Compiled by Deb Miller Slipek, News Finder Extraordinary &
Jane Leonard, MRP President & Editor

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Across the Field: A Vote for Engagement & Critical Thinking
- Policy
- Funding
- Meetings & Conferences
- Professional Opportunities
- Tools & Miscellaneous

ACROSS THE FIELD, by Jane Leonard
A Vote for Engagement & Critical Thinking

Today, November 8, is Election Day for many communities across Minnesota. For the most part, voters will come to the polls to select local officials and decide on local issues. It's not an election like last year's presidential race, which received 24-hour coverage. This year we do the heart and soul of elections, those that reflect the core of American democracy: local people in their own communities making decisions about who will lead them for the next two or four years. These decisions, for the most part, are made without relentless advertising distortions. Instead, we've had the time and space for critical thinking about matters close to home. If you are reading this and haven't made it to your polling place yet - please go vote. If you have already cast your vote, congratulations and thank you for doing your duty as an engaged American!

And speaking of engaging Americans, we offer tribute to our friends at the Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce (MAICC), which last week received the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits Advocacy Award. As the oldest continually running ethnic chamber of commerce in the state of Minnesota and the oldest Indian Chamber of Commerce in the United States, the MAICC promotes entrepreneurial partnerships among American Indian businesses, professionals, and tribal governmental enterprises to elevate and sustain the economic vitality of local communities and the American Indian people. In 2004, the MAICC provided effective leadership and strategy to help coordinate the first statewide Indian Get-Out-The-Vote campaign. MAICC conducted community trainings, disseminated voter registration information to their members and other community members, maintained a calendar of voter registration-related events, fought efforts to disallow Tribal IDs for same-day registration, coordinated an Election Day celebration, and served as a voter registration hub for organizations state- and nation-wide. MAICC's unprecedented work had a significant impact; some estimates show that as a result of MAICC's efforts, American Indian voter participation in Minnesota increased as much as 150 percent.

Another way you can support the civic values we hold dear in America is to find out more about issues critical to free speech and vibrant communications in our society, and securing a healthy rural economy. Two sets of related meetings on these issues are upcoming this month and in December. If you don't pay close attention, you might think they are duplicative - but they are not. So here's the "skinny," as my Grandpa used to say:

On the vibrant communications issues, next week the Blandin Foundation hosts the "Growing with Gigabits: Making the 'Net Work' for Minnesota" conference, Nov 16 and 17, at the St. Cloud Radisson. It's a chance to see how far we've come in telecommunications policy, infrastructure development, and community uses of broadband since the first (and last) "Grassroots Call to Action: Telecommunications for Rural Minnesota" conference in 1995. Then, a month later on December 12, in Minneapolis, the Minnesota State Network Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation hosts the 2nd annual Digital Junction conference. This year the theme is "Digital Junction - A New Crossroads - Digital Justice." You can sign up for either (or both) conferences through our website at http://www.minnesotaruralpartners.org.

People who don't follow these issues closely might be confused by the initial similarity of the two events because they will associate them both under the heading "technology." However, the November Blandin meeting covers best practices in Minnesota and around the country with communities leading the way on broadband use for community economic advantage. The December Digital Justice conference is a good follow-up, with strategies to help those still being left behind even as many policymakers have declared the digital divide to be bridged. The Digital Junction conference seeks to close the divide in digital literacy. It will examine the emerging field of community informatics, which ties information and communications technology (ICT) to community development work, including the smart use of ICT for decision-making and policy analysis and development -- so we won't continue to leave people behind as so much of our society and economy become tied directly to advances in ICT.

As for the second issue, securing a health rural economy, if you want to delve more deeply into the economic issues of our era, come to the Prairie Rural Action conference for the Great Plains states, next week, November 14 and 15 at the Fargo Civic Center in Fargo, North Dakota. Organizations and individuals throughout the Great Plains are coming together to promote new nonpartisan approaches and policies for revitalizing rural communities. You can still sign up at http://prairieruralaction.org.

And less than a month later at The Freeman Forum Lecture, December 9, in Minneapolis, you can hear from those inside and outside the United States with new policy ideas for the soon-to-be reauthorized U.S. farm bill, which affects all manner of rural development and the rural economy. "Globalization and U.S. Farm Policy" will feature voices who challenge current U.S. farm policy, including the Brazilian trade negotiator Pedro de Camargo Neto, who is the former Secretary of Production and Trade, Ministry of Agriculture, Brazil; and Professor Daryll E. Ray, director, Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, University of Tennessee. Minnesota's Congressional delegation (those members who serve on the Agriculture committees) have been invited to respond. Professor C. Ford Runge of the University of Minnesota will help set context with a brief overview of trade and farm policy for those of us who aren't insiders in what can be arcane but incredibly important discussions on U.S. farm and rural policy. You can register for the free lectures at www.freemanforum.org.

