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UNIVERSAL! Information Services. Inc' NEWS-TIMES MORNING 1 YO=, NE Circulation = 4196 I 1211 712008 Guest O~inion Building Entrepreneurial Communities in the New Year By Elisha Greeley Smith Center for Rural Affairs Wiic~~ the Nebraska Legisla- ture cunvenes in January they .will make important decisions about the future of' ri~ral Nebras- ka. One prograni up for debate is the successfi~l Building Entrepre- neurial Co~nnlunities Act. The program makes grants to rural communities to support entrepre- neurship, leaclership develop- ment, ~ 0 ~ 1 t h engagement and local philanthropy - four proven strategies of rural comniunity revitalirotion. In this time of economic downturn there is no better way to invest our limited state dollars than programs that look towards the future and build a more robust and resilient economy in our small towns. Albion and Fullerton are two co~ntnunitiec that have primary goals for successful long term dcveloument to attract and retain youth 'for new businesses and small business transition. Both towns used Building Entrepreneurial Communities funcls to send 30 high s c h ~ o l stu- dents to the 2008 Nebraska Mar- ketplace. an event focused on energizing slnall businesses and rural communities. These stu- denls gained valuable kno~vledge and tools needed to improve or start their own business success- fully. They were able to take what they learned at Marketplace and utilize that knowledge in their communities. Our Nebraska Senators made a wise choice in 2007 when they doubled funding for this program to $500,000. Still, in 2008 the demand for the program far exceeded the limited funds avail- able even with that increase. With demand growing for the program, a growing need and dernonstrated success, Nebraska Senators should act proactively to continue support for this program% at least $500,000 annually. 1 For further information::

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Page 1: CFRA 010509 Newspaper clips

UNIVERSAL! Information Services. Inc'

NEWS-TIMES MORNING 1 YO=, NE Circulation = 4196

I 1211 712008

Guest O~inion

Building Entrepreneurial v

Communities in the New Year By Elisha Greeley Smith

Center for Rural Affairs

W i i c ~ ~ the Nebraska Legisla- ture cunvenes in January they .will make important decisions about the future of' ri~ral Nebras- ka.

One prograni up for debate is the successfi~l Building Entrepre- neurial Co~nnlunities Act. The program makes grants to rural communities to support entrepre- neurship, leaclership develop- ment, ~ 0 ~ 1 t h engagement and local philanthropy - four proven strategies of rural comniunity revitalirotion.

In this time of economic downturn there is no better way to invest our limited state dollars

than programs that look towards the future and build a more robust and resilient economy in our small towns.

Albion and Fullerton are two co~ntnunitiec that have primary goals for successful long term dcveloument to attract and retain youth 'for new businesses and small business transition.

Both towns used Building Entrepreneurial Communities funcls to send 30 high sch~o l stu- dents to the 2008 Nebraska Mar- ketplace. an event focused on energizing slnall businesses and rural communities. These stu- denls gained valuable kno~vledge and tools needed to improve or start their own business success- fully. They were able to take what

they learned at Marketplace and utilize that knowledge in their communities.

Our Nebraska Senators made a wise choice in 2007 when they doubled funding for this program to $500,000. Still, in 2008 the demand for the program far ' exceeded the limited funds avail- able even with that increase.

With demand growing for the program, a growing need and dernonstrated success, Nebraska . Senators should act proactively to continue support for this program% at least $500,000 annually. 1 For further information::

Page 2: CFRA 010509 Newspaper clips

CRITERION

DODGE, Nebraska

Date: Thursday, December 1 8 , 2 0 0 8 . .. , ... - .--.. '-

Frequency: WEEKLY Circulation: 1 120 Clip Size: 30.94 s q . inches

Ad Rate: $5 Pagelsection: 12

Economic Woes Best Addressed by Efforts Dealing with the Struggles of Modest Income and Estate Holdings Cmer&RurUiirs for ordinary families. For a time,

The gap between rich and poor stagnant middle class income was in the U.S. is growing and is greater masked by people working extra than in all but two of the world's 30 jobs, borrowing, and failing to save richest market-based democracies for retirement. 13ut there is a day of (Mexico and 'Turkey), according to a reckoning. study by the Organization for l<co- The similarities are not cause to liomic Cooperation and Develop- resign ourselves to a great depres- ment. sion. But we must learn their les-

Income is more concentrated in sons to prompt recovery and avoid rich hands than at any time since the making the same mistakes. We can 1920s. As in the 1920s. thc growing begin by focr~sing economic stimu- inequality of recent years was a ma- lus measures on ordinary hard- jor factor in thc economic calamity working Americans and incentives that followed, according to a Wash- and support for the smallest busi- ington Post essay by Millsap Col- nesses to get started and invest. lege historian Robert McElvaine. In the long term, we need in-

Early in the century, the limited come and estate tax policies that income of working people was hold- avert the tendency of wealth and ing down demand for the new goods income to concentrate, including: being mass produced in factories. So * Tax relief targeted to people of business turned to aggressive adver- modest income and estates of mod- tising and easy credit to stimulate est size. demand and economic growth. The * Proactive policies that enable rate of borrowing doubled. 1-oans all Americans to gain education to from personal finance companies en-hance their capacity to contribute grew twelve-fold. to America's prosperity and the op-

"But a steroid-induced burst of portunity to share in it. great strength is always likely to be * New measures to enable aver- followed by impotence," writes age Americans to start farms and McElvaine. "Sooner or later the lim- businesses, including caps on sub- its of consumer credit are reached - sidy payments and tax incentives, consumers find themselves with technical assistance, training and more bad debt than they can repay, loans targeted to the little guys. sales decline, and banks, left hold- * Incentives for low and modest- ing bad loans, begin to fail. Sooner income Americans to save money to or later arrived in October 1929, as it start businesses, buy homes or en- did again in September 2008." hance their education. Borrowing

In recent years, the construction has its place. But helping average and real estate boom kept the econ- Americans save also creates op- omy strong. But it was built on easy portunity, with the added benefit of credit and mortgages people could stabilizing the economy. not afford. Incomes have not kept up

Universal Information Services , Inc. http://news.universal-info.com Profile: 111 - Center for Rural Affairs Recipient: John Crabtree

Page : 1 I 1

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DAILY NE

December 18,2008

HOME DELIVERY 33 i l

Johanns: Don't expect big policy changes World-Herald News Servlce ' Johanns, a Republican who was elected Nebraska and food stamps, conservation programs and rural

the next U . ~ . secretary of agriculmre, former governor the same year that Vilsack won the Iowa economic development efforts. The mammoth agency Gov. Tom Vilsack may well spend much of his governor's race, made the transition from the State- spends about $97 billion per year and employs more

time schmooz.ng with trade represents- house to Washington in 2005. He stepped down as than 100,000 people.

tives and courting members of Congress. agriculture secretary late last year to seek and win It doesn't exactly turn on a dime, Johanns said.

