Despite the surge in COVID cases and the complications it brings, the U.S. economy continues to thrive. Workers are steadily returning to the labor force; the unemployment rate is currently under 4% and consumers are still spending confidently. Until the omicron surge subsides, the biggest economic risk will be the…
The Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB) has identified three trade priorities for the Biden administration following a year with little movement on the topic. As a majority of the world’s consumers reside outside U.S. borders, international trade is vital to the economic future of Nebraska’s farm and ranch families. The success…
The past year has presented a dizzying array of business and policy decarbonization efforts in the transportation and home heating sectors as the United States continues to work toward a common goal of a better, cleaner future. The biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel industries are “All In” on…
A program that helps to develop leaders for agriculture, business and rural communities is now accepting applications for its newest class, which will be announced this summer. Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership is an intensive two-year program designed for those engaged with agriculture and rural Kansas. Program officials said applications will be…
The draft Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Jefferson, Nuckols, Saline, Thayer, and Webster Counties is ready for public review. Draft copies of the document have been mailed to county offices and are available to the public online at https://nfs.unl.edu/documents/CWPP/SCECWPP.pdf. Comments will be accepted until February 18,…
Smaller sized loans limited agricultural lending activity at the end of 2021. The Survey of Terms of Lending to Farmers shows non-real estate agricultural loans at commercial banks decreased by 13 percent in the fourth quarter, and the yearly average was the lowest since 2012. The Kansas City Federal Reserve…
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today announced that Northeast Community College (NECC) will receive a $450,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant for an agricultural workforce training project. Specifically, the grant will go to the following project at NECC: Ruraltech+ Training Program to…
LINCOLN – On Monday, Governor Pete Ricketts and State leaders introduced proposals to strengthen Nebraska’s water resources. Governor Ricketts announced that Nebraska intends to take action to protect its entitlements of South Platte River water by constructing a major canal in parts of Colorado and southwest Nebraska. The project, authorized under…
American Farm Bureau successfully campaigned last year against changes to the stepped-up basis provision in estate tax law. Now, Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall asked members to put that same energy level into the Biden administration’s proposed changes to the Trump Waters of the United States rule. The administration wants…
Brady Revels of Nebraska is the national winner of the 2022 Excellence in Ag Award, hosted by the Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers. He is the first Nebraskan to receive this award. Revels, a member of the Douglas County Farm Bureau, competed during the 2022 American Farm Bureau Annual…
