Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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PROCEEDINGS SPECIAL VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES August 30, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met in special session Monday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting was opened at 7:01 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate- Messenger and notice was given prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kevin Filsinger, Steve Stearns, Mike Klabenes, Kelly Kerkman, Steve Hankla. Others present: Lauren...
I don't know about you, but every year when back-to-school time rolls around, I look back and wonder just what happened to summer. It seems like Memorial Day was last week and the Fourth of July was yesterday, but yet here it is: The first day of school is looming right around the corner. And with school starting soon, it's time to think about what all those hungry kids are going to eat when they get home from school. "Healthy snacks can help children get the nutrients they need after a long day... Full story
Effective for 2021-22 school year, Summerland Public School will serve meals at no charge to enrolled students. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved use of the Seamless Summer Option, which allows local school districts to provide no-cost meals to all enrolled students, for the duration of the 2021-22 school year. The new school year requires a new meal application. Although school meals will be provided at no cost to all children, school funding depends on completed meal applications. It is important to submit a complete SY2021- 22...
Governor’s Misinformation Campaign on ‘30 x 30 Plan’ To the editor: Not long ago the secretary of agriculture announced a bold initiative that would cut the environmental footprint of US agriculture in half by the year 2050. The date was Feb. 20, 2020. The cabinet official was the Trump administration’s Sonny Perdue. Governor Pete Ricketts had little, if anything, to say about the ambitious “New Innovation Initiative for USDA” at the time, even though its objectives included radical goals for “conserving sensitive and marginal lands to enha...
This summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun accepting applications for two important programs for rural development. The first is the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge, which has seen a $2 million increase in funding after its initial set of grants met with a great deal of enthusiasm. This program is available to tribal entities, non-profits, local governments, universities and small businesses for the purpose of rural placemaking, which is a collaborative process to...
JOHNATHAN HLADIK Policy director Center for Rural Affairs Small business entrepreneurship is a key source of job creation for rural counties. These businesses generate economic activity that can multiply throughout the community. But, they also face many challenges, including difficulty in accessing capital and acquiring training for business planning and financial management. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program aims to address these challenges. R...
A potential resolution denouncing President Biden's Executive Order 14008, dubbed the 30 x 30 land grab, will have to wait, after Holt County Supervisors tabled the item during Monday's meeting in O'Neill. The executive order, titled "Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad," directed the secretary of the interior, secretary of agriculture and other senior officials to devise and submit a plan, by April 27, to conserve 30% of lands and waterways in the United States by 2030. According to...
PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES May 10, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met in regular session Monday, May 10, at 7 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting opened at 7:30 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger and notice was given to council persons prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kevin Filsinger, Kelly Kerkman, Mike Klabenes, Steve Hankla. Others present: Lauren Sheridan-Simonson, Kate...
SPECIAL MEETING PROCEEDINGS VILLAGE OF CLEARWATER BOARD OF TRUSTEES March 23, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the Village of Clearwater met in special session, Tuesday, March 23, 2021, at 7 p.m., in the fire hall meeting room. Meeting was opened at 7:01 p.m. Notice of meeting was given in advance by publication in Summerland Advocate-Messenger and notice was given prior to meeting. Public was informed of location of Open Meeting Act poster. Present: Kevin Filsinger, Steve Stearns, Mike Klabenes, Kelly Kerkman, Steve Hankla. Others present: Tyler...
The Legislature gave first-round approval to a bill that attempts to make it easier for the consumer to purchase individual packages of meat directly from the producer or processor. LB 324 authorizes herd-share agreements with a producer prior to slaughter, thereby giving the consumer an ownership interest in the animal. The farmer and consumer will develop a bill of sale that decides where the animal will be processed, which cuts of meat will be available and at what price. Then the farmer...
Madelyn Meier Nebraska News Service With the 20 below-freezing temperatures that swept Nebraska this winter, most gardeners had a concern: if previously planted perennials would grow this year. For plant lovers and gardeners alike, the snow layers have acted as good insulation against extreme temperatures, protecting most herbaceous perennials. “Snow cover helped keep soil temperatures from reaching the extreme lows, so the roots should still be in good condition and resume normal growth in the spring,” said Kyle Broderick, extension edu...
For almost 50 years, the Center for Rural Affairs has been a leading force in standing up for the family farmer and rancher, small business owner and rural communities. We look forward to working with former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack; President-Elect Joe Biden; and the new USDA leadership as they listen to and work with rural Americans. On Dec. 10, Vilsack was officially nominated for the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All Cabinet appointees, including Secretary of...
