PUBLICATIONS
Millennials internalized the effects of the most recent recession and revealed their beliefs about the economy and jobs future in a recent poll conducted by EY, a professional services company, and the Economic Innovation Group. Nearly one-third believe their community is still in a recession and 78 percent are worried about having good-paying job opportunities, according to the poll. Hard work is an important factor to get ahead in life, say 88 percent of the 18-34 year olds, and two-thirds say having a college education is important, but just 49 percent believe the benefits of a college education will be worth the cost. More than half feel a great deal of confidence about the military and colleges and universities, but other institutions such as the government, organized religion and the news media garner far less confidence. While 78 percent consider entrepreneurs successful and 62 percent have considered starting their own business, 42 percent cite the lack of financial means as the top obstacle to launching a startup. Instead, Millennials appear to prefer to climb the corporate ladder, with 44 percent saying the best way to advance their career is by staying at one company and working their way up the ladder and another 25 percent cite moving between different companies and advancing along the way. Only 22 percent felt that starting their own company would be the best way to advance.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) requests public comment on the overarching regulatory framework for the Regional Innovation Program. Comments should focus on the structure and implementation of the Regional Innovation Program, including Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) grants. Through the RIS program, EDA awards grants for capacity-building programs that provide proof-of-concept and commercialization assistance to innovators and entrepreneurs, as well as operational support for organizations that provide essential early stage funding to startup companies. Comments should address one or more of several topics including, but not limited to:
- Purpose and scope of the Regional Innovation Program and/or RIS program;
- Program eligibility and matching share requirements; and,
- RIS Application components, evaluation, and selection criteria.
Comments must be submitted by November 21.
Because existing evidence points to the presence of broadband as having a positive connection to the economic health in rural areas, numerous states and the federal government have made increasing broadband in these places a top priority. In particular, many rural areas view broadband as an important tool in attracting entrepreneurs and other creative-class employees. Although this tactic is well intentioned, new research suggests that the association between expanded rural broadband availability and the proliferation of entrepreneurship and creative-class employees may not be as strong as one might think, and that the relationship may actually be negative. Read more...
- 4.Tom Vilsack's Lonely Fight for a 'Forgotten' Rural America
Sep 26, 2016 -- Details Secretary Tom Vilsack's efforts to address the opioid epidemic, the evolution of his career, and his focus on the needs of rural America.
Source: The Washington Post
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs passed the Indian Health Service Accountability Act of 2016 which is anticipated to improve patient safety and quality of care by increasing accountability and transparency at the Indian Health Service. The committee passed this act based on feedback from tribes and the administration to address what they characterized as persistent failures by the Indian Health Service.
Source: United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
- 6.State of Obesity 2016: Better Policies for a Healthier America
Report on obesity related trends and topics. Includes data and statistics for both adults and children and provides examples of successful programs and policies across the country. Also addresses obesity and chronic disease trends in both urban and rural areas.
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
Date: 09/2016
The number of people participating in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been declining now for several years from a high of nearly 48 million people back in 2013 to a little more than 43 million in June. That is a drop of about 4.4 million people. This downward trend is encouraging but should [...]
USDA measures food security status at the household level. Food-insecure households were, at times, unable to acquire adequate food for one or more household members due to insufficient money and other resources. Statistics on the number of persons residing in food-insecure households should be interpreted carefully. Within a food-insecure household, different household members may have been affected differently. Some members—particularly young children—may have experienced only mild effects of food insecurity or none at all, while adults were more severely affected. In 2015, 42.2 million people lived in food-insecure households. Out of these individuals, 14.6 million lived in households in the severe range of food insecurity, described as very low food security. Households with very low food security were food insecure to the extent that eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake was reduced at some point during the year. The statistics for this chart are from Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2015, AP-072, released on September 7, 2015.
Eating out accounts for a significant share of Americans’ food budgets and diets. ERS analysis of data from the Eating and Health Module of the American Time Use Survey provides a snapshot of which household types are purchasing “fast food” and how often. Fast food in the analysis includes prepared food from a deli, carry-out and delivery food, and food from a fast food restaurant. Over an average week in 2014, 58.2 percent of American adults purchased fast food and those who purchased fast food did so an average of 2.7 times. Couples with children were the most likely to purchase fast food (64.5 percent), whereas single-person households were the least likely (51.1, percent). However, single-person households had the highest average number of weekly fast food purchases. Men who purchased fast food did so an average of 3 times per week, whereas women who had purchased fast food averaged 2.5 times.
