Archive for the ‘In the News’ Category

What’s going on with Job Growth in Rural South Dakota?

December 15th, 2009

Last week I published a post about a study claiming that rural communities were more “prosperous” than most people believe (click here to view a map detailing which counties the study considers prosperous).  The study used a non-traditional means of measuring prosperity (it didn’t include income and population growth as factors), which explains why some of the communities deemed prosperous could have stagnant economies and outmigration. 

Today, however, we have additional research suggesting that much of America’s western Heartland has fared well in terms of job losses during the economic down turn.

In an article titled “Location, Location, Location,” Daily Yonder reporters Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo note severe job losses in rural Alabama (and the Southeast US) and rural Michigan (and the eastern Midwest) from December 2007 until October 2009.

Most of us are aware of the automobile industry’s impact on job losses in Michigan and Ohio, but the Daily Yonder article highlights the industries demise is also affecting rural Alabama. 

I appreciated that the article provided a link to the data (in an Excel spreadsheet) used in generating this report.  I downloaded information for South Dakota and then segregated the ten “most urban” counties from the remaining rural counties. Click here to download my spreadsheet. (See note at bottom for my definition of “most urban”). 

It was interesting to note that the “most urban” counties in SD lost 680 jobs, while the remaining rural counties gained 1787.  This surprised me.  Can small, rural communities in SD be doing better than their more urban counterparts?

We know that many of our midsized communities in SD have struggled with manufacturing loses, but I’d be interested in understanding more about what’s going on.  How is it that the smaller rural counties have fared better in employment terms?  If you have thoughts on the issue, I’d be interested in hearing them.  

Note:  While all of SD, except Sioux Falls and Rapid City are generally considered rural, I identified the 10 most urban counties by nine largest communities and then added Lincoln to the list because of its relationship to Sioux Falls.

Map Source: Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo @ The Daily Yonder

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Big Problems can’t be solved by Big Solutions

December 14th, 2009

We’ve known for quite some time Dan and Chip Heath intended to include the story of the “Miner County Cash Flow Study“ project in their next book, Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard.  Chip interviewed Randy Parry about the project at Grassroots and Groundwork Conference in St. Paul, MN a couple years ago. 

Having the project, which kick started our development efforts in Miner County, SD, mentioned in Switch is pretty exciting for me.  I’m a huge fan of their first book, Made to Stick, and I regularly seek out their monthly column in FastCompany as the first article I read in the magazine. 

Yesterday, I stumbled across this blog post and learned a bit about how they intend to use the story of the cash flow study in Switch.  The author interviewed Dan and Chip, and wrote the following:

Another fascinating component of the conversation was the Heath’s belief that “big problems are only rarely solved by big solutions.” They argued that big changes must be shrunk into the smallest components possible and attacked bite by bite. Very thought-provoking for someone passionate about the importance of the follower! The illustration used here was that of some kids in a South Dakota small town economics class who managed to save their town simply by encouraging everyone in town to spend just 10% more of their money locally. And it worked!”  (Source:  “Chip/Dan Heath - Switch,” Hogshadows. 8-8-09)

Big problems can’t be solved by big solutions. That makes me think of Rosa Parks.  One lady, who refused to give up her seat on a bus, helped launch the Civil Rights movement.  Of course, her singular action - standing up to the injustice of segregation on Montgomery, AL buses — didn’t eliminate discrimination overnight, but her effort played a pivotal role in solving a problem many, at the time,  deemed insurmountable. 

It may be a bit presumptive to compare the herculean efforts of Rosa Parks and the civil rights activists who toppled segregation in the South to the efforts of Howard H.S. students who raised awareness about the importance of spending their money locally; but I think the Heaths are onto something important when they say the solutions to big problems must be attacked in smaller, more manageable bites. 

Of course, in the community development world, it means you also need sustained leadership.  The students who participated in the Miner County Cash Flow Study project addressed one issue - local spending - but it took a decade of sustained community development efforts to achieve success in Miner County. Rural decline is, after all, a pretty complex issue.

And do we ever really achieve success? Like fighting discrimination, transforming the economies of our small, rural communities will take constant vigilance.  It’s safe to say that something WILL go wrong in Miner County at some point in the future.  A business will struggle or a building will be destroyed by fire.  One never knows the challenges the future will bring.

But tackling big issues with small bites and developing sustained leadership makes a lot of sense as a foundation for creating change in our rural communities.  I look forward to what else the Heaths have to say on the subject in Switch. 

Note:  I’d encourage anyone interested in learning more about the study  to sign up for a free resource guide in the box found in the upper right column.

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5 Ways Rural Communities can get ready for Gen Y

December 11th, 2009

This is the 3rd in a series of posts offering my thoughts about an article Gwendolyn Bounds wrote for the Wall Street Journal titled “Green Acres is the Place to be.” Her article highlights a small but hopefully growing trend of young people moving to rural places.  When I started writing, I only intended one article.  But the story continues to garnish my attention. (You can read previous post here and here.)           

