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The Regional, Public and Community Affairs Division replaces the Center for the Study of Rural America in the Bank's Organizational Structure. Read the special edition of The Main Street Economist for details.

2007

• Issue VI, 2007
  Farm Spending Surges With Record Income (PDF, 1499K)
  
  
• Issue V, 2007
  The Tenth District's Defining Industries:  Changes and Opportunities for Rural Communities (PDF, 1183K)
  
  
• Issue IV, 2007
  The Power of Technological Innovation in Rural America (PDF, 1262K)
  
  
• Issue III, 2007
  Will the Rebound in Farm Financial Conditions Continue? (PDF, 1440K)
  
  
• Issue II, 2007
  Minorities in the Tenth District:  Are They Ready for the Jobs of the Future? (PDF, 375K)
  
  
• Issue I, 2007
  Can Ethanol Power the Rural Economy? (PDF, 286K)

2006

• Issue VIII, 2006
  U.S. Agricultural Credit Conditions: Drought Strikes the Plains
  (PDF, 656K)
  
  Issue VII, 2006 -- Special Edition
  Division of Regional, Public and Community Affairs: An Expanded Commitment to Regional & Rural Research
  (PDF 287K)
  
  Issue VI, 2006
  A Catalog of Innovative Regional Partnerships, Part Two
  (PDF,200K) 
  By: Stephan Weiler, Jason Henderson, and Katie Cervantes
  
  Issue V, 2006
  Innovative Regional Partnerships in the Rural Tenth District
  (PDF,148K) 
  By: Stephan Weiler, Jason Henderson, and Katie Cervantes
  
  Issue IV, 2006
  A New Rural Economy: A New Role for Public Policy
  (PDF,632K) 
  By: Mark Drabenstott and Jason Henderson
  
  Issue III, 2006
  U.S. Agricultural Credit Conditions: A Softening in 2006?
  (PDF,378K) 
  By: Nancy Novack
  
  Issue II, 2006
  Obesity: America's Economic Epidemic
  (PDF, 434K)
  By: Jason Henderson and Sarah Low
  
  Issue I, 2006
  A Robust Rural Economy
  (PDF, 195K)
  By: Jason Henderson

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2005

• December 2005
  New Issues on the Rural Horizon
  (PDF, 1,273K)
  By: Rural Center Staff
   

• November 2005
  U.S. Agricultural Credit Conditions: Rising Energy Prices Boost Farm Costs
  (PDF, 2,500K); For faster download: (Text only, PDF, 25K)
  (Map 1, PDF, 19K), (Chart 1, PDF, 12K), (Chart 2, PDF, 12K),
  (Chart 3, PDF, 18K) (Chart 4, PDF, 10K)
  By: Nancy Novack
   

• October 2005
  Katrina and Rita: Lingering Effects on Agriculture
  (PDF, 525K)
  By: Mark Drabenstott and Jason Henderson
   

• September 2005
  Regional Asset Indicators: The Wealth of Regions
  (PDF, 1,258K); For faster download: (Text only, PDF, 30K)
  (Figure 1, PDF, 12K), (Figure 2, PDF, 291K), (Figure 3, PDF, 305K),
  (Figure 4, PDF, 310K)
  By: Sarah A. Low
   

• August 2005
  Small Bank Lending: Tapping Opportunities for Rural Growth
  (PDF, 614K)
  By: Jason Henderson, Sean Moore, and Stephan Weiler
   

• July 2005
  Rural America's New Path to Workforce Skills
  (PDF, 472K)
  By: Jason Henderson and Stephan Weiler
   

• June 2005
  Agricultural Credit Conditions: Booming Farmland Values
  (PDF, 921K)
  By: Nancy Novack
   

• May 2005
  Rural America's Emerging Knowledge Economy
  (PDF, 291K)
  By: Jason Henderson and Bridget Abraham
   

• April 2005
  Regional Asset Indicators: Bank Deposit Depth
  and Evolution
  (PDF, 1,398K); For faster download: (Text only, PDF, 18K)
  (Figure 1, PDF, 593K), (Figure 2, PDF, 866K)
  By: Sarah A. Low
   

• March 2005
  Do Farm Payments Promote Rural Economic Growth?
  (PDF, 3,704K); For faster download: (Text only, PDF, 101K)
  (Figure 1, PDF, 335K), (Figure 2, PDF, 640K), (Figure 3, PDF, 338K),
  (Figure 4, PDF, 610K), (Figure 5, PDF, 348K), (Figure 6, PDF, 346K)
  By: Mark Drabenstott
   