On a personal note, The Freeman Forum lectures series was established by the University of Minnesota two years ago in partnership with the Freeman Forum, to honor the legacy of Minnesota's former Governor Orville Freeman. Freeman also served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. My father served in those administrations with Governor and Secretary Freeman. As a child, I was lucky to split my time between Washington and Minnesota during those years, soaking up the ideals of public service and building an enduring love of Minnesota's vitality. It is a labor of love for me to participate in the organizing of the Freeman Forum lecture series, carrying on the Freeman legacy of learning many perspectives of issues and then coming to decisions that in partnership move us all forward, together.

POLICY

LOW-SKILL EMPLOYMENT AND THE CHANGING ECONOMY OF RURAL AMERICA. This study reports trends in rural low-skill employment in the 1990s and their impact on the rural workforce. The share of rural jobs classified as low-skill fell by 2.2 percentage points between 1990 and 2000, twice the decline of the urban low-skill employment share, but much less than the decline of the 1980s. Employment shifts from low-skill to skilled occupations within industries, rather than changes in industry mix, explain virtually the entire decline in the rural low-skill employment share. The share decline was particularly large for rural Black women, many of whom moved out of low-skill blue-collar work into service occupations, while the share of rural Hispanics who held low-skill jobs increased. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/ERR10
The following three articles regarding rural policy issues come from AMBER WAVES, NOVEMBER 2005. To view the entire E-zine go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/November05/

EDUCATION AS A RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. Good schools and a well-educated labor force benefit both workers and their communities. But rural areas often face special challenges in their efforts to raise school quality and educational attainment. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/November05/Features/Education.htm

WHERE YOU SHOP MATTERS: STORE FORMATS DRIVE VARIATION IN RETAIL FOOD PRICES. Just 20 years ago, traditional grocery stores claimed nearly 90 percent of Americans' at-home food purchases. Today, their share has dropped to 69 percent. Led by retail giants Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target, nontraditional food stores have managed to grab market share by enticing consumers with a formula of one-stop shopping and lower prices. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/November05/Features/WhereYouShop.htm

U.S. DAIRY AT A NEW CROSSROADS IN A GLOBAL SETTING. This Amber Waves article addresses how global dairy markets have changed and asks the question whether dairy policies stand in the way of the industry taking advantage of new market opportunities. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/November05/Features/USDairy.htm

FUNDING

--The 2006 Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Grant Program helps small rural hospitals undertake needed modernization projects. Applicants may apply for grants of up to $125,000. Pre-applications are due November 14, 2005. Applications are online at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/grants.htm or contact Mark Schoenbaum at (651) 282-3859 or mark.schoenbaum@health.state.mn.us

--Organic Farm Certification Cost Share Program: November 15, 2005 is the deadline for this annual MN Dept. of Agriculture program that pays for 75% of the costs of certification. See: http://www.nextstep.state.mn.us/res_detail.cfm?id=1172&xx=cost%20share

--The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is soliciting applications for cooperative agreements to enable rural and small urban health care systems to become platforms for research programs on underage drinking. A Letter of Intent is due November 19, 2005 and the application deadline is December 19, 2005. Information online at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AA-06-003.html

--The National Gardening Association and Home Depot will award Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered, outdoor garden programs. The focus is on social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, service-learning, etc. The deadline is Nov. 30. More information is available at http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants.asp or call 800-538-7476.

--State and federal loan forgiveness or loan repayment programs are available now to health care students or health profession residents. Minnesota State Loan Forgiveness Program applications are due December 1, 2005. Applications and information are online at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/loan.htm or contact Karen Welter at (651) 282-6302 or karen.welter@health.state.mn.us.

--The EPA has released the Proposal Guidelines for the next round of Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grants. These grants are part of the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act to help states and communities clean up and revitalize Brownfield sites. Proposals are due to EPA by December 14. The guidelines are at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm or call 202 566-2777 for more information.

--The Morris K. Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Internship Program is accepting applications. Twelve awards will be made to Native Americans and Alaska Natives who have demonstrated an interest in fields related to tribal public policy. The deadline is January 31, 2006. For more information visit: http://www.nativephilanthropy.org/news.html#51

--A Federal/State Loan Repayment Program is available for licensed providers practicing in health professional shortage areas. Information, candidate applications and site applications for the Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program are on the Minnesota Department of Health Web site at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/loan.htm. National Health Service Corps information is online at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/. Contact Deb Jahnke at debra.jahnke@health.state.mn.us or (651) 282-6334 with questions on either program.