But Mike Johanns, Nebraska's former governor - to the "It is not just the lT'3DA - farm policy really chang-

himself a former apriculture secretary - cautioned He had only praise for his fellow former govp7 ILur. er ui sort of an evolutionary way," he said. "Some of

that dra-\ii1sar1:-n ,dlc changes in U.S. agricultural "He's a great pick," Johanns said of Vilsack. "I like the polines that were pan of the first farm bill in 1933,

policy cor~ld be difficult to achieve. him a lot. We were governors in the same cycle, and you can see them there all these years later."

on Tuesday, President-elect Barack Obama prom- a r worked together." He wouldn't describe the agency as unresponsive

~ L U *'a new kind of leadership in Wasb4.- m" T ~ J '1 he U.S. Department of Agriculture administers - he said its staff are very good to work with and he

he announced his u ~ ~ ~ i m a t ~ u i i A~.dck, a t ~ . d-ierm a wide array of programs, including farm subsidies was able to accomplish many of his goals while serv- Democratic Iowa governoi* first elected in 1998. and meatpacking inspections, schc (.I IIAIILL. programs -Please see JOHANNS, page 10

ronanns Continued from Page 1- agricultural policy to ~romote .

family farms. I "The Obama administration : sur- is committed to ending the sub- i

amount of time he sidized destruction of family: apitol Hill farming and to investing in the makers' con- futwe of rural Ameriw;l said

Chuck Hassebrook, director of Se mem- the Center for Rural Affairs in i

S Some Lyons. &Those are compelling Some- pieces of the Obama

/ On of Not only does Gov V3sack sup- ( e or port those, I believe he has the 1

nt ability to them happen." !

' Other farm organizations, 1 S which don't object to large-scale j - farming, said they are l-eassured j

by Vilsack9s understanding of 1 i corn, soybean and livestock pro-

duction in Iowa and Nebraska. "If you don't know agricul-

ture, you're not going to be governor of Iowa," Obama said

in agri- Tuesday in discussing the nomi- cultural exports at stake, it's nees. unportant to build first-name Johanns said VilsackB suc- relationships with trading part- cess will depend upon two key ners in other countries, he said. factors. "The only way you do that is by "One is beyond h s control, getting on an airplane." and that is the state of the econo-

Some agricultural groups said my," Johanns said. "The second they hope Vilsack will change will be his relationships." - - -- ---- - I

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UNIVERSAL^ Information Selvices, Inc

CITIZEN EVENING DAILY HOLDREGE, NE Circulation= 2993

I211 912008

( Another arctic blast headed I toward Nebraska Sundav

- OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - In the rel- ative warmth of 15-20 degrees Friday morning, northeast Nebraska was dig- ging out from nearly a foot of snow and facing the prospect of another arctic blast.

"There's not much going on here, but we're open," said Ruthann Bon- neau, manager of Cowabunga Komer restaurant in Walthill. "We have lots of snow ... it's pretty high here."

About 15 niilcs south of Walthill, in Lyons, Brian Depew said the estimat- ed 6-8 inches was "very pretty snow, actually."

"lt fell all night," Depew said from his ofice at thc Center for Rural Affairs. "There was ice before that - that made it a little slick."

He said the city's snowplows had most of the streets cleared by late Fri- day morning.

.:= Slick or otherwise impassable streets and stranded vehicles forced

-most eastern Nebraska schools to close Friday or to open late.

More snow was on the way over the weckcnd, as holiday journeys begin in carncst.

National Weather Service meteor- ologist Barbara Mayes said the fore-

r/ cast of 1 or 2 more inches of snow on In most eastern Nebraska spots, the Saturday promises that travel will be snow was preceded by freezing rain perilous, especially in northeast or slcct. The State Patrol said up to a Nebraska. half-inch of ice coated some road-

"We have a lot of new snow up ways Thursday night. there, and we're going to combine None will be melting anytime that with winds of 30 mph or more," soon, at least with nature's help. said Mayes, who works in the Weath- "Sunday night the temperatures er Service's Valley office. will really bottom out," Mayes said.

Already on the ground are 11 inch- "It will be coldest in east Nebraska - es that fell over the last 24 hours in mainly northeast will be the pit of it." Walthill and the 10 inches in Wayne Meteorologists in her office were and Norfolk. Other northcast Nebras- expecting ternperahires in the low to ka reports ranged from 8 down to 5 mid-teens below zero by late Sunday, inches of snow. with some spots approaching nlinus

Farther west and south, less snow 20. fcll: - 3.5 inches at Chambers in 11olt--- -.

j County; -

- 5.2 inches at Mullen in Hooker County; - 4-5 inchcs at various spots in

Douglas County, including Omaha; -- 4.5 inches at Ericson in Ciarficld

County; - 2.9 inches at Kingsley Dam in

Keith County; - 2.5 inches at Imperial in south-

west Nebraska's Chase County; - 2 inches at Hastings in south-

central Nebraska.

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U NIVERSAL lnformat~on Services, Inc

RECORD WEDNESDAY WEEKLY 1 CHADRON, NE Circulation= 2673

I 12/03/2008

Solution successful economic stimulus package lies in rural areas By Chuck Hassebrook

:Bnter for Rural Affairs Small enterprise has a critical

rolc to play in A~nericn's eco- nomic recovery, especially .

r r .. -.. - .- -.. rural ;N-e;\s.-.So when ConHess~

s up legislation to ~.ei'i~el our lomy, srnall entrcprcneur- should be thc centerpiece.

Microenterprises - owncr- rated businesses tl~at provide

employment and perhaps Ire a few ernployccs - create ost new rusal jobs. Beginning rnicl-s and value added agri- Iture bring additional vitality rural America. Thcre's no bet-

I. tiine tlitln lrow for federal licy to invest in these proven

rural development strategic\ I-lcre's how Congrcss can do it:

f'ro~ ltle a direct ~ncentive fnl. rural enterprise by establish- ing a . .Microenterprisc and B c g i ~ s n i n ~ Farmc. InvestmnZfif' Tax Credi~ of up to $10,000 to stimulate small !>usiness cxpan- sion and new fann and business startups.

Fund Inore rul-a1 small business loans, training and technical assistance by increa..- ing funding for. the K:onl Microentrepreneurs Proglam. An inn-easc from $4 million to $25 million in this new farm bill program would pay long- tern^ dividcnds.

. Add hnds to the succcssf111 f - Value Addctl Producer <;r;lllts ,

Program, which makes grants to family-size farn~el-s and ri t~~ch- ers to launch new venlure:; to estahlisli- loci3 ~narkets anif tc pi-ocess and market hig!i vnlilc crops and lives~ock. An acltled =

$24 nlillion would bring the program to the $40 million authori~cd by the farm bill.

These three provisions would jump start rural economy and plant the seeds of long-term i

rul-a1 vitality through en[l.cprc- ncurship. Congress should enibrace thc111 as it dcvclops legislation to prompt economic recovery in America.

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EXPRESS

SUPERIOR, Nebraska

e Copyi&I 2008' All Rt& Rsaved

Date:

Frequency:

Circulation:

Clip Size:

Ad Rate:

Pagelsection:

Thursday, December

WEEKLY 3472 18.52 sq. inches

$4 1 A

Nebraska wins latest skirmish

Another ray of sunshine has broken through the clouds surrounding Ne- braska fight with Kansas over the lim- ited supply of water flowing down thc Republican River.

The O~naha World-Herald reported Tuesday thc arbitrator now consider- ing thc dispute has ruled against the Kansas attempt to collect at least $72 million from Nebraska for using morc than its allotted share of river water.

In another ray ofsunshine. last week this ncwspapcr reported on Sen. Tom Carlson's cxpcctation that the most recent fivc year avcragc will show Nebraska i s back into compliance.

Carlso~i told rnembcrs of the Supe- rior Kiwariis Club that Nebraska ef- forts to reducc invasivc vegetation growing within thc rivcr's boundaries and chiinncl clearance comhincd with a moderahon ol' thc drought had suc- cccdcd irl incrcasiiig stream flows.

