its goals and adopt the 2022 plan of work. In the upcoming year, NERCRD priority issues are: labor and workforce development; economic development, resilience, and innovation; tourism; food systems and agriculture; and general capacity building. To support these issues NERCRD will also prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion; climate change; and rural-urban interactions as cross-cutting areas.
December 7, 2021
NERCRD was selected recently to lead two projects under the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) program. The NTAE program is made possible by funding from USDA NIFA through a partnership with Oklahoma State University and the Extension Foundation. In addition to funding, selected projects receive engagement and technical support from the Extension Foundation.
October 22, 2021
Food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community food services played a critical role in helping Americans meet their food needs, especially during the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research by researchers at the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development. They found that middle-class Americans benefited the most from these services, demonstrating a key role these programs can play in times of crisis.
September 20, 2021
The four Regional Rural Development Centers invite professionals working on issues of community, economic, and workforce development to participate in a national survey. The survey is the first phase of a listening sessions process aimed at identifying key priorities and critical investments for rural communities' recovery and growth. The process is being implemented by the RRDCs with support from the Extension Foundation through the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension accelerator program.
September 9, 2021
Following an initial increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. food insufficiency rates have fallen to levels below those in the year prior to the pandemic. At the end of August 2021, and the beginning of Hunger Action Month, the national average household food insufficiency rate has declined to a pandemic-era low of 7.8% according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. A new NERCRD COVID-19 Data Report examines these changes and provides detailed data for the Northeast U.S. states.
July 27, 2021
Choices magazine, which covers food, farms and resource use and is published by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), has just released a special themed issue on “Rural Development Implications One Year After COVID-19.” The issue contains eight peer-reviewed papers that explore the pandemic’s effects on aspects of rural life ranging from employment and childcare to recreational trail use and farming.
June 23, 2021
A new report examines existing beer trails in Pennsylvania and provides insights and considerations for those seeking to establish a craft beverage trail in their locale.
May 20, 2021
NERCRD Associate Director and Assistant Research Professor Jason Entsminger has been selected as a Fellow in the 2021-2022 cohort of the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association (NAREA) Career Advancement and Mentorship (CAM) Program.
April 29, 2021
It is with heavy hearts that we share that George Morse, a longtime and highly regarded friend and colleague of NERCRD, died on March 28, 2021 at the age of 77. His wife of 56 years, Elizabeth Morse, survives at their home in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
April 29, 2021
A new publication provides guidance on facilitating Intergenerational Friends Fairs—family-oriented, daylong events designed to engage community residents in a wide range of intergenerational activities, while also providing local groups with a platform for connecting with the public, establishing new partnerships, and garnering increased support for their programs. The guide was written by Matt Kaplan (Penn State) and Lori Pacchioli (State College Friends School) based on their own experience hosting a fair in State College, PA, with support from NERCRD. It is available on the NERCRD website (PDF).
April 5, 2021
The year 2020 has been described as the most difficult that many Americans may experience in their lifetimes. Despite challenges and loss, colleagues and stakeholders across the region rose to the occasion, shifting to new modes of work and collaboration. Each of our partners worked tirelessly to lay the groundwork for a strong and more equitable recovery. We are honored to be part of such an inspiring network, and grateful for the many opportunities to work with our regional and national collaborators on projects that supported communities responding to the pandemic.
March 27, 2021
After many years of using a listserv for network communications, NERCRD is shifting its communications to a new platform—Mailchimp. The changes are expected to improve the Center's ability to share news and announcements with its stakeholders.
March 25, 2021
With support from NERCRD, an intrepid group of onion growers in New York state have launched a strategic business planning project to explore collaborative promotion and marketing.
March 1, 2021
While women can be drawn into farming for many reasons, NERCRD researchers have found that female-owned farms in the U.S. are more common in areas that are closer to urban markets, that engage in agritourism activity, and that offer greater access to childcare.
February 18, 2021
At the end of 2020, more than 12% of Pennsylvania households were experiencing hunger — the highest rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NERCRD researchers. Their report confirms anecdotal and media reports and highlights the role that community resources, such as food pantries and free school lunches, are playing in the state.
February 12, 2021
The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development is pleased to announce that Jason S. Entsminger will join the Center in a new assistant research professor position, effective February 15, 2021. In this role, Dr. Entsminger will lead the Center’s outreach-oriented activities primarily by fostering and strengthening the Center’s relationships with Northeast land grant universities and rural development partners, and by identifying and responding to opportunities for cross-state collaborations and sharing of programs. He also will contribute to the Center’s research program.
February 11, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically exposed the economic vulnerability of U.S. businesses, primarily because they are so interconnected: when one region experiences a labor shortage or supply interruption, adverse effects reverberate throughout the global economy. Researchers at NERCRD and the Korea Rural Economic Institute have developed a model to help visualize the interconnectedness of businesses and industries over geographic space, which potentially can show supply-chain vulnerabilities to future shocks, such as pandemics or climate-change impacts.
December 7, 2020
NERCRD is participating in a one-year project aimed at identifying a sustainable model for connecting regional healthcare organizations with local communities and agricultural producers. The project is funded jointly by the Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and College of Medicine.