--The Minnesota Rural Flex Grant Program preserves access to needed health services and encourages collaboration and integration of rural community health systems. Grants may also be used for quality improvement, network development, health system improvements, and strengthening and integrating the Emergency Management system. Eligible applicants are rural hospitals with 50 or fewer beds, Critical Access Hospitals, rural health networks, and rural EMS organizations. Information is online at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/grants.htm#flex or contact Pam Hayes at (651) 282-6304 or pamela.hayes@health.state.mn.us

--CharityAdvantage is now accepting proposals for NP Online Action, a $4.2 million technology product and service program to improve technology and web-related activities for U.S.-based nonprofit organizations. The application deadline is open. For more information, visit http://www.charityadvantage.com/ or call 760-723-1985.

--The Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Rural Housing Service announced approximately $6 million of grant funds for the Rural Community Development Initiative program. Grants will be made to qualified intermediary organizations, such as faith-based and community organizations that will provide financial and technical assistance for housing, community facilities, or community and economic development. Applicants must match funds. Check out www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/USDA/RD/RHS/USDA-RD-RHS-05-008/Grant.html.

CONFERENCES & MEETINGS

--Nonpartisan approach grows in rural policymaking: The Founding Meeting of Prairie Rural Action will be November 14-15, 2005 at the Fargo Civic Center, Fargo, ND. Organizations and individuals throughout the U.S.Great Plains are invited to join Prairie Rural Action to promote new nonpartisan approaches and policies for revitalizing rural communities. This founding meeting is being convened by Northern Great Plains, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the Center for Rural Affairs, Renewing the Countryside, and the League of Rural Voters. For more information, see http://prairieruralaction.org.

--Growing with Gigabits: Making the 'Net Work' for Minnesota will be held November 16 - 17, 2005 at the Radisson Hotel, St. Cloud. Space is still available! This Broadband Conference will help us tackle a new broadband vision for Minnesota. Hear about community success stories, public-private opportunities and the pros and cons of various technology scenarios. Special Presentation: Governor Pawlenty live via Video-Conference from Hong Kong For more information check out the conference website at (http://www.blandinfoundation.org/html/public_bb_conferences.cfm) or contact Denise Pfeifer at dpfeifer@minnesotaruralpartners.org or 507.828.5559 for more details. REGISTER TODAY! (http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=82420)

--The 2007 Farm Bill discussions are all around us. Take part ina special one on December 9, on Globalization and U.S. Farm Policy - the second Freeman Lecture of 2005. Situation: A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute panel in 2004, acting on a Brazilian complaint, said U.S. cotton program subsidies are illegal, violating U.S. trade obligations accepted by Congress in 1994. That finding greatly complicates U.S. farm policy. Congress in 2007 must adopt new farm legislation, but how will it differ from today's policy? How will net farm income, dependent on farm subsidies, be provided, if U.S. subsidies are illegal? What farm policy will enable farmers to live on farmgate sales while excess global production depresses farm prices? The Freeman Lecture will shed new light on this dilemma with speakers who include the former Brazilian trade negotiator who led the successful challenge to U.S. cotton subsidies, along with a Tennessee economist who builds new policy ideas upon those that former Minnesota Governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman proposed for supply management a half century ago. A panel of Minnesota's U.S. Senators and Representatives are invited to provide their perspectives as members of agricultural committees in Congress who will help write the 2007 farm bill. The Lecture is free. Lunch is available. Register at http://www.freemanforum.org

--Digital Junction-New Crossroads - Digital Justice, 2nd annual conference on grassroots use of communications and information technologies for community development, hosted by The Minneapolis Foundation Minnesota State Network Fund. December 12, 2005, Four Points Sheraton, Minneapolis. Cost is $25, with sliding scale for group attendance. Registration available soon at http://www.msnetfund.org.

--The Nebraska Food Processing Center is offering "From Recipe to Reality," Value-Added Food Processing Training will be in St. Paul, MN - April 11. For more information contact Jill Gifford at jgifford1@unl.edu or 402 472-2819.