The people highlighted in the Bounds’ article all purchased small tracts of land in Rural America. They are raising animals, growing crops, and hunting animals for food. It’s interesting to me that none decided to live in a town or hamlet. 

I think I understand why these young people, called Gen Y, are attracted to purchasing a house and land in the countryside, and I think it’s a good thing - at least in the Midwest, where the countryside has been depopulated.  I do recognize the potential problems around urban sprawl and the conflict between hobby farms and production agriculture.  But in general, I think the positives outweigh the negatives in my part of the country. 

I also think there’s an opportunity for small, rural towns to position themselves as places where Gen Y wants to move. Previously, I’ve written about that subject in a series of posts tagged “attracting college educated.” Regardless of whether they live in town or outside, however, I think there are things that rural communities can do to prepare for and maximize the movement of younger people to Rural America.   And I’d like to share my thoughts on that subject below.

 

5 tips for preparing your community for a Gen Y

Following the theme of understanding the characteristics of Gen Y, I’d recommend rural communities consider the following activities:

1) Help create economic opportunities. Yesterday, I highlighted that individuals moving to rural places were seeking a variety of opportunities. The subject is mute if economic opportunities for the rural transplants don’t exist. To some people that means rural communities need to recruit businesses for new job growth. And that’s good strategy for some communities. But I’ve long been a fan of entrepreneurship training programs, like economic gardening. Developing and marketing a good entrepreneurship program could be a boon for attracting Gen Y. After all, Gen Y is known to be very entrepreneurial. (Read more about Gen Y’s entrepreneurial tendencies here and here.) 

2) Make sure your community has third places that help introduce newcomers. We’ve talked previously about the importance of pubs, coffee shops, cafes, and community centers that function as “informal meeting places where community is built.” (Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place) If you don’t believe me, check out this blog produced by Gwendolyn Bounds about a little pub in Garrison, NY. Bounds credits the sense of community she experienced while visiting the pub as part of the reason she moved to the region from NYC. 

3) Develop good broadband internet capacities and wi-fi hot spots. No doubt about it; Gen Y is very techy. In fact, some experts say young people look at technology like cell phones and other wireless devices as extensions of themselves. That’s hard concept for many older people to grasp, but not having good Internet access in your rural community will drive young people crazy - and possibly somewhere else.

4) Help young people figure out “What am I going to do in this town?” In case you haven’t noticed, Gen Y is very social. Granted, some of that social activity is on-line, but they love to get together for a good time as well. That’s what led college student Morgan Andenas to write a blog post last summer titled “What am I suppose to do in this town?” in which she recommends inviting young people to be a part of community projects that include social opportunities. Another idea for helping young people fit in can be accomplished by creating Young Professional Groups.

5) Rethink how you “engage” Gen Y in your community. Too often, older generations treat young adults like kids, which is a real turn-off to them. They firmly believe they have something valuable to contribute, and are sometimes offended when you don’t ask them to do so. I still think this post titled “How to Engage Gen Y in Rural Communities” is an excellent guide for any person or organization that wants to make younger people feel a part of their organization or community. Younger people today want to feel valuable.

 

Before wrapping up this post, I’d like to make one more point.  I realize that most small town residents in the Midwest and Great Plains probably don’t believe there’s a significant opportunity to attract Gen Y to rural communities through entrepreneurship, third places, technology and engagement.  I too have some doubts about it growing into a full-fledged movement.  But I do believe we can make our rural communities more attractive to younger people if we are intentional in our efforts.  In fact, I believe that’s something we have to do in order to have a future at all. 

And if you want a proof that intentional efforts of this nature can be successful, take a look at what they are doing at Energize Clinton County in Wilmington, Ohio.  Their efforts are already starting to attract Gen Y.

Photo Credit: Daquella manera - Flickr 

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, In the News, Rural, Rural Life | Comments (2)

Gen Y and Rural Living: A natural fit.

December 10th, 2009

Gwendolyn Bounds’ article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Green Acres Is the Place to Be” highlighted a small but hopefully growing trend of young people who are moving to rural places.  I spotlighted Bound’s article here, and I’ve been wondering ever since, “What is really going on here?  What is it that is attracting Gen Y to rural places?  (Note: Bounds’ article focuses on urban residents called “ruralpolitans” who move to rural places, but young people appear to be a major focus of those currently moving. )

First and foremost, we need to recognize that the ruralpolitans Bounds describes are moving to rural places because they sense an opportunity for them. Brandon Peaks speaks directly to this issue in the last paragraph of the WSJ article:

“I can’t tell you how many people at work say, ‘Man, I’d like to do that,’ “Mr. Peak says.  “Everybody is looking for the next opportunity for hope.”

