 | | NCRCRD Quarterly | Q1-2026 |
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DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
| Aligned by Design: How Our Work Connects to National Research PrioritiesWhen the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced five research priorities for American agriculture, the themes were familiar to us: farmer profitability, expanding markets, protecting agricultural systems from pests and disease, soil health, and improving human health and nutrition. These are not abstract federal goals; they describe the daily realities faced by the rural communities the NCRCRD and our 34 land-grant institution partners serve across the North Central Region. After reviewing our current portfolio of grants, fellowships, working groups, projects, and webinars, we were struck by how naturally our work aligns with these priorities. While this wasn’t a surprise, as our work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), it was the specificity and alignment that caught our attention. For example, our caregiving portfolio of research (see: Story Behind the Numbers) and Extension (see: North Central Quality Childcare Network) are tackling a workforce barrier that directly affects whether farms and rural businesses can hire and retain the people they need. When the Freeze It! program teaches rural Missouri families to reduce food waste, it also supports household budgets, promotes healthier diets, and helps reduce methane emissions from landfills. When our NCR-Stat surveys capture data on housing, food security, and caregiving from over 4,500 households, they generate the regional evidence base that makes targeted, effective action possible. These are just a few examples of how the NCRCRD’s work aligns with the priorities and sustains our impact on community vitality. This alignment is not coincidental. It reflects the strength of the land-grant model, research and Extension professionals embedded in communities, working on problems that matter to real people. Our three thematic areas of resilient communities and economies, leadership and civic engagement, and community health and wellness were designed to be broad enough to respond to local needs and specific enough to produce measurable impact. As NIFA continues to sharpen its focus, we are well-positioned to demonstrate that the work happening across our 34 land-grant institutions is not only locally relevant but nationally significant. I encourage you to explore the connections for yourself. Michael D. Wilcox, Jr.
| NEWS | New Course Offers Tools to Transform Early Child Care in North Central Region Communities
NCRCRD Fellow Sarah Kennedy, an Extension Field Specialist at University of Missouri specializing in Early Childhood Impact, has developed a highly interactive, early child care boot camp for stakeholders who want to improve the child care system in their communities.
This new course, Transforming Early Child Care in Your Community Boot Camp is being offered by University of Missouri Extension for the first time this Spring at no cost for anyone from the 12-states of the North Central Region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin). During this 8-week virtual program, participants will explore the Community Change process in terms of child care, and learn how to effectively advocate and collaborate with other stakeholders to lead early child care change in their communities.
Wednesdays, April 29 – June 24, 2026 • 12:00 – 2:00 pm (Central Time)
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| NCRCRD Working Group Hosts National Placemaking Conference
This summer the NCRCRD Place Action Working Group will host the In Pursuit of Place Summit – a national placemaking conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Designed for placemakers, this hands-on conference includes engaging sessions, immersive tours, and opportunities to collaborate on the future of placemaking.
June 23 – 25, 2026 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin The six land-grant institutions participating in the Working Group and the hosts of this event include: Michigan State University, Purdue University, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and University of Wisconsin.
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| NCRCRD Hosts DRA PROPEL Community Convening in Sikeston, Missouri
On February 19-20, 2026, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) hosted a Delta Regional Authority (DRA) PROPEL Community Convening in Sikeston, Missouri with support from a grant awarded by the DRA.
The DRA PROPEL Community Convening brought together stakeholders from the five communities NCRCRD is working with – Sikeston, MO; Poplar Bluff, MO; Eldorado, IL; Mounds, IL; and Murphysboro, IL– to share examples of what’s working in this region, to learn from each other, and to expand the tools the cities have to build their communities. Colleagues from Delta Regional Authority, University of Illinois Extension , and the University of Missouri Extension along with the NCRCRD conducted the convening.
