Manufacturing Summit highlights partnerships that promote rural jobs

The SRDC took part in a recent Manufacturing Summit at Mississippi State University, which highlighted the importance of communities working across county lines to bring jobs to rural regions of the state.
Get the details.

“Tracking Sales to Learn What Customers Really Think” webinar airs May 8

The National The eXtension Entrepreneurship webinar series finishes the season with presentations of interest to farmers' market vendors and farmstand owners. A free May 9 webinar, “Tracking Sales to Learn What Customers Really Think,” hosted by Mary Peabody of UVM Extension, will provide both simple and more involved strategies to collect consumer information.
Find out more.

Launch Issue

Farewell and Thank You

This is the last newsletter that will be released in my role as director of the SRDC. I am departing the Center at the end of the month and will start in my new job at Purdue University on April 1. I want to thank all of you I worked with personally, or those I have met by phone or email, for the support you have given the Center and me over the course of my career at Mississippi State University. Many of you have worked tirelessly with the SRDC staff to advance community development research and Extension programs in the South. I can attest to the fact that our collective efforts have left an imprint on the work of many of our land-grant colleagues and partners across the nation. Please help us keep the important work of the SRDC going strong. Despite the fiscal challenges facing many of our land-grant schools, there is no better time than now to invest in the synergistic work that the Center brings to fruition in the South and beyond on a consistent and high quality manner. Linking the talents of our land-grant colleagues and external partners is what the Center does best – something that we desperately need in times of federal cut-backs and state funding challenges. Best wishes to all of you, and please feel free to send me an email at ljb@purdue.edu. Take care and thank you for the opportunity to serve as SRDC director for nearly 16 years.
Bo Beaulieu

Nominations for 2013 Bonnie Teater Community Development Award due April 1

This year's Bonnie Teater Community Development Early Career Achievement Award will honor an administrator, specialist or agent in the Southern Region who has achieved great things in Extension community development with less than 10 years on the job. Named in honor of Ms. Teater, an SRDC staff member for more than 30 years, the award comes with a $500 stipend. Nomination deadline is Monday, April 1, 2013.
Get the details.

Launch Issue

2012 Annual Report highlights citizen engagement programs

The 2012 SRDC Annual Report, Investing in Citizen Participation: Building Solutions Together, captures the variety of Extension and Research activities spearheaded by the Center over the past year in partnership with its land-grant university colleagues and key external collaborators. The report devotes special attention to SRDC projects that broaden the voices of the people who are working together to make life better for their communities and regions. Our Turning the Tide on Poverty initiative, Stronger Economies Together (SET) program, and ReadyCommunity training all promote citizen engagement and community vitality. We encourage you to take a few minutes to explore the highlights of the 2012 SRDC Annual Report.
Read more.

SET program now accepting Phase IV applications

The Stronger Economies Together (SET) initiative, launched over 3 years ago by USDA Rural Development in collaboration with the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers and their land-grant university partners, is now accepting applications from states wishing to take part in the next phase of the SET program. SET provides training and technical assistance to multi-county regional teams in the selected states, helping them assess their regional economic advantages and build a thoughtful regional plan for strategically building on their regional clusters. Applications are open to any state, including those that have taken part in past phases of the SET program.
Get the details.

Launch Issue

Longtime SRDC director headed to Purdue

Dr. Bo Beaulieu, who has led the SRDC for more than 15 years, has been named as Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development/Assistant Vice President for Engagement at Purdue University. In advance of his April 1 start date at Purdue, he shares his thoughts with his colleagues.
Read more.

NARDeP Center announces upcoming natural gas extractions webinar

The National Agricultural & Rural Development Policy (NARDeP) Center will host a free “Natural Gas Extraction: Issues and Policy Options” webinar Wednesday, Feb. 27 at noon (ET) that explores the basics of modern natural gas extraction and the challenges and opportunities of today’s natural gas industry.
Get the details..

Launch Issue

Happy holidays from the SRDC

It’s hard to believe that 2012 is almost over. Where has the year gone? In reflecting on the many programs and activities that the SRDC has accomplished over the past year, it is clear that these important efforts would not have been possible without the support and active commitment of many of you. On behalf of the SRDC staff, I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a successful 2013. Please note that the SRDC and Mississippi State University will be closed from December 21, 2012 to January 3, 2013. Look forward to seeing you next year!
Bo Beaulieu, Director

A big boost for 26 small-town arts projects

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced the latest Challenge America Fast-Track grants, with 26 recipients based in rural communities such as Columbus, MS and Guntersville, AL. The program extends “the reach of the arts to populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.”
Read the Daily Yonder article..

Launch Issue

Jobs 2.0: EconSouth explores economic development in the rural south

Rural communities have traditionally lagged their urban cousins in terms of economic growth and jobs, a persistent challenge for policymakers. In "Wanted: Jobs 2.0 in the Rural Southeast," EconSouth magazine explores the hardships associated with creating jobs in the region's rural communities. As economic developers have found, it often takes more than tax incentives and inexpensive land to attract new employers. Read the article featuring SRDC Director Bo Beaulieu and don't miss his Q&A feature.

e-BEAT celebrates successful first year

The Mississippi State University Extension Broadband Education and Adoption Team (e-BEAT) has been responding to the broadband education and information needs of households, local governments, small businesses, public libraries, schools and others since its establishment in July 2011. A new brochure showcasing e-BEAT's important work, in collaboration with its partners, is now available.
Check out its first year accomplishment report.

Launch Issue

RIDGE Center awards 2012 grants for food and nutrition assistance research

The RIDGE Center for Targeted Studies @ the SRDC, in partnership with the Economic Research Service, is pleased to announce the 2012 slate of three doctoral dissertation grantees and four regular competitive grants program recipients. These innovative social sciences-based research projects exploring the food and nutrition assistance challenges facing key populations in rural America are slated to be completed fall 2013. See the list of awards.

SRDC board and TOAC meet this month

The Southern Rural Development Center's Board of Directors and Technical and Operational Advisory Committee (TOAC) will come together on October 23-25 in Frankfort, Ky., to take part in its annual meeting. TOAC will review the past activities of the Center and will work in partnership with the staff to develop a new plan of work for the coming year. The Board will examine the fiscal health of the Center and formally approve its 2013 budget and work plan. Both committees are constituted of representatives from region's 1862 and 1980 land-grant institutions and private/philanthropic organization leaders. The SRDC is grateful for the support and commitment of the Board and TOAC members to the ongoing work of the Center.

Launch Issue

New SET regions ready to build on their economic strengths

Eleven new regions in six states have joined the Stronger Economies Together (SET) initiative, which enables communities and counties in rural America to work together on a regional basis to develop an economic development blueprint that strategically builds on their current and emerging economic strengths. More than 50 regions in 26 states have participated in SET since its 2010 launch.
Check out the new regions.

Sustainable Community Innovation Grant applications due Oct. 1

The Sustainable Community Innovation Grant program, a partnership of the Southern Rural Development Center and the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE), is now open to a variety of innovative projects that successfully link sustainable agriculture with sustainable community activities. Project maximum is $10,000 for up to two years of activities that are intended to increase knowledge, build capacity, and make connections between sustainable agriculture and rural communities to the benefit of people who live in those communities. Grant proposal deadline is October 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Announcement of awarded grants will take place in December.
Download the Call for Proposals.

Launch Issue