Now as reports I'rom monllorrng wells arc coir~ing il l , 11 also appears water lcvcls in the underground aqui- fer are on t he upswing.

Weather The World-Herald reported Tues-

day the arbitrator ruled in a prelimi- nary decision that Kansas can only seek payment for damages it allegedly suffered and not payment for what Nebraska gained.

Karl Dreher, a fo r r~~r r Idaho water official who is serving as arbitrator in the dispute between Kansas and Ne- braska has also decided the computer models currently used to determine how the river water should be shared should reflect actual conditions.

Nebraska has long contended the accounting procedure is flawed.

The decision delivered Monday narrows the scope of the trial now scheduled for March in Denver.

Commenting on this wcek's devel- opments,laaBruning, Nebraskmuu-

general, said. W e are pl%ased but this isn't the end of the line. The Su- preme Court could be down the road, but we hope Kansas and Nebraska can arrive at a scttlemcnt before we both incur the expense of a trial."

Universal Information Services , Inc. http://news.universal-info.com Page : 1 /I Profile: 221 - Attorney General - Nebraska Recipient: Jon Bruning

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GAZETTE Date: Frequency:

McCOOK, Nebraska Circulation: Clip Size: Ad Rate: Pagelsection:

e C&$d tW8 \ All b& Resaved

Friday, DAILY 5903 31.55 $1 0.95 1

December 19,2008

sq. inches

The Holbrook/Grant man ty District Judge James Doyle accused of killing a young Ara- IV increased Huffs bond to $2 pahoe mother more than a million cash, following Huffs year ago faces a variety of arrest in Kearney Dec. 3 for vi- charges in other counties as olating conditions of his re- well. lease on $25o,ooo/io percent

Herchel Huff, 35, has bond. pleaded not guilty to charges Furnas County Attorney of motor vehicle homicide, Tom Patterson, who is prose- tampering with a witness and cuting Huff with the assis- refusal t~ submit to a chemical tance of Mike Guinan of the test in the death of Kasey J o Nebraska.Attnmey..Generalls Warner, who died Oct. 3, office, said Thursday after- 2007, when she pushed her noon that the motor vehicle young daughter out of the homicide charge against Huff path of ~ ~ f f ~ car on a county includes the violation of driv- road southwest of Arapahoe. ing while intoxicated. The little girl lived, but Kasey Patterson said that the did not. motor vehicle homicide

During a hearing in Lexing- charge increases from a Class ton Wednesday, Furnas Coun- 111 felony to a Class 11 felony

with a prior conviction for fice was immediately available driving while intoxicated. to explain those charges in

Patterson said ~ u f f has two more detail. earlier DWI convictions in At the same time, Huff is Colorado, and another driving charged with two stop sign vi- while intoxicated charge is olations and a speeding pending in Lincoln County. charge in Frontier County. The Lincoln County charge Frontier County Attorney and the Furnas County charge Jon Schroeder said Thursday could be considered Huffs afternoon that Huffs lawyers third and fourth offense. have requested two continu-

Huff is expected to appear ances on his court appear- to answer the Lincoln County ances there, waiting, Schroed- charges on Jan. 16. er said, most likely for the re-

In the meantime, Madison sult of the Furnas County case. County officials want to'visit Schroeder said he expects with Huff about charges Huff to plead guilty to the against him there, where he is Frontier County charges as charged with felony theft by the violations were witnessed de~eption. No one from the by a Nebraska Game and Madison County attorney's of- Parks Commission officer.

Universal Information Services , Inc. http://news.universaI-info.com Profile: 221 -Attorney General - Nebraska Recipient: Jon Bruning

Page: 111

Page 8: CFRA 010509 Newspaper clips

U NlVERSAL, Information Services, I nc

DAILY PRESS 6t DAKOTAN MORNING DAILY YANKTON, SD I

Circulation = 82 12 12/22/2008

- ----- -- -- According to ~ a s s e b x

Obama ran on an aggressive plat- form of change in farm and rural policy, and Gov. Vilsack's most -- =

important job will be implement- ing that vision.

. - - "We will continue to work Face with Vilsack to keep rural entre-

or en curs hi^, anricultural conser- I kition. and f a d v farming and

ranching at the ftrefront Gf cru- 1 ~~~~~d~ ~ ; ~ s ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ; ~ a t e s ~ At a news conference in

Chicago, Vilsack said his first pri- Ag Nomillee Would ority would be to improve prof-

itability for farmers and expand

Be Hard-Pressed To opportunities in rural America I while encouraging sustainable id^ F~~~ agricultural prkt%es.

Obama called Vilsack "fiercely I BY LISA HARE - - -. . . . . . . . , - - protective" of family farmers, but

[email protected] as Iowa's governor, Vilsack has alreadv established a track

I = High expectations from farm, agribusiness and consumer organizations for the new Secretary of Agriculture will make riding any fences on issues pertinent to agri-

appointed posi- Vilsack

I tion from nearly every sector of the food produc- tion chain - from the National Farm Bureau, to the Grocery Manufacturers Association - (GMA), to the Humane Society. "I think he's a good choice to implement the vision for rural America that presidentelect

, Obama put forth in the cam- paign," said Chuck Hassebrook, executive director for the Center ,for Rural Affairs.

record on farm issues. Some groups - namely sustainable and organic-promoting organiza- tions - have been disappointed with his support of family farms.

"Vilsack has a glowing reputa- tion as being a shill for agribusi- ness biotech giants like Monsanto," a spokesman from the Organic Consumers Association said in a recent edi- torial.

Some activists were hoping that, like Franklin Roosevelt's pick

,#i Henry Wallace during FDRt Dq~resSion-torn term, Obama would make a radical move and select someone not of the Washington-insider variety for the position. Wallace was an editor - - - - --- ---

VILSACK, Page 1 3 p h e -=---

a recent essay published in the Times. But Obama played it safer selecting

Vilsack - a man who, according to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa, "knows production agricul- ture and the changes we need to ensure its

and economist who developed hybrid corn. His contribution as U.S. Agriculture Secretary led to the creation of the U.S. farm support system still in use today.

Hassebrook applied for the position last Thursday after growing discouraged with the reported list of possible nominees. And for a brief time, even New York Times jour- nalist Michael Pollan was in the running, thanks to promotion provided by lobbyist and media representative Blane Friest.

Author of the New York Times bestseller 20mnivore's Dilemma." as well as "In Defense Of Food," Pollan has established himself as a guru of the local, non-industrial food movement. "Most of the problems our food system faces today are because of its reliance on fossil fuels, and to the extent that our policies wring the oil out of the sys- tem and replace it with the energy of the sun, those policies will simultaneously improve the state of our health, our envi- rgnment and our security," Pollan.s_tated in

profitability and future." Nebraska Farmers Union President John

Hansen said Vilsack's top three priorities should implementation of the 2008 Farm Bill as Congress intended it, reform of the USDA bureaucracy and aggressive pursuit of implementing renewable energy policies.

"Vilsack is a Midwestern governor who should have some understanding of agri- culture, but who will inherit a very tough agricultural economy," Hansen said.

Senate Ag Committee member Sen. Ben Nelson @Neb), said Vilsack won't need any on-the-job training.

Though Vilsack has avoided the issue of trade, he has said he will work with other 1 federal departments on climate change, nutrition issues within food assistance pro- grams and second generation, nonfood crop biofuel technologies.