--The Community Development Academy Courses 1, Building Communities from the Grassroots and Course 2, Empowering Communities for the Future will be taught in the Winter 2006 Community Development Academy coming Monday, March 27-Friday, March 31, 2006, at the Mercy Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Community Development Academy is a series of three courses offered by the University of Missouri Community Development Program focusing on hands-on activities to develop skills needed for effective work in community settings. Find more information contact Steve Jeanetta at JeanettaS@missouri.edu or check out our website at http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/commdev/cda/cda.htm

JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES

The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation is accepting applications for the position of Business and Economic Development Officer. The position requires an experienced economic and community development professional with excellent project and program management abilities; the ability to manage experienced professionals and to work within a fast paced, multifaceted environment. Undergraduate degree required. Master degree preferred. Knowledge of economic and business development programs required and familiarity with southern Minnesota helpful. Competitive salary and benefits. All resumes must be accompanied by a cover letter. Closing Date: November 18, 2005. Apply to Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, ATTN: Melissa Langer, 525 Florence Ave. Owatonna, MN 55060 melissal@smifoundation.org.

MISCELLANEOUS

--Northwest Area Foundation has issued a "Call for Presentations" for its September 16-19, 2006 Grassroots and Groundwork Conference to be held in St. Paul, Minnesota. See the following website for an application: http://programs.nwaf.org/pr/nwaf/grassroots/default.asp
Presentation applications are due January 9, 2006.

--Calling all entrepreneurs---there is a RUPRI site for entrepreneurs at: http://www.energizingentrepreneurs.org/

--The September 2005 issue of The Main Street Economist is now available. Sarah Low of the Center for the Study of Rural America discusses, "Regional Asset Indicators: The Wealth of Regions" in this issue. The author takes a closer look at three components of wealth--residential real estate, and financial and rental real estate investments. She discusses the availability of wealth in rural America as well as how it can be better utilized by rural communities to tap new business opportunities. The article can be found on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Web site at: http://www.kansascityfed.org/RuralCenter/mainstreet/MainStMain.htm

--The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis has issued its annual report on county income levels. Based on 2003 data (the latest data available), the new figures again show how pervasive rural poverty is in the United States. Of the 250 lowest income counties in the nation, 228 are non-metropolitan counties. To see the list, go to http://www.bea.doc.gov/bea/regional/reis/pcpilow.cfm or call Toui Chen Pomsouvan at 202-606-9739.

--DataPlace™ is a new feature on KnowledgePlex that delivers statistical snapshots of a community in seconds. It provides fast access to data sets, maps, and charts. It allows users to create customized charts or data sets that contrast any location with another area. To learn more about this fast, easy online tool, visit http://www.dataplace.org/.

--Green Housing is a new section of The Affordable Housing Design Advisor website. It features nine new case studies selected through the AIA Show Your Green program. Projects demonstrate the diverse ways in which green practices are used and integrated in excellent affordable housing design. To learn more, visit http://www.designadvisor.org/.

--The DatelinERS newsletter offers concise summaries of the USDA's Economic Research Service's reports and events with links to areas on its website. A new issue was released October 28. Visit http://www.ers.usda.gov/News/DatelinersNewsletter.htm.

--Only 88% of American households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2004, meaning that they had access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining households were food insecure at least some time during that year. Visit http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/err11/.

--A program of The Aspen Institute known as FIELD (Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination) has released a publication "Fulfilling the Promise: An Action Planning Kit for Practitioners." For more information and to download or obtain a copy of the kit visit: http://www.fieldus.org

--The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) has released Microenterprise Employment Statistics which include a Rural-Urban County Analysis and Microenterprise Business Statistics. Visit http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/services/training/MEBS.htm.

--Impact of Medicaid Cuts on Rural Communities (2005) is a report released by the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center. Visit http://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/research_programs/rural_program/

--Connecting America's Rural Areas to Broadband :The Hill, (DC) article discusses how high-speed broadband Internet can bring rural America into the 21st century by allowing rural businesses to connect with the rest of the world, allowing schools to utilize information and resources, and hospitals to serve patients better. http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/102005/ssudall.html

--New Report: Food Stamp Program Provides Critical Safety Net to Low-Income Rural Families People who live in rural America rely more heavily on the federal Food Stamp Program, according to a new analysis by The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. See http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/documents/Food%20Stamp%20Release.pdf

--Rural communities that build new Critical Access Hospitals see increased local use of services, and enhanced workforce recruitment, clinical and quality performance efforts. "This new research demonstrates that rural communities can see a tremendous return on investment through replacing outdated healthcare facilities," said Hilda Heady, National Rural Health Association President. Stroudwater Associates conducted the study with assistance from researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of Rochester. The complete study is online at http://www.redcapitalgroup.com/special/CAHStudy.htm.

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