This webinar explores the connections between community involvement, well-being and rural community vitality, with particular attention to how younger residents can become more engaged in their communities. Participants discussed how volunteering, civic participation and opportunities for young people to serve on boards, commissions and community projects can help reduce feelings of powerlessness and loneliness, support mental health and strengthen connections to rural communities. The discussion also highlighted the potential for communities that intentionally create opportunities for younger residents to participate to encourage them to remain in or return to their communities. The webinar concluded with information about accessing Nebraska Rural Poll data through the All Things Nebraska website and the Rural Poll website, as well as upcoming webinars covering trails, forestry, artificial intelligence, health care, leadership and sustainable practices.

Students who participated in the 2026 Rural Fellows program talk about their summer internships and the experiences that were valuable to them.

For Nebraska — a major agriculture and livestock state — effective biosecurity is critical to protect animal health, farm productivity, export markets, and rural livelihoods. In addition, many opportunities exist for the state in growing its bioeconomy (economic activity derived from its biological resources). For Nebraska’s rural communities and agriculture sector, combining strong biosecurity with value-added bioeconomy goals presents a pathway to both protect and grow the economy. Given these opportunities, how familiar are rural Nebraskans with biosecurity? How concerned are they about various threats to the food supply? What information sources do they trust about biosecurity threats? How do they view the impact of growing the bioeconomy in the state? This webinar discusses the analysis of these questions.

Webinar presentation by Rural Prosperity Nebraska Director Mary Emery, with special guest Nebraska Extension Educator Beth Nacke, discussing the data and details about the 2025 Well-being report from the Nebraska Rural Poll, and what the data means for rural Nebraskans.

Learn about the 2024 Nebraska Rural Poll community data. How do rural Nebraskans feel about their community? Are they satisfied with the services provided by their community? Have these views changed over the past 29 years? What should communities invest in to retain their population or attract new residents? After a presentation of Rural Poll results from Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Chuck Hibberd (from the Nebraska Community Foundation) and Don Macke (from e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems) will discuss the data, giving their interpretations and possible implications. The session will end with time for questions from the audience.

Learn about the 2024 Nebraska Rural Poll housing data. What housing programs or priorities do rural Nebraskans support? How do they rate various housing characteristics in their community? What are their general perceptions of housing in their community? After a presentation of Rural Poll results from Becky Vogt, Sharon Hueftle (from the South Central Economic Development District) and Shannon Harner (from the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority) will discuss the data, giving their interpretations and possible implications. The session will end with time for questions from the audience.

Learn about the 2024 Nebraska Rural Poll: Artificial Intelligence data. Artificial intelligence (AI), designed to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, is increasingly impacting daily life. However, many people are still learning about it and are unsure of the impacts it may have. Some have concerns, but others are optimistic about its uses. How many rural Nebraskans have used AI tools? How informed are they about it? How much trust or confidence do they have that it is used in the best interest of the public? What types of impacts do they think AI will have in the future on various items? After a presentation of Rural Poll results from Heather Akin, invited experts will discuss the data, giving their interpretations and possible implications. The session will end with time for questions from the audience.

How concerned are rural Nebraskans about various economic issues? What impacts do rural Nebraskans believe international trade has on the state as well as their own household? What items do they think are important to consider when determining US trade policy? After a brief discussion of the report highlights by Brad Lubben, Jill O'Donnell from the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance will give her interpretations and possible implications. The session will end with time for questions from the audience.

In this Session, participants had the opportunity to explore leadership beyond community boundaries. Together the participants and hosting educators explored how regional partnerships can be linked and leveraged to support growing community leadership capacities. Watch the recording to learn more about how regional partnerships are a focus of Rural Prosperity Nebraska.

Join us for a webinar discussion on the recent findings of the 2024 Rural Poll report on well-being in rural Nebraska. This insightful discussion will explore how rural Nebraskans are navigating challenges like inflation, labor shortages, housing costs, and declining farm income, as well as how these issues affect their mental health and overall satisfaction with life. We’ll also examine changes in well-being over the past 29 years and look at what this the report’s data means for the future of rural residents. Joining us will be experts in this field, Hannah Guenther and Beth Nacke, sharing their perspectives along with university faculty and staff, and Nebraska community members.