Delta Regional Authority PROPEL Community Convening planners and presenters (left to right): Shelly Surber, NCCRD, Lisa Odum, University of Illinois Extension, Michael Wilcox, NCRCRD, Taylor Clark, University of Missouri Extension, Mark White, University of Illinois Extension, Zachary Kennedy, University of Illinois Extension, Rob Russell, University of Missouri Extension, and Maria Marshall, NCRCRD. | |
| New Report Examines Research Collaborations between 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Universities
Our sister center, the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) partnered with the Association of 1890 Research Directors (ARD) and agInnovation South (formerly the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors) to explore research collaborations between 1890 and 1862 LGUs and produced the following report: Green, John J. and Langford, Grace, "In Pursuit of Effective Research Collaborations: Explorations with 1890 and 1862 Land-Grant Universities" (2026). Collaborations that Work. 2. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/srdctopics-collaborations/2 | |
| How Are You Using the Stat Datasets?
The NCRCRD is interested in learning how people use the different Stat datasets (all regions and subjects). We’ve created a brief survey — the Stat Usage Survey — to begin collecting citations or project descriptions that reference any Stat datasets (i.e, journal articles, online dashboards, classroom projects, theses, etc).
The information we collect through this survey will be added to an internal spreadsheet that we hope to share on our website in the near future. We appreciate your interest and assistance in this project. Thank you!
Two recent projects that utilized Stat datasets:
New published article used both NER-Stat and NCR-Stat:
Outdoor Recreation Data Dashboard updated for all four regions: With the publication of the WR-Stat: Baseline Survey 2024 by the Western Regional Development Center in January, the University of Minnesota Tourism Center updated their Outdoor Recreation Data Dashboard to include all four U.S. regions. | WEBINARS | NCRCRD April Webinar
Beyond the Auction: Social Impacts of Nebraska’s Livestock Sale Barns
Thursday, April 16, 2026 • 2:00 pm (ET) / 1:00 pm (CT) • Length: 60 minutes
Discover how Nebraska’s livestock sale barns serve as more than marketplaces — they are vital “third place” gathering spaces that strengthen rural communities. A recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln study highlights how these barns foster relationships, exchange knowledge, and reinforce social ties among farmers and ranchers. Join us to explore how these everyday spaces contribute to community resilience and why a sale day is about much more than buying and selling cattle.
Presenters: Cheryl Burkart-Kriesel, Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Marilyn Schlake, Extension Educator Emerita, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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| Webinar Recordings
- New Insights on Household Food Waste (3/11/26)
- Freely Shared, Widely Adapted: First Impressions Turns 35 (2/18/26)
- The North Central Quality Childcare Network: Innovative Approaches to Growing Quality Childcare Across the North Central Region (1/29/26)
| CONFERENCES | National Conferences
May 5-7, 2026, Fargo, North Dakota
June 15-18, 2026, Wichita, Kansas
June 23-25, 2026, Green Bay, Wisconsin
July 19-22, 2026, Savannah, Georgia | |
| State Conferences for Rural Communities hosted by Community and Economic Development Extension programs in the North Central Region
Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conferences CEC is an Extension program which focuses on building and supporting entrepreneurship in rural communities by hosting an annual conference that offers small business education and networking opportunities.
Energize! Exploring Innovative Rural Communities Conference The Energize! Conference is designed to empower South Dakota’s rural communities by inviting them to network with community leaders from across the state to share success stories, get new ideas, and take action to improve their own communities.
| STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS 
By Zuzana Bednarik, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
This study examines the relationship between the social and economic characteristics of self-employed in-migrants and local entrepreneurs and their intention to stay in their rural communities. Using data from the 4R-Stat: Baseline Survey 2024 (Bednarik et al., 2025), a logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the determinants of in-migrant and local entrepreneurs’ intentions to stay or leave their residential locations. | |
By Renee D. Wiatt, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
When a rural small business closes instead of passing to the next generation, the community loses more than just a business. They lose a local partner, a community gathering spot, and the goods, services, and jobs that they provide. Using the NCR-Stat: Small Business Survey (Wiatt et al., 2024), this article takes an introductory look into the exit intentions, succession plans, and what is needed to bring in the next generation. |
North Central Regional Center for Rural Development 403 Mitch Daniels Blvd., West Lafayette, IN 47907
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