"From trade disputes to tight budgets, food safety to boosting exports, Vilsack will have his hands full," Nelson said. . -

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I i UNIVERSAL ) 1 Information Services, Inc 8 (402) 342-31 78

DAILY SUN I EVENING DAILY BEATRICE, NE

I Circulation = 7998 E 12/20/2008

a - Another arctic blast headed toward Nebraska ( The Associated Press

OMAHA -- In the relative warnlth of 15- 1 20 degrees Friday morning, northeast Nebraska was digging out from nearly a foot of snow and facing the prospect of another arctic blast.

"There's not much going on here, but we're open," said Ruthann Bonneau, manag- er of Cowabunga Korner restaurant in Walthill. "We have lots of snow ... it's pretty high here."

About 15 miles south ofWalthill, in Lyons, Brian Depew said the estimated 6-8 inches was "very pretty snow, actually."

"It fell all night," Depew said fi'om his office at the Center for Rliral Affairs. "There was ice before that f ia t made it -

a little sl~ck." He said the city's snowplows had most of

the streets cleared by late Friday morning. Slick or otherwise impassable streets and

stranded vehicles forced most eastern Nebraska schools to close Friday or to open late.

More snow was on the way over the week- end, as holiday journeys begin in earnest.

National Weather Service meteorolog~st Barbara Mayes said the forecast of 1 or 2 more inches of snow on Saturday promises that travel will be perilous, especially in northeast Nebraska.

"We have a lot of new snow up there, and we're going to combine that with winds of 30 mph or more," said Mayes, who works in the Weather Service's Valley office.

Already on the ground are 11 inches that fell over the last 24 hours in Walthill and the 10 inches in Wayne and Norfolk. Other northeast Nebraska reports ranged from 8 down to 5 inches of snow.

In most eastern Nebraska spots, the snow was preceded by freezing rain or sleet. The State Patrol said up to a half-inch of ice coat- ed some roadways Thursday night.

"Sunday night the temperatures will real-

i None wiLl be melting anytime soon, at "

least with nature's help.

ly bottom out," Mayes said. Meteorologists in her office were expect-

ing temperatures in the low to mid-teens below zero by late Sunday, with some spots approaching minus 20. I

Page 10: CFRA 010509 Newspaper clips

U NIVERSAL Information Serv~ces. Inc

DAILY NEWS EVENING NOWOLK, NE Circulation = 17282

12/26/2008 I i

. - . - . . - . ~- .._---

By David Kwah-Mensah Extension Educator, Madison, Stanton, Wayne Counties

A common goal Sustainable agriculture is a common goal that is widely

discussed by those involved in agriculture. There are many , definitions of sustainable agriculture. Most of them include

the ideas of good stewardship, economic viability, social ac- ceptability and environmental friendliness. In other words, '

for agriculture to be sustainable, it has to be economically suc- cessful and environmentally friendly to maintain natural re- sources for use by future generations.

In order for farmers to sustain their farms, farmers are con- tinually improving their knowledge about how to manage farm resources and what they need to do to keep farmc productive arid economically viable. Similarly, farmers adopt farming , ' systems that use current technology, government incentives . and personal preferences to achieve farming goals.

FARMERS ALSO ARE aware that their long-teim success : requires that they protect, conserve and improve the health of their farm in order to remain productive, economically com- petitiw and relevant to their communitit;s Therefore, farmers _ ,-%ann"31chieve sustainable agricultural practices but not without : a careful plan to maintain a balance beiween natural resourc- es conservation ant1 economic viability of their farms.

The farm in modern agriculture is an open systern and is no longer self-sufficient. As an open system, modern farms re- ceive inputs from outside the farms to produce crops and live-

- stock, and their products move around the world. Therefore, the relationships between farm products and the system out- side the farm have impact on the economic viability and sus- tainability of the farm. This means that farms have to balance productivity with good farm stewardship, which involves effi- cient land-use planning and good land-use management. How do farmers know when they have achieved sustainability?

OUR UNDEKSTANDING OF what sustainable agricultur- al practices are will improve over time as we learn more about the impacts of management decisions. Poor management deci- sions have negative impacts on the sustainability of the farm. The follo~~ring are specific sustainability questions that farm- ers can ask themselves to measure and determine the sustain- ability of their farms. If the answers to the following questions are positive, farmers can conclude that their farming systems are sustainable.

H Does your farming system maintain a high and stable economic growth?

H Are your farming methods accepted by the community of your farming area?

Does your farming system improve the health and quality of your farm soil by preventing soil erosion and loss?

Does your farming system protect the quality of surface and groundwater resources in your watershed?

WITHOUT THESE STANDARDS, it may be dlffjcult for farmers to determine and assess farm performance for sus- tainability. Sustainability involves good stewardship and envi- ronmental sensitivity. The idea of stewardship in sustainable agriculture means that farmers take good care of their farm- land. Taking good care of the land involves a well-organized land-use plan and good land management. A well-organized 1 land-use plan involves the careful selection of farmingpractic- es €fiat yield the potential for high prolit with minimum darn- age to the farmland.

Good land management practices include soil-sustainability practices (such as the use of appropriate tillage systems when necessary), continuous no-till cropping systems and the use of cover crops to protect the soil against erosion. Furthermore, a good land-management system also involves the careful ap- plication of fertilriers and manure at required rates based on soil test results. This approach prevents excessive buildup of nutrients in the soil and the subsequent leaching of nutrients to contaminate groundwater resources in the farm area.

IN CONCLUSION, SUSTAINABLE agriculture is a com- mon goal that is achievable, profitable and measurable. Howev- er, the benefits of sustainable agriculture can only be achieved and measured against good land stewardship and the selection of farming practices that prevent environmental damage. Fi- nally, sustainable agriculture requires adequate time and ef- fort for its benefits to be realized. Therefore, be a good steward of your farmland and protect your natural resources.

You can learn more about sustainable agriculture from the Web sites of the following organizations: Sustainable Agricul- ture Research and Education, Appropriate Technology Trans- fer for Rural Areas and the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society. You may further discuss the subject or send questions via e-mail to me at [email protected] or call Univer- sity of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Madison County at 370- 4040.

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Wright Count8 Bnuntul-~~PBB Z i o n : Thursday. BUFFALO. December MN 18,2008

I Circulation (DMA): 6.500 (15) 7 Type (Frequency). Newspaper (W)

Page: 28 Keyword: Center For Rural Affairs

By PETER GRAHAM

Obama taking his time on ag In some ways, the Barack kinds of policies will he or

Obama transition team is she be expected to direct? moving quickly to establish As we've outlined before, the kind of president he Obama may turn out to be will be. In agriculture, how- very good for farmers, ever, the farm state bred, because he understands but very urban Obama 1s minorities, how things work moving with what seems at the grass roots level, and like great caut~on. the importance of

He has yet to name his America's farms to the secretary of agriculture, overall economy. He comes but all indicators seem to, from a farm state, and start- well. indicate that he may ed his trip to the top by win- shake things up at the ning the Iowa Caucuses. USDA. The list of potentla1 Obama also supports con- secretaries contains some servation and he knows very different animals, as strong U.S. exports are nec- we've discussed before, and essary. though Obama was thrust Now, if you are an absen- into the presidency from a tee landlord with thou- farm state, he is every inch sands of acres of farmland, an urban denizen of that held as an investment for state, a state that contains your plastic surgery prac- the "City of Big Shoulders," tice, you might not fare as as Carl Sandburg intoned well under Barack and a many years ago. Democratic congress.

