Cheryl Burkhart Kriesel is an extension specialist with Rural Prosperity Nebraska.

When it comes to the important work of recruiting new residents to move to rural communities, the people who currently live there have an essential role to play in telling the local story, even though they may not realize how important their personal networks are.

Jessica Groskopf is an agricultural economist with Nebraska Extension, based in the state's Panhandle region.

An important step in the record-keeping process and one that shouldn’t be skipped is reconciling. The process is worth the time to ensure that all records associated with a financial account are consistent with each other. Groskopf explains reconciliation and its importance in farm and ranch record-keeping.

For more, check out her article on the topic on farm.unl.edu.

Tina Barrett is a farm financial consultant and director of Nebraska Farm Business, Inc.

With so many things constantly changing for farm producers, it is important to be prepared to make decisions. Barrett offers tips for farmers and ranchers and discusses what they should be paying attention to right now to best prepare to make quality decisions quickly.

With Brad Lubben, associate professor and extension policy specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

As commodity prices have risen in recent months, so have farm income expectations, driven by these rebounds in market prices as well as recent government assistance paid to cover losses associated with weather disasters, trade conflicts and COVID-19 disruptions. A new article on our website, farm.unl.edu, offers analysis of farm income and safety net programs to provide insight on the current ag economy and potential directions for ag policy and farm economics.

Elliott Dennis is an assistant professor of livestock marketing in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Approximately 35 percent of the total land area in the continental U.S. is used for livestock grazing. Fluctuations in grazed land areas and cow herd density can be seen across the diverse regions of the country’s geography, with beef cow herds tended to follow cheap and nutrient-rich forage. So what are the implications of forage production, beef cow herds and stocking density when it comes to the possibility of partially liquidating herds due to drought?

With Dave Aiken, professor and agricultural law and water specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

Aiken provides an overview of the types of problem-solving courts, how they function as alternatives to jail time and what how their cost compares to incarcerating alleged offenders.

With: Brad Lubben, Nebraska Extension Policy Specialist, and Cathy Anderson, Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency Production and Compliance Section Chief. 

Farmers and ranchers may have heard of the Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative, the American Rescue Act Plan and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. All have been in the news, but what do each of them mean for Nebraska’s producers? UNL’s Brad Lubben along with the Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Cathy Anderson will provide an overview of each and give direction for farmers and ranchers regarding the current open application period for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) 2 at FSA offices across the state.

Charalampos Mavroutsikos is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is one of the authors of a new study looking at the role of premium subsidies in crop insurance, focusing on government objectives and producer attitudes. He discusses the history of crop insurance, the study’s findings and a proposed alternative design of premium subsidies that can achieve government’s stated goal of increasing producer participation. A new article summarizing the study, as well as a link to the full publication, are available now at https://farm.unl.edu/role-premium-subsidies-crop-insurance/04272021-1446. 

On April 22nd, the U.S. Small Business Administration released guidelines for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RFF), a fund that is part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.  The Act appropriated $28.6 billion dollars for restaurant industry focused funds.  Recipients do not need to repay the awarded funds as long as the monies are used for eligible expenses by March 11, 2023. 

Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension Educators Jason Tuller and Marilyn Schlake discuss the funding opportunity and what businesses should do to prepare. 

Allan Vyhnalek is Nebraska Extension's educator for farm and ranch succession and transition. 

With spring planting season upon us, many farmers are in a hurry and may be stressed, busy and short on sleep, which means family members and co-workers can get short with each other. Vyhnalek discusses some best practices to use when disagreements arise on the farm — namely, the seemingly simple act of saying “I’m Sorry.”