• February 2005
  Regional Asset Indicators: Tapping the
  Skills Surplus in Rural America
  (PDF, 1,120K); For faster download: (Text only, PDF, 110K)
  (Figure 1, PDF, 360K), (Figure 2, PDF, 360K), (Figure 3, PDF, 518K)
  By: Sean Moore
   

• January 2005
  An Economic Resurgence in the Rural Economy
  (PDF, 296K)
  By: Jason Henderson and Nancy Novack

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2004

• December 2004
  Building Rural Prosperity in Regions: The Road Less Traveled
  (PDF, 2,373K)
  2004 Annual Report
  By: Center Staff

• November 2004
  Termination of the Rabobank and Farm Credit Services of America Sale
  (PDF, 317K)
  By Nancy Novack and Jason Henderson

• October 2004
  Beyond Cows and Corn: Rural America in the 21st Century
  (PDF, 292K)
  By Jason Henderson and Stephan Weiler

• September 2004
  Regional Asset Indicators: Entrepreneurship Breadth and Depth
  (PDF, 483K)
  By Sarah Low

• August 2004
  New Governance for a New Rural Economy: Reinventing Public and Private Institutions
  (PDF, 457K)
  By Mark Drabenstott, Nancy Novack, and
  Stephan Weiler

• July 2004
  Defining "Rural" America
  (PDF, 347K)
  By Jason Henderson and Stephan Weiler

• June 2004
  New Approaches to Rural Policy: Lessons from Around the World
  (PDF, 742K)
  By Mark Drabenstott, Nancy Novack, and
  Stephan Weiler

• May 2004
  Roar of the Dragon: The Asian Upside for U.S. Agriculture
  (PDF, 287K)
  By Mark Drabenstott and Nancy Novack

• April 2004
  Wildlife Recreation: Rural America's Newest Billion Dollar Industry
  (PDF, 395K)
  By Jason Henderson

• March 2004
  Racing toward New Frontiers: Helping Regions Compete in the Global Marketplace
  (PDF, 743K)
  By Stephan Weiler

• February 2004
  Will the farm rebound lead a rural recovery?
  (PDF, 327K)
  By Jason Henderson

• January 2004
  Innovations in Rural Governance
  (PDF, 825K)
  2003 Annual Report
  By: Center Staff

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2003

• December 2003
  FAQs about Mad Cow Disease and Its Impacts
  (PDF, 106K)
  By Jason Henderson

• November 2003
  Top Ten Ways To Reinvent Rural Regions
  (PDF, 179K)
  By Mark Drabenstott

• October 2003
  An Update on Rural Broadband
  (PDF, 350K)
  By Bridget Abraham

• September 2003
  Bridging the Gap in Rural Healthcare
  (PDF, 102K)
  By Nancy Novack

• August 2003
  Seizing High-Skill Services in Rural America
  (PDF, 115K)
  By Jason Henderson

• July 2003
  The Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Exports
  (PDF, 301K)
  By Kendall McDaniel

• June 2003
  Main Streets of Tomorrow: Growing and Financing Rural Entrepreneurs
  (PDF, 3,073K)
  By Mark Drabenstott, Nancy Novack, and Bridget Abraham

• May 2003
  Thinking Regionally, Acting Locally: Emerging Rural Regions in the U.S.
  (PDF, 91K)
  By Kendall McDaniel

• April 2003
  Rising Farmland Values: Some Implications for Rural America
  (PDF, 227K)
  By Nancy Novack

• March 2003
  New Troubles at Rural Factories: New Implications for Rural Development
  (PDF, 768K)
  By Mark Drabenstott

• February 2003
  Can Rural America Plan for Tomorrow's Drought?
  (PDF, 2,543K)
  By Bridget Abraham

• January 2003
  Building New Competitive Advantages for the 21st Century
  (PDF, 224K)
  By Jason Henderson and Nancy Novack

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2002

• December 2002
  Will Rains and a National Recovery Spur a Rural Rebound?
  (PDF, 403K)
  By Jason Henderson and
  Nancy Novack

• November 2002
  Venturing into Rural America
  (PDF, 124K)
  By Kendall McDaniel

• October 2002
  The Income Divide in Rural America
  (PDF, 114K)
  By Nancy Novack

• September 2002
  A New Generation of Rural Policy:  More Lessons from Abroad
  (PDF, 159K)
  By Mark Drabenstott and Katharine Sheaff

• August 2002
  Are High-Growth Entrepreneurs Building the Rural Economy?
  (PDF, 123K)
  By Jason Henderson