When Obama does They'll be looking to help appo~nt someone, what the little guy (that could

include family and hobby

farmers), but won't show much concern for the guy who collects hu e subsidy payments from f is den in Gross Pointe, and directs his tenants to plant from fence post to fence post and damn the CRP!

According to National Public Radio, during his campaign Obama made it abundantly clear that he isn't against all subsidies, as are many of his urban political brethren. NPR noted that in Amana Iowa, Obama said, "Ifwe are real- ly serious, we can make sure that family farmers are,supporte$ not just big agnbustness. That quote probably makes the hairs stand u on the back of the neck o r your local co-op manager and producers who farm thousands of acres, but it probably strikes a chord with aver- age farmers from small communities.

There has been a move- ment afoot in America for some time to try to limit subsidies te so-called megafarms, or people who own large numbers of acres they do not farm, and Chuck Hassebrook, executive director of Nebraska's

or told NPR that Obama's campaign platform called for directing subsidies

toward "family farmers." Now, what does "family" mean in that context? Time will tell.

Bob Stallman of the American Farm Bureau believes dividing farms among big and small, fami- ly or corporate, won't be as easy as Obama may think. He told NPR, "Less than two percent of America's farms are corporate, and many of those are family corporations."

Stallman also worries that targeting only small farmers for programs and subsidies would be the wrong thing to do. He said 80 to 85 percent of our nation's food is produced by larger farmers. That means the programs would miss the very farmers that are making our relatively cheap food supply possible.

Who will be secretary of agriculture and what will the USDA become under one of the brightest and most pragmatic men ever to be elected president? Stay tuned. It would seem as if President-Elect Obama and his staff are ready to govern and making fair and equi- table agricultural decisions should be child's play for them. We'll see.

1'11 see ya!

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Renville County Date: Thursday, December 1 1,2006

Star Farmer News Location: OLIVIA. MN Circulation (DMA): 1,600 (1 5) Type (Frequency): Newspaper (W) Page: A6 Keyword: Center For Rural Affairs

The makings of a good stimulus package Chuck

Hassebrook

LL.:M '__

i3ru&u l 3 u G U h h

Small enternrise has a critical role to play in America's economic recw- ery, especially in rural areas. So when Congress takes up legislation to refuel our economy, small entrepreneurship should be the centerpiece.

Microenterprises - owncr-operat- ed businesses that provide sclf employment and perhaps hire a few employees - create most new rural jobs. Beginning farmers and value added agriculture bring additional

'vitalit)r*to rlua hei icct . Thcrc's no better time than now fot federal DOE- cy to invest in these p m n rural development strategies. Here's how Congress can do it:

Provide a direct incentive for rural enterprise by establishing a Microenterprise and Beginning Farmer Investment Tax Credit of up

to $10,000 to stimulate small business expansion and ncw farm and i&kincsx, startups.

Fund more rival small business loans, training and technical assir tance by increasing funding for the Rural Microentrepreneurs Program. An increase from $4 d o n to 825 million in this new farm bid program would pay long-term dividends.

Add b d s to the successful Value Added Producer Grants Program, which makes grants to fdy- s i ze farmers and ranchers to launch new ventures to establish local markets and to process and market high value crops and livestock. An added $24 million would bring the program to the $40 million authorized by the farm bill.

These three provisions would jlimp start r u d tconomy and pw 'tlit:'seeds of long-term nkd vitality through entrepreneurship. Congress should embrace them as it dewlops legislation to prompt cconomic rtcov- cry in America.

For more information visit: www.cfra.og

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U NIVERSAL lnformatlon Servrces Inc

(402) 342-31 78 I

NEWS WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WEST POINT, NE Circulation = 2990

12/03/2008 1 I

I 1 Secretary of Agriculture must be devoted to

-

1 I

innovative vision By Chuck Hassebrook, I

4 Center for Rural Affairs = - -

Barack Obalna launched his campaign in Iowa with a prom- ise to create genuine opportunity for rural people and a better I

future for their connmunitie~. ?low President-elect Obama must appoint a Secretary of Agriculture who embraces the change I

t needed to achieve those goals.

Farm and rural policy illustrate the broken politics of Wash- ington. The federal governmet~t spends billions subsidizing mega farins to drive smaller fanns off the land and largely fails to invest in the future of rural communities. . -

Barack Obalna proposed changing those failed policies. He proposed capping payments to mega fanns and enforcing rules against unfair pricing practices by meat packers to strengthen family size farms. To revitalize rural com~nunities, he proposed investing in small business, microenterprise development and value added agriculture. I - - - - -

He proposed increased production of biofuels and wind en- -

ergy. And he pledsed support for protecting our land and water through the Conservation Stewardship Program, which rewards fanners for good practices.

These reforms run head-on into demands for new spending by big far111 and comnlodity interests. The president's commit- ment is most critical to achieving reform, but his Secretary of Agriculture is almost as important. A secretary committed to the , status quo will not help Obama achieve change.

The new presideill should s t a t with one simple test for those i who would be Secretary of Agriculture. Have they worked for 1 the rural agenda on which he campaigned and are they cornmit- ted to advancing it when he takes office in January? t u

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CrnEF WEDNESDAY WEEKLY RED CLOUD, NE Cuculabon = 16 10

- - ____ --- - -

b o w will an urban president handle Nebraska farm policy? y Ho~vclrd Bcl-Xr,v rural people. "The most dircctor of the Center for cltiorlcrl Pr11,lic Rtrtlio i~nl~ortant thin2 the oresi- RLI~;II Affairs, a Nebrash:)- Prcsidcxnt-elect Barack de;it co111tl do i s s i I i ~ ~ l Y 10 based advocacy group I i Ohama's pa\t as an ul-h;ui stop suhsiclizing mega- focused on small and fnmi- .

coni~~iunily organixr in I 1 I s ~ i l l e r ly 1.i1l-~ncrs. (:hi,.;!:c; !~:;:bc.:; somc ~ ~ 7 1 1 - ol~criltioi,, 0111 of h t ~ s i - 7'lic prcccd~~ig article is : : I , i I I 1 : ;:,:..,." i:~;.., C'liu::l.. f i o ~ ~ ~ ! (-'e;,~~,i- for RLIK~II - :

I I a r Hasc.171.ook. e.\coirli\r. At~ 'a i ih at Lyo~iq. Nchr. I -

-

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I

UNIVERSAL 1 lnformatlon Servrces, Inc 1

INDEPENDENT MORNING DAILY GRAND ISLAND, NE Circulation = 22792

12/31/2008

1 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR I

Vilsack will have to live up I to potential ! President-elect Obama's choice

of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as secretary of agriculture has gotten as much or more attention as any Cabinet appointment.

There have been Vilsack detrac- tors, the most vigorous from among the foes of agricultural

-biotechnology And some farm organizations expressed concern, behind the scenes, about Vilsack's

.. desire to reform farm programs. i Last month I stuck my neck out

and said that I think Vilsack is a good choice (www.cfra.orgib1og). He and I don't always agree, but he's smart and he listens. He shares Obama's views on reforming farm programs, investing the savings in conservation and rural development, and on the need for livestock market reforms, such as banning packer ownership of livestock and ending volume-based price discrimination.

Vilsack's biggest challenge will be bringing his skills and intelligence to the task of supporting the presi- dent and implementing their shared

Toward that end, the center recently launched a grassroots letter to Secretary Vilsack (www.cfra. org/08/grassroots-letter). We will deliver the letter, with signatures and con~ments, to Secretary Vilsack

ally Over 1,170 have signed

L and many have added their thoughts - on needed reforms.