Who deserves farm payments? Farm payments should be reserved for family farms facing difficult times, but the government and taxpayers should not support checks without limit to the largest operations. While enacting limits on farm payments, Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have failed to close loopholes that enable the largest farms to maneuver around them. Most farm payment programs are subject to a maximum payment, and generally farms with an adjusted gross income of more than...
For those who have served in the military, agriculture can be a rewarding next move. Veterans who have gotten involved with farming after retiring from the military have found possibilities they hadn't previously imagined. Caring for plants, animals and the land can be an antidote to PTSD, an avenue to channel a strong work ethic and skill set and a chance to reach new horizons and connect with new and supportive networks. But, how does one get started? Many resources exist for veterans...
Hunters should expect to find pheasants in numbers similar or slightly higher than last year when the Nebraska pheasant, quail and partridge seasons open on Oct. 31. Pheasant counts were up 5% statewide, according to the July Rural Mail Carrier Survey. Notable increases were observed in the southwest and Panhandle. Quail counts during the July survey and the Whistle Count Survey were 14-16% lower compared to 2019. Populations seem to be recovering from losses incurred during the severe spring of 2019. Nesting conditions were favorable...
Despite bipartisan support, rural small businesses and communities with loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program will not be included in the latest stimulus package for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The updated Heroes Act, introduced Monday in the U.S. House of Representatives, does not include provisions outlined in the Rural Equal Aid Act. “Rural small businesses continue to feel the effects of the pandemic and, while they are doing their best to keep the doors open, they are hurting,” said...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture opened applications on Sept. 21 for the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2. This program will offer payments to farmers and ranchers who may have suffered economic impacts caused by the coronavirus. Many farmers and ranchers are eligible to apply for CFAP 2. This includes row crop and livestock producers, as well as those who produce newly-eligible commodities such as broilers and eggs, additional specialty crops and specialty livestock. Those who...
Small businesses continue to feel the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. While they are doing their best to keep the doors open, they are hurting. That is especially true in our rural towns. Congress has acted to provide businesses with loans through the Small Business Administration six months of payment forgiveness. This is a lifeline for big city enterprises, but it doesn’t help rural entrepreneurs. That is because many rural businesses do not have access to an SBA lender and must borrow f...
KAYLA BERGMAN Policy associate Center for Rural Affairs A bipartisan committee in the U.S. House of Representatives recently released a comprehensive plan outlining the policy steps needed to address climate change. The report, “Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America,” lays out detailed, actionable climate solutions legislation that the committee believes Congress should enact. Rural America has seen the effects of climate change, with increased extreme wea...
The Trump administration announced Monday that the United States Department of Agriculture is investing $462 million to modernize critical drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across rural America. According to the USDA, 161 projects will benefit 467,000 individuals across the U.S., including Clearwater and Page residents. "Upgrading the infrastructure that delivers safe drinking water and modern wastewater management facilities will improve public health and drive economic development...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture reported Tuesday Nebraska citizens have received unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail in recent days. "Our team has, and will continue to, work with USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service on any reports received in Nebraska," department personnel reported on its social media accounts. Individuals who receive one of these packages should not open it. The seeds should not be planted, either. Anyone receiving a sealed seed packet should keep packets...
CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS On June 26, U.S. Reps. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, and Abigail Spanberger, Democrat from Virginia, members of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced a companion bill to the Growing Climate Solutions Act, H.R. 7393. The Senate bill, S. 3894, was introduced by Sens. Mike Braun, Republican from Indiana, and Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in early June. The bill would standardize the agricultural carbon market and was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. “These bills come at a critical t...
KAYLA BERGMAN Policy Associate Center for Rural Affairs Planting and emergence progress for both corn and soybeans are currently ahead of the five-year average across the Midwest. But, still fresh in farmers’ minds is the 2019 planting season, which was severely delayed due to record-breaking precipitation that led to flooded fields and excess soil moisture. According to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, on June 2, 2019, corn-producing states had completed only 67% of planting. In addition, NASS reported the soybean-producing s...
ANNA JOHNSON Policy Manager, Center for Rural Affairs In approving a $9.5 billion agriculture relief package in March, Congress asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use the funds to support producers, including livestock, specialty crops and local food producers. However, USDA’s new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) includes multiple provisions designed to allow the largest producers to side-step normal payment limitations and provides almost no support for small producers selling to local markets. First, CFAP allows o...
CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS As lawmakers consider legislation to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, a group of 64 small business lenders across 32 states are calling on Congress to treat rural and urban businesses equally when it comes to providing relief. While the recently-passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act created a program that provides immediate relief to small businesses with loans from the Small Business Administration, there was no such provision for those who have loans from the U.S. Department...