• July 2002
  Will Farm Finances Stay Healthy in 2002?
  (PDF, 113K)
  By Kendall McDaniel

• June 2002
  The New Power of Regions: A Policy Focus for Rural America
  (PDF, 1,519K)
  By Mark Drabenstott and Katharine Sheaff

• May 2002
  Can Regional Colleges Make a Difference in Rural America?
  (PDF, 1,155K)
  By Stuart Rosenfeld, Regional Technology Strategies, Inc. and Katharine Sheaff
  

• April 2002
  The Outlook for Real Estate in Rural America
  (PDF, 251K)
  By Jason Henderson
  

• March 2002
  The Rise of Ethanol in Rural America
  (PDF, 1,839K)
  By Nancy Novack
  

• February 2002
  Exploring Agriculture's New Frontier
  (PDF, 127K)
  By Mark Drabenstott
  

• January 2002
  Will the Rural Economy Rebound with the Rest of the Nation?
  (PDF, 129K)
  By Jason Henderson

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2001

• December 2001
  Trends in Rural Manufacturing
  (PDF, 318K)
  By Chad Wilkerson, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
  

• November 2001
  The Transformation of Banking:  What Does It Mean for Rural Economies? (PDF, 123K)
  By William R. Keeton, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
  

• October 2001
  The 2000 Census and Growth Patterns in Rural America (PDF, 614K)
  By Katharine Sheaff
  

• September 2001
  Networking with E-commerce in Rural America (PDF, 408K)
  By Jason R. Henderson

• August 2001
  Producer Alliances in the New Agriculture (PDF, 272KB)
  By Nancy Novack
  

• July 2001
   Focusing on Differences:  A New Approach for Rural Policy?
  (PDF, 275KB)
  By Stanley Johnson, Iowa State University 

• June 2001
  Exploring Policy Options for a New Rural America (PDF, 178KB)
  By Mark Drabenstott and Katharine Sheaff
  

• May 2001
  Small Business in Rural America
  (PDF, 137KB)
  By Kendall McDaniel
  

• April 2001
  The New U.S. Meat Industry
  (PDF, 493K)
  By Alan Barkema and Nancy Novack
  

• March 2001
  Looking to the States for New Rural Policies (PDF, 587K) 
  By Mark Drabenstott and Katharine Sheaff
  

• February 2001
  The Success of the E-Rate in Rural America (PDF, 586K)
  By Brian Staihr and Katharine Sheaff
  

• January 2001
  The Farm Slump Eases (PDF, 670K)
  By Alan Barkema and Nancy Novack

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2000

• December 2000 (PDF, 744K)
  How Rural America Sees Its Future
  By Alan D. Barkema and
  Mark Drabenstott
  
  

• November 2000 (PDF, 528K)
  Rural Policy Lessons from Abroad
  By Mark Drabenstott and
  Katharine Sheaff
  
  

• October 2000 (PDF, 360K)
  Ag Biotech: Bold New Promise or Bold New Risk?
  by Alan D. Barkema
  
  

• September 2000 (PDF, 552K)
  Can Scenic Amenities Offer Rural Gain Without Pain?
  By Kendall  McDaniel
  
  

• August 2000 (PDF, 360K)
  The Broadband Quandary for Rural America
  By Brian Staihr
  
  

• July 2000 (PDF, 406K)
  U.S. Agriculture's Trade Prospects
  By Alan D. Barkema

• June 2000 (PDF,1,407K)
  New Directions for U.S. Rural Policy
  By Mark Drabenstott
  
  

• May 2000 (PDF, 418K)
  Rural America's Stake in the Digital Economy
  By Brian Staihr
  
  

• April 2000 (PDF, 1,675K)
  A New Century for Community Banks
  By Alan Barkema and Mark Drabenstott
  
  

• March 2000 (PDF, 267K)
  New Rural Policies for a New Century
  By Mark Drabenstott
  
  

• February 2000 (PDF, 362K)
  Has Main Street Shared in the Nation's Economic Boom?
  By Mark Drabenstott
  
  

• January 2000 (PDF, 241K)
  Can Agriculture End Its Slump in 2000?
  By Alan D. Barkema

1999

• December 1999 (PDF, 191K)
  What's at Stake for U.S. Agriculture in a Global Trade Deal?
  By Kendall McDaniel
  
  November 1999 (PDF, 1,114K)
  Sizing Up the Farm Downturn
  By Alan D. Barkema
  
  

• October 1999 (PDF, 1,482K)
  Rural America in a New Century
  By Mark Drabenstott

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