The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Tuesday that median household income increased to $56,516 in 2015, a jump of 5.2 percent from the 2014 median income of $53,718 and the first increase since 2007. However, real median household income in 2015 was 1.6 percent lower than in 2007, the year before the Great Recession, and 2.4 percent lower than the median household income peak, which occurred in 1999. Ten states (HI, KY, MT, NH, OR, RI, TN, VT, WI and WY) and the District of Columbia saw median household incomes increase by more than 5 percent, although with the margin of error it is possible that some of these states saw increases of less than 1 percent, according to data presented in Table 1 of Household Income: 2015. Only Puerto Rico saw the median household income decline from 2014 levels; ID and NJ saw increases of less than 1 percent. The U.S. Census Bureau also announced that the nation’s official poverty rate in 2015 was 13.5 percent, a 1.2 percentage point decrease in the poverty rate from 2014. The decrease represents the largest annual percentage point drop in poverty since 1999. The findings are contained in Income and Poverty in the United States: 2015.
The Communities That Work Partnership, a national project to support industry-led workforce development efforts, has released seven case studies highlighting what it considers to be best practices for regions seeking ways to strengthen talent pipelines for local employers and improve access to quality employment for jobseekers. Launched in April 2015 by the Aspen Institute Workforce Strategies Initiative and the Economic Development Administration, with additional support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the partnership has two goals: to accelerate regional economic development through peer learning, and to document stories of how regional teams can improve links between the demand side and supply side of regional systems. Read more...
- 12.White House Blog: Local Foods, Local Places Empowers Creative Economic Development in Rural and Urban Communities
Local Foods, Local Places, an effort to support communities that are building local food systems, is empowering local leaders and citizens to strengthen their communities
Learn more about the Local Foods, Local Places
- 13.Rural America at a Glance - United States Department of Agriculture Fact Sheet
An important indicator of economic recovery is employment. After several years of stagnation, the pace of employment growth in rural areas increased in 2014. Employment gains were significantly higher over the past year compared to previous years in the recovery period, although rural employment remains below pre-recession levels. Rural areas continue to experience population loss, higher poverty rates, and lower educational attainment than urban areas.
View Rural America at A Glance - United States Department of Agriculture Fact Sheet
EVENTS/LEARNING
- October is National Cooperative Month!
As part of this month’s celebration, USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is holding a series of training and informational webinars to showcase the many important ways cooperatives empower our daily lives. For the full calendar of events for Co-op Month, visit http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs/cooperative-programs, or to request special accommodations, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
- a.
1-2:15 pm EST Speaker: Margaret Bau, RBS Cooperative Programs
Webinar/Audio: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/x3d3w44ec7ex&eom
2-3:15 pm EST Facilitator: Meegan Moriarty, RBS Cooperative Programs
Speakers: Todd R. Eskelsen, Schiff Hardin, LLP and Marlis Carson, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Webinar/Audio: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/fjn0raup3sgh&eom
2-3:15 pm EST Facilitator: Margaret Bau, RBS Cooperative Programs
Speakers: Dr. David Proctor, Rural Grocery Initiative, Kansas State University and Marnie Thompson, Fund 4 Democratic Communities
Webinar/Audio: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/v92f7ysqo9k0&eom
- Oct 19, 2016 Farm to School and the Role of Cooperatives – Producer and Buyer Perspectives
2-3:15 pm EST Facilitator: James Barham, RBS Cooperative Programs
Speakers: Andrea Northup, USDA Food Nutrition Service, Jennie Rengert, Fifth Season Cooperative, Krista Garand, Durango School District, and Janet Fogel, Mancos School District
Webinar/Audio: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/jlm99m0d6tul&eom
2-3:15 pm EST Facilitator: Scott Cessarich, RBS Cooperative Programs
Speakers: Jesus Lucero, USA Cooperative Youth Council, Hnin Hnin, Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive, and Morgan Crawford, North American Students of Cooperation
Webinar/Audio: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/57tvjzrooxe4&eom
10:30 am-12 pm EST Facilitator: Claudette Fernandez, RBS Cooperative Programs / Community Economic Development
(Whitten Bldg - 107A) Speakers: Cornelius Blanding, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Mai Nguyen, California Center for Cooperative Development, and Nikki Marin Baena, Southern Reparations Loan Fund
Webinar/Audio: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/8gljluzevxt8&eom
- Visionaries PBS Series Documentary: September 29, 2016, 5:30-7:00 pm Eastern Time
Highlights 7 Cooperative’s Stories in U.S. and Around World
• Location: Capital Visitors Center Washington, D.C.
• NCBA - Celebrating 100 years of service
- Department of Labor Online Skills Repository
The Department of Labor has launched an online skills repository, www.SkillsCommons.org. Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grantees are required to openly license any learning materials developed through the grant and share those materials through this free and open repository, creating what has become the world’s largest Open Educational Resource (OER) project featuring job-driven workforce development materials, with more resources added regularly. SkillsCommons.org now contains learning materials and program support materials for job-driven workforce development in 16 high-demand fields including sectors within manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and information technology. All 256 TAACCCT grantees, involving nearly 700 of the nation’s 1,100 community colleges, are contributing materials. More than 6,000 resources are already available for download, featuring curricula for both short and long-term courses leading to industry-recognized credentials. All teaching, learning, and supporting materials on SkillsCommons.org are available under a Creative Commons license that allows others to use and adapt the materials at no cost.
