SRDC Adds New Spanish Language e-Commerce Curriculum

Web site Basics:  A Primer for Hispanic Small Businesses is the latest in eLearning tools added to the National e-Commerce Extension Initiative’s Learning Center.  This learning module can open doors for Hispanic Small Businesses through effective Web site design and online shopping options. So whether you have a business and are thinking about reaching Hispanic markets, or you are a Hispanic business looking to add e-commerce as a value-added measure, this module has something for you. Offered both in English and Spanish, this module is ideal for learners and educators wanting to expand their reach. For more information and to view the module, visit The Learning Center.

SRDC Brief Examines Infant Feeding Practices and Effects

The first few months of life may help cement more than bonding for an infant. These important months may also imprint patterns of eating that can contribute to obesity later in life. Several studies have found that infant feeding practices, particularly breast-fed versus formula-fed options, can contribute to early weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of childhood weight issues. Infants fed formula, for example, tend to take in more energy and grow at a faster rate than breastfed infants in the first year. Formula-fed infants are also more likely to be overfed and may be less able to self-regulate their intake. What leads to this trend among formula-fed infants is unclear, but some have pointed to a mother’s attitudes, abilities, and beliefs about infant feeding as a possible reason for the distinctions. Katherine Kavanagh and Cary Springer, in their recent paper, explore mothers’ attitudes toward feeding patterns, and add a new possibility: how the mother prepares the formula—whether she concentrates or dilutes it. Providing this important research in an accessible and brief format, the SRDC is pleased to announce “Incomes or Attitudes? What Determines Whether Mothers in the WIC Program Dilute or Concentrate Baby Formula ” as a new release in its new Food Assistance and Nutrition Information Series as a part of the Economic Research Service's Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) program. Other briefs in this series can be found at the Series page.

Knight Report Focuses on Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age

The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy is a group of 17 media, policy and community leaders. Its purpose is to assess the information needs of communities, and recommend measures to help Americans better meet those needs. The Knight Commission sees new thinking about news and information as a necessary step to sustaining democracy in the digital age. It thus follows in the footsteps of the 1940s Hutchins Commission and the Kerner and Carnegie Commissions of the 1960s. But in the digital age the stakes are even higher. Technological, economic and behavioral changes are dramatically altering how Americans communicate. Communications systems no longer run along the lines of local communities, and the gap in access to digital tools and skills is wide and troubling.  The Commission seeks to start a national discussion – leading to real action. Its aims are to maximize the availability and flow of credible local information; to enhance access and capacity to use the new tools of knowledge and exchange; and to encourage people to engage with information and each other within their geographic communities. Learn more at http://report.knightcomm.org/.

ERS Report Analyses Health Status and Health Care Access of Rural Populations

Rural residents have higher rates of age-adjusted mortality, disability, and chronic disease than their urban counterparts, though mortality and disability rates vary more by region than by metro status. Contributing negatively to the health status of rural residents are their lower socioeconomic status, higher incidence of both smoking and obesity, and lower levels of physical activity. Contributing negatively to the health status of farmers are the high risks from workplace hazards, which also affect other members of farm families who live on the premises and often share in the work; contributing positively are farmers’ higher socioeconomic status, lower incidence of smoking, and more active lifestyle. Both farm and rural populations experience lower access to health care along the dimensions of affordability, proximity, and quality, compared with their nonfarm and urban counterparts. Read the full report “Health Status and Health Care Access of Farm and Rural Populations.”

New Brief Suggests that Food Stamps Target Those Most in Need

The federal food stamp program helps approximately 15 million households (about 34 million individuals) put food on the table each year. At $39 billion in 2008, the budget of the program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is nearly two-thirds of the USDA’s food assistance budget. Not surprisingly, given the outlay, policymakers want to know its impact on participants’ nutrition and health. Steven Yen, Donald Bruce, and Lisa Jahns in their recent paper offer some insights on who benefits from the program and how. Specifically, they examine the relationship between SNAP participation and health and participants’ social and demographic characteristics. Providing this important research in an accessible and brief format, the SRDC is pleased to announce “Food Stamps Effectively Target Those Most in Need” as the latest release in its new Food Assistance and Nutrition Information Series as a part of the Economic Research Service's Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) program. Other briefs in this series can be found at the Series page.

SRDC Fall 2009 Webinar Series Featured on Extension Radio Program

Rachael Carter, Extension Associate in Community and Strategic Planning and a scheduled presenter for the upcoming Fall 2009 Webinar Series, interviewed for Farm and Family Radio to discuss the program. Kicking off October 29, this exciting series aimed at Extension educators, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Topics include beginning e-commerce activities, e-commerce for Hispanic small businesses, marketing food online, and introduction to e-tailing. Hear Carter answer questions about the program and learn how it can benefit you.

Listen to the Radio Interview [mp3]

Fall 2009 e-Commerce Webinar Series Thursday November 19 at 2 p.m.

In its second year, this Webinar Series is designed to inspire and encourage the adoption and use of e-commerce by a variety of businesses and local communities. Webinars take place on Thursday afternoons starting October 29, 2009. Currently scheduled Webinars are featured below:

Learn more including how to join these Webinars at the Webinar Series page.

e-Commerce Mini-Grants Provide $3000 for Extension Educators

The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) is pleased to announce the continuation of its initiative to foster implementation of one of its new e-commerce curricula. U.S. Land-Grant Extension educators or teams are invited to submit proposals outlining how they propose to implement one of the FOUR new e-commerce educational curricula that the SRDC is scheduled to release by this fall. The maximum amount allowed for any proposal is $3,000. For more information, visit The National e-Commerce Extension Initiative site.

Download the Complete Request for Proposals [PDF]