At the center, we will continue I

working to ensure that President Obama and Secretary Vilsack live up to their potential and their promises to rural America, We will keep fighting for a rural America that offers genuine opportunity to all who live there. We will fight alongside Obama and Vilsnck ~ l i len we can, but we'll also take them on when we have to. We've done it before.

John Crabtree Center for Rural Affdirs

Lyons I I

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Tribune Date: Wednesday. December 17,2006 Location: SPRING VALLEY. MN Circulation JDMA): 1,900 (1 53) Type (Frequency). Newspaper (W) Page: 8 Keyword: Center For Rural Affairs

Obama taking his time on ag

J n some way\. the Barack Obama transition team i s niovinp quickly to eqtablish the kind ot' presiden~ he will be. I n agricul- ture. howcvcr, the fnrni-state hrcd. hut very orbnn. Obnm;~ is moving with what seems like great cnu- tion.

He has yet to name his secretary of agricul~ure, hut all indica~orb seem to. wcll. indicate thal he nlay shake things up at the USDA. The list of potential secrelarics con- tains some very different anitnals. ns ~vc'vc discusscil bcfore. itnd though Ob;t~~in was tltru\t into the presidency from a t'nrtii state. he is every inch an urhon rleni7en of thirt statc. a stittc that ci)nt;tins the "City of Big Shouldcrs." as Carl Sandburs intoned Innny years itpcj.

\\'hen 0b:tma doc.. :rppoint someone, u.ll;it kinds of policies will he or she be expected to direct:'

As tvc'vc outlined heforc. Obama n1ag turn out to be very good Eor farnicrs. hecause hc understands minorities. how things work nt the grassroots level. and 111s impurtiu~ct. vf America's

r ",

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pi-;, 4 A\$ .- ., -SF:*

2- L & 4 ,,

farms to the overall economy. He comes from a farm state, and start- ed his trip to the top by winning the Iowa caucuses. Obama also supports conservation and he knows strong U.S. exports are necessary.

Now. i f you arc an absentee lar~dlord with thousands of acres of farmland. held as an investment for your plastic surgcry practice. you rrligllt nut fare as well under Barack and a Democratic Congress. They'll be looking to help the little guy (that could include family and hobby farm- ers), but won't show much con- cern for the guy who collects huge subsidy payments from his den in Gross Pointe, and directs his ten- ants to plitnt from fence post to fence post and damn the CRP!

According ta Nationd Public Radio. during his catiipaign Oba~na nude i t abundantly clear tli:rt he isn't against a11 subsidies. as are many of his urban politicul brethren. N P R noted that in Amana. Iowa, Obama said. "If we are really ~ e r i o ~ s . we can make sure that family farniers are sup- ported. not just big agribusiness." That quotc probably makes thc hairs stand up on the hack of the neck of your local co-op 11ianager and producers who farnl thou- sands of acres. but i t probably strikes a chord with average farm- ers Iron1 small comniunitirs.

There has been a movement afoot in America for some time to try to limit subsidies to so-called

Farming &Your

Freedom

mega-fanners, or people who own large numhers of acres thcy do not farin. and Chuck Hassehrook. executive director of Nebraska's

r tor Rural told NPR that Obama's campaign platform cillled for directing subsidies toitpard "fatnily farmcrs." Now. what does "filmily" niean in that context'? Tinie will tell.

Bob Stallman of the American Farm Bureau bclicvcs dividing Fdr~ns among big and sm;\11, fami- ly or corporate, won't be as easy ns Ohnm:~ mipht think. Hc told N P K . "Lcss that 2 pcrccnt of Amrr ic :~ '~ farnls are corporate, and niany of thosc are fnmily cor- porations."

Stallman also worries that tar- getins only small farmers for pra- grams and subsidies would be the \vron_c thing to do. He said 80 to 85 percent of our nation's food is produced by larger l i r n ~ a ~ . That rnritns thc propmnis would miss the very farmcrs who ilrc making our relatively cheap h o d supply possible.

\Vho will bc secretary of agri- culture and what will the USDA brcomr i~ndrr one of the brightest and most pngmatic men ever to be elected president'? Stay tuned. It would srrm as if President-Elect Oha~na and his stilff are ready to govern and muking fair and equi- tablt. agricultural decisions should he child's play for them. We'll see.

1.11 see :a!

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Thursday, December 18,2008 MABEL. MN

i Paae: 8 ~ e h o r d . Center For Rural Afla~rs l

Obama taking his time on ag In sollle way\, the Ri~racl,

Obanra transition train is moving quickly to c\tahlish the kind of president he will hc. I n ngricul- ture, however, the f~rni-state bred, but very urhi~n, Ohnm:~ is moving with what seems like great c;iu- rial.

I lc ha\ yCt lo nnnie h i cccrctiiry or agriculture, but all in~lic;~tors seem to, well, indicate that hc may shnkc things up at thc USIIA. The list of potential srcret:~ries con- ~i~inc ccrriic: vcry tfiffcrcnt animalq. a$ W C ' V C disc11sscd hcforc, and though Ohanlit \\'as thri~st into the presidcnc.!; fro~n a farm slale. 11e is etery inch 1\11 oltlan tletti7cn nf that st;t[c. a state th;~t cont;iinr the "City 01' Big Sliituldrn," 11s Call Snndhurg intonetl nreny years ago.

When Ohanra doe\ iippctint om cot^^, what Lindc of policicc will he or she he cxpcctcii to direct?

As \ve'\e ouilitird brfore. Obaela III;IY turn ~ ) i t t to bc very good for f;lrnrcrs. hecclusr he understands ~ ~ ~ i n o r i t i e s , Iro\v thing$ uvrk at the grassrclots level, and tht. i~nnort;u~cc of Anierica's farnis to thc overall economy. He cotncc from A fitrill state, and ctart- ed his trip to the top by winning the losv;~ caucusc\. Obnrnil also

' supporis con\ervnlion nnil he knows strong 1J.S. export\ are necess;lry .

Now, i f you are an absentee landlord \vitll thousand\ of ncres uf i'artnliintl, lieltl its an invcstmcnt for your plastic surgery practice,

you might not P~rc as 51~c.Il under B;~r:~ck and :I De~nocr:~tic Congress. They'll be looking to hclp the little guy ([hat could include frlnrily 2nd Ilohby farm- ers). hut won't s11t)w nluch con- ccrn filr llic guy \vho cnllccfs huge subsidy ~;1y111cnts from his den in C;IO\\ I'oinrc, and Jitects his trn- anls to plant f ron~ fence post to frnce post and dirnln the CRP!

According to Nati,nnal f'uhlic H:rdio. during his campaign 0hitm:i made i t abundantly clear ~ h ~ t he isn '~ against all sirbsidies. its arc nlany of hi\ urlriin pctliticiil h re~hren . NPR noted that i n Aaiana, Iowa. Obarua said. "lf wz arc rei~lly serious, we can make sure that lumily li~rtiiers are sup- ported, not just big agribusiness.'" That qnotc prnhahly ni:~kes the hairs stund up on the h : ~ k of the neck of your local co-op rnulaper t~nd producers ~ l ~ o f;irnl thou- sitnds of ncres, hut i t probably strikes a c11ol.d wilh nverage farm- ers front srit;tll coniniunilic.\.

