Melissa Nelson is a woman after our own hearts here at Growing Small Towns. She is a lifelong small-town girl and rural champion who uses her love of agriculture, community development, and creativity to inspire ways to get involved in small towns.

About Melissa Melissa Nelson is a Nebraska farm and cattle gal who transplanted to Northwest Iowa after college to build an agricultural education non-profit and marry an Iowa farm boy. Her farm background and creative, entrepreneurial spirit allow her to put a unique spin on everyday items in her small business, Hungry Canyon. Melissa assisted in the foundation of the non-profit, Siouxland Agriculture in the Classroom and served as Director of the organization from 2013-2018. In 2018, she began serving as Externship Coordinator for the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department at Morningside University. Melissa and her husband Mark have two boys--Roy and Charlie-- seventh generation farm kids and lovers of tractors and cows. They live on a farm near Correctionville, Iowa. In this episode, we cover:

• How passion can inform how we get involved in our small communities
• Amazing ideas for small town events
• Fostering the next generation of small-town champions
• How a simple idea can be the catalyst for a small business
• How to get involved when you’re new in town

Links and Resources Mentioned: The Hungry Canyon Website: https://www.hungrycanyondesign.com/ Hungry Canyon IG: https://www.instagram.com/hungrycanyon/ Rural Route Ramble: https://www.facebook.com/RuralRouteRamble/