We are unapologetically rural. We stand up for the small family farmer, new business owner, and rural communities. For 40 years, we've been a leading force engaging people to build a better rural future.
We believe that where you live shouldn't determine your access to opportunity, education, and health. That's why we take rural voices to Washington, and we don't back down until we see that policies reflect the needs of all rural citizens.
We live for this work. Welcome to our rural movement.
As printed in the Des Moines Register on June 13, 2015:
As political candidates begin traveling across Iowa, they will no doubt be asked what action they will take on climate change. It’s important to help them remember that low-income, rural Americans are extremely vulnerable to the economic... Read more
Climate change is presenting some challenges in rural America, but there are also opportunities for innovation. What does the Center for Rural Affairs see as some of the primary challenges and opportunities in the Great Plains?
There is a major opportunity to invest in our future here. Renewable... Read more
The electric power transmission network was not designed to penetrate lightly populated regions of the Upper Midwest and Great Plains, a region brimming with wind energy potential. Instead, our grid was designed to connect large, individual generating units with discreet population centers. It is abundantly clear that... Read more
The climate is changing at a quickening pace as a direct result of human activities. Our actions cause increasing amounts of atmospheric greenhouse gases that trap solar energy, driving increasingly severe and frequent heat waves, droughts and strong storms.Agriculture contributes a relatively small portion of overall... Read more