There has been ;I movenient ;rfot,t in Amcrica for some tiinc to try to lilnit subsidies to so-called

- U

1, $ a%$-

3 r ' Y t - -

mega-farmers. or pcoplc s! ho on n large nin~ihcrs of' acres rhcy do not farm. nnd Chuck Hiissehrook, execulive direclor of Nebraska's

''. ks told NPN Lleaterio-- that Ohamn's campaign platform called for directing suhsiciies to\vard "family farrr~crs." Nots. what docs "fiimily" mean in that context'! Timc will tell.

Bob Sti~llr~:~n of the Atnt.ric:~n Farm Rureat~ believes dividing farnrs among big and small, frimi- ly or corporate, won't b. L J. c ea\! 3% 0bani;i might tl~ink. lie tol~l N P R , "l.ess that 2 percent ol .America's farms arc corpor;1tc. and many of t h ~ ~ ~ nrc family cnr- por:ltions."

Strtll~nan also rvc~rries that tar- geting only crn;tll f:~rmcrs for pro- pr;tmc and subsidies \vould hc the wrong thing to do. Hc ci~ici 80 10 8.5 percent of our naion's focd is produced by larger farmers. Tha means tllc progritm* would mi.r\ tlic wry fiirrners who are making our relatively cheap focxl cupply pc~cihle.

Who will be secretary of agri- culture and \\hat \vill the USUA become under one of the hrightckl and most pragtn;~tic rllen ever to be elected president? Stay ~uned. It wnulcl seen1 nc i f I'rcsC(icnt-Elecf Ohanla and Iiis staff itre rcndy to govern and making fair atid rqtti- table agricullural dccisionu should he child's play for than^. We'll see.

I'll see yu!

Farming & Your

Freedom

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REPUBLICAN

IMPERIAL, Nebraska

Date: Thursdav. December 25.2008 - hmluh.

Frequency WEEKLY --Z. *- --L~ - EZi 1 %A

C~rculation. 2080 : 1, -A. g... .. - - Cl~p S~ze: 18.47 sq inches ++ ~ - ~ - - 3 & .- * - .- 52:

Ad Rate: $6.8 Pagelsection: 6

A wise investment in business Doar Edltor,

In 2009, the Nebraska Unicameral has an opportunity to continue support for,establishing and creating small businesses all across the state.

The Nebraska Microenterprise D e velopment Act provides funds for small business loans, training and technical '

assistance. These funds, administered by the Nebraska Enterprise Fund, pro-

In Nebraska, 86 percent of private, non-farm businesses are small busi- . nesses with five or fewer employees. Nearly one'in five private, non-farm jobs in rural Nebraska are in these small businesses.

Microenterprises and small busi- nesses are a major part of Nebraska's economy. And in a time of economic hardships. it is a wise investment to

vide vitally needed money to sup* provideopportunity and economic main street businesses in Nebraska's growth to businesses that create new rural communities and urban neigh- borhoods.

Since creation of the Nebraska Microenterprise Development Act in 1997, over 19,000 businesses and individuals in every Nebraska county have received loans and/or technical assistance as a result of its funding.

Many rural communities have self-employment and small business ownership rates many times greater than urban areas. Small businesses are also the job creators in much of rural America.

jobs and innovation in rural communi- ties.

Investing in the small businesses across the state revitalizes main streets and builds communities.

In the last budget, Nebraska sena- tors wisely dedicated $1.5 million to support the Nebraska Microenterprise Development Act. They should main- tain the same level of h d i n g for the program even in these tight economic times.

s r i n D . p . w , c . n t . r f b t RurrrlAlhk.,Lyonr,N.b.

Universal Information Services , Inc. http://news.universal-info.com Profile: 111 - Center for Rural Afiirs Recipient: John Crabtree

Page: 111

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GAZETTE Date: Saturday, December 20,2008 Frequency: DAILY

McCOOK, Nebraska Circulation: 5903 Clip Size: 32.53 sq. inches Ad Rate: $10.95 Pagelsection: 2

c C W & ZOOS \ All RigNs Ressved -.

Another arctic blast headed toward Nebraska

OMAHA (AP) - In the rel- ative warmth of 15-20 degrees Friday morning, northeast Nebraska was digging out from nearly a foot of snow and facing the prospect of another arctic blast.

"There's not much going on here, but we're open," said Ruthann Bonneau, manager of Cowabunga Korner restau- rant in Walthill. "We have lots of snow ... it's pretty high here."

About 15 miles south of Walthill, in Lyons, Brian Depew said the estimated 6-8 inches was "very pretty snow, actually."

"It fell all night," Depew said from his office at t h e m - ler for Rural Affairs. "There was ice before that ? that made it a little slick."

He said the city's snow- plows had most of the streets cleared by late Friday morn- ing.

Slick or otherwise impass- able streets and stranded ve- hicles forced most eastern Ne- braska schools to close Friday or to open late,In Lincoln, po- lice responded to 26 weather- related crashes by late Friday afternoon. Some flights in and out of Omaha were delayed or canceled.

More snow was on the way over the weekend, as holiday journeys begin in earnest.

National Weather Service meteorologist Barbara Mayes said the forecast of 1 or 2 more inches of snow on Saturday promises that travel will be perilous, especially,in north- east Nebraska.

"We have a lot of new snow up there, and we're going to combine that with winds of 30

mph or more," said Mayes, who works in the Weather Service's Valley office.

Already on the ground are 11 inches that fell over the last 24 hours in Walthill and the 10 inches in Wayne and Nor- folk. Other northeast Nebras- ka reports ranged from 8 down to 5 inches of snow.

Farther west and south, less snow fell:

3.5 inches at Chambers in Holt County;

5.2 inches at Mullen in Hooker County;

4-5 inches at various spots in Douglas County, in- cluding Omaha;

4.5 inches at Ericson in Garfield County;

2.9 inches at Kingsley Dam in Keith County;

2.5 inches at Imperial in southwest Nebraska's Chase County; H 2 inches at Hastings in

south-central Nebraska. In most eastern Nebraska

spots, the snow was preceded by freezing rain or sleet. The State Patrol said up to a half- inch of ice coated some road- ways Thursday night.

None will be melting any: time soon, at least with na- ture's help.

"Sunday night the temper- atures will really bottom out," Mayes said. "It will be coldest in east Nebraska ? mainly northeast will be the pit of it."

Meteorologists in her of- fice were expecting tempera- tures in the low to mid-teens below zero by late Sunday, with some spots approaching minus 20.

-Associated Press Writer Timberly Ross contributed to this report.

Universal Information Services , Inc. http://news.universaI-info.com Profile: 111 - Center for Rural Affiirs Recipient: John Crabtree

Page: 1 I1

Page 20: CFRA 010509 Newspaper clips

INDEX

MITCHELL, Nebraska

Date: Frequency: Circulation: Clip Size: Ad Rate:

Pagelsection:

Wednesday, December 24, WEEKLY 893 17.08 sq. inches $4.5 1 B

A Wise Investment in Business

By Brian Depew, Center ica. for Rural Affairs Jn Nebraska, 86 percent of

In 2009, tfie Nebraska Uni- private, non-fm businesses are -era1 has an opportunity to small businesses with five or continue support for establishing fewer employees, Nearly one in and creating small businesses all five private, non-fm Jobs in across the state. nual Nebraska are in these small

The Nebraska Microenter- businesses. prise Development Act provides Micr~nteWises and small funds for small business loans, businesses are a major Part of training and technical assistance. Nebraska's economy- And in a These funds, administered by the time of e~onomic hardships, it is Nebraska Entetprise Fund, pro- a wise investment to provide vide vitally needed money to OPPOrfUnitY and economic support Main street businesses growth to businesses that Create in ~ ~ b ~ ~ k ~ l ~ rural communities new jobs and innovation in rural and urban neighborhoods. communities.

Since creation of the Ne- Investing in the small busi- braska ~ i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~~~~l~~ nesses across the state revitalizes

in 1997, over 19,000 Main Streets and builds commu- businesses and individuals in nities. every Nebraska County have In the last Nebraska received loans andlor technical Senators wisely dedicated $1.5 assistance as a of its f ~ n d - million to support the Nebraska ing. Microenterprise Development

Many rural communities Act. They should maintain the have self-employment and small Same level of funding for the business owners hi^ rates man" Pro- even in these tight em- . ~ - times greater than urban &. nOmic times.

For further information: Small businesses are also the job w.ch.org crearors in much of rural Amer-

Universal Information Services , Inc. http://news.universaI-info.com Profile: 111 - Center for Rural Affairs Recipient: John Crabtree

Page: 111

Page 21: CFRA 010509 Newspaper clips

GAZETTE

McCOOK, Nebraska

Date: Frequency: Circulation: Clip Size: Ad Rate:

Thursday, December DAl LY 5903 120.97 sq. inches $10.95

Pagelsection: PREVIEW 1 s Com%4t 2008 \All Ridus R 8 d

uff bond u ~ ~ e to $2 million cash By CONNIE JO DlSCOE

LEXINGTON - Furnas County District Court Judge James Doyle IV Wednesday morning set a new bond amount of $2 million cash for the man who has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death Oct. 3,2007, of an Ara- pahoe woman.

Nebraska Attorney Gener- al hmlkwhg whose office is assisting with the prosecu- tion of Herchel Harold Huff, said he is "sickened by Huff and his crimes.

Huff, 35, of Holbrook and Grant, is charged with the death of 28-year-old Kasey Jo Warner, who was killed when she was struck by Huffs car as she and her young daughter walked on a county road southwest of Arapahoe. Huff was free on his original bond of $250,000, 10 percent of which was posted by his mother and stepfather, but is now back in Furnas County jail in Beaver City.

On Friday, Dec. 12, Judge Doyle and prosecution and defense attorneys conducted a telephone hearing during which Huff was accused of vi- olating conditions of his bond release, which includes stipu- lations that he avoid alcohol and any unlawful activities.

A spokesperson for the City of Kearney Police Department said this morning that at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 3, a Kearney police officer assist- ed Fumas County Sheriff Kurt Kappennan in the interview of a reporting party regarding bond violations by Huff. At the hearing Friday then, Doyle increased Huffs bond to $2

- - million with a 15 percent pro- vision for release from jail. During the hearing in Lexing- ton Wednesday, Doyle amended that bond to $2 mil- lion cash. A spokesperson for the-- &s office said that Huffs bond violation(s) included continuing to consume alco- hol. Attorney General Jon Bruning said following Huffs bond hearing Wednesday, "No break will be given. No deal will be made. We're sick- ened by Mr. Huff and his crimes, and our intent is to see him behind bars for a long time."

Judge Doyle set the bond high, he said Wednesday, be- cause of Huffs bond violation and the seriousness of the charges against him, and be- cause Huff has already plead- ed guilty to manslaughter (al- though not sentenced yet), with allegations of more crimes.

During a hearing Nov. 26, Huff pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Warner. Warner was a former volleyball coach at Arapahoe High School, and was teach- ing biology at McCook Com- munity College at the time of her death. She is survived by her husband, Dan, and her young daughters, Gentry and Berkley.

At the same hearing in No- vember, Huff pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homi- cide, tampering with a witness and refusal to submit to a chemical test. Huff waived a jury trial for the charges of tampering with a witness and refusal to submit to a chemical test, and reserved a jury trial

for the charge of motor vehicle homicide, Furnas County At- torney Tom Patterson said after the Nov. 26 hearing.

At the hearing Wednesday in Lexington, Judge Doyle gave Charles Brewster of Hol- drege, an attorney for Huff, until Jan. 20 to prepare his ar- guments for a dismissal of charges motion and a 'plea in bar," in which Brewster and co-attorney Richard Calkins of Alma contend that because Huff has already pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charges, other charges against him should be dismissed. Brewster told Judge Doyle, "Mr. Huff should not be tried on two felonies for causing the same mishap." Brewster said, "The law is fairly complex, and we ask 30 days to submit our arguments in writing."

Doyle gave Brewster until the middle of January to pre- pare his arguments for the motions to the court, and then asked for a response by Feb. 5 from Patterson and Mike Guinan, an attorney with the Nebraska Attorney General's &ice who is assisting Patter- son.

Calkins also asked Doyle to suppress testimony from one of two Furnas County deputies who investigated Warner's death and has since moved to Minneapolis, Minn. Calkins said that he and Guinan traveled to Minneapo- lis to interview the deputy, and offered into evidence the deputy's deposition.

Because of trial delays such as these motions and plead- ings, Judge Doyle told Huff, the state is beyond the six- month time limit, required by

a "speedy trial" law, during which it must bring him to court. Huff waived his right to a speedy trial as Patter- son/Guinan argued to sen- tence Huff on the manslaugh- ter conviction and, at the same time, try him on the motor ve- hicle homicide charge and other two charges. Guinan re- quested a trial date in March.

Brewster argued that state statutes provide forthe plea in bar, and asked the judge to rule on that motion and the motion to dismiss and sen- tence Huff on the manslaugh- ter conviction before setting a trial date on the other charges.

Guinan told Judge Doyle that process could create "worlds of issues to handle" and ra double jeopardy situa- tion," because a defendant cannot be tried twice for the same crime.

Judge Doyle did not set a trial date Wednesday.

Guinan told Judge Doyle that the state has no objection to the defendant's request that his original bond not be for- feited, as allowed by state law under violations of bond con- ditions. Brewster walked over to the courtroom gallery, leaned over front row seats and whispered to a woman seated in the second row, 'Did you put up your house as secu- rity for this bond?" She an- swered, 'Yes."

Brewster then told the judge that 'a bail bondsman had paid Huffs bond, but ac- cepted as security Huffs mother's home.

Through his attorney, Huff later thanked the judge for his kindness in not taking his mother's home.

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Brewster asked the judge that arrangements be made to get glasses for Huff if he is in- carcerated until his trial in the state penitentiary in Lincoln, which does not allow an in- mate to wear contact lenses. Judge Doyle said he will not interfere with the rules that a penitentiary or a sheriff makes for a facility. Huff was taken to the jail in Beaver City.

Manslaughter is a Class I11 felony with a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $25,000 fine or both.

Motor vehicle homicide is a Class I1 felony with a penalty of up to 50 years in prison.

Tampering with a witness is a Class IV felony with a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $io,ooo fine or both.

Refusing to submit to a chemical test is a Class IIIA felony with a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $io,ooo fine or both.

Connie Jo OisaehkCook Daily Guene

Herchel Huff (left) and his attorneys Charles Brewster of Holdrege (front) and Richard Calkins of Alma walk to the district courtroom in Lexington, before a motions hearing Wednesday morn- ing. In November, Huff pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Kasey Jo Warner, who died when she was struck by Huff's car on a county road southwest of Arapahoe on Oct. 3,2007. Huff still faces charges of motor vehicle homicide, tampering with a witness and refusal to sub- mit to a chemical test.

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