Peaks, an Intel Corp technician in Phoenix, sees opportunity in working with his parents on a dairy operation they recently purchased in Missouri.  It means he will escape the uncertainty of the job market in his industry, and will enable him to move from a city that has seen a major housing market collapse. (Admittedly, most of us Midwesterners probably see dairy farming a risky venture with milk prices as low as they are, but at least Peaks will be able to see his wife and children on a regular basis, something that doesn’t currently happen.)

Other rural transplants see different types of opportunities:

It is easy for urban dwellers to see these opportunities when the urban economy has tanked. Losing one’s life savings and seeing the housing market crash have a funny way of doing that. But I think it goes deeper.  Why is it specifically that Gen Y is recognizing opportunities in rural places?  To answer that I think we have to look at what experts have to say about Gen Y. 

Characteristics of Gen Y

There’s no shortage of social commentators who have created their own lists of Gen Y characteristics.  I’ve written about them myself on several occasions.  (See here and here as examples.)    What I’ve attempted below is to connect these characteristics to why people of this generation might be moving to rural places. 

Looking at the trend in this way suggests to me that the movement is about more than just a reaction to the economy.  The economy may have encouraged young people to rethink their future, but the opportunities in rural places that are attractive to Gen Y have always been there.  Perhaps they just weren’t looking. 

 

Other Resources about Gen Y

Photo Credit:  newagecrap - Flickr

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Look out Rural! Gen Y’s on the move

December 9th, 2009

In an article titled “Green Acres is the Place to Be,” Gwendolyn Bounds of the Wall Street Journal hints that we might expect to see a movement of Gen Y to rural places.  Motivated by an uncertain economy, the young people Bounds describes in her article are jettisoning their hectic urban lives by purchasing small tracts of land in Rural America.  They are, in Bounds’ eyes, the young modern-day equivalent of “Mr. Douglas” of TV’s “Green Acres” fame. 

But what’s really their motivation?  Were they burned out by the fast paced Park Avenue life, like Mr. Douglas? Partly.  Several do admit to aspiring to a slower pace of life. 

But more significantly, many of these rural migrants feel burned by the Park Avenue investors who contributed to our country’s recent economy collapse by turning investment banking into something more akin to investment gambling.  If there is any single factor linking all the rural migrants together, it would have to be fear over how quickly they saw investments disappear in the recent economic recession. 

For that reason, many of the young people Bounds describes are purchasing land in rural places instead.  They see it as a more stable investment than either the stock market or the overinflated urban housing market from which they emerged. And if things go really bad, at least they’ll still be able to grow their own food.

It’s tough to tell if the people highlighted in the article suggest a growing movement or a temporary reaction, soon to reverse course.  Personally, I lean toward thinking it has a real opportunity to grow into a movement.  But then, I’ve always been known as guy who believes “the glass is half full.”

 

Photo Credit: Jakesmome - Flickr

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, Gen Y, In the News, Rural, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Rural Midwest: Still in a recession or better than most think?

December 4th, 2009

So which of the following statements accurately describes the economy of rural Midwestern communities?  “Survey shows rural Midwest still in a recession” or “Rural America more prosperous than expected.”

I caught both of the above titled articles Tuesday while mining Twitter for information on rural communities.  Both were released on the same day (Dec. 1), and suggest contradictory opinions about what’s happening in the rural Midwest. 

So what gives?  Is our economy in the tank or are we doing better than most people assume? Could it be both?

Can we trust the sources?

Let me begin by saying that both articles come from reliable sources:

It’s important to note that the University of Illinois study differs in one other significant way - it attempts to measure community prosperity without relying on the income and growth indicators used in most study on the kind.  So, it is possible that the rural Midwest may still struggle with a recession in the upcoming months while remaining more prosperous than most people think.  But what does it mean to be more prosperous than most people think?

(Click on the map to enlarge and see how your community is doing accountring to Isserman’s study. Image Source: LiveScience.com)

Measuring Wealth by “outcomes” rather than “income and growth”

Early on in our work in Miner County, Dr. Daryl Hobbs made sure that we understood that the measures of community success often highlighted in the media don’t tell the whole story.  For instance, just measuring the number of jobs created doesn’t tell the entire story about how a community is doing.  And it definitely doesn’t explain how people feel about the community. 

Dr. Isserman at the University of Illinois seems to be well aware of these factors.  On the university’s website, he is quoted saying:

“Growth and income are the conventional measures of community success,” said U of I economist and planner Andrew Isserman. “But, in talking with farm groups, elected leaders, and rural development professionals from across the country, I realized how few were happy. Some worried about growing too much, and the others fretted about growing too little.”

Instead of income and growth, the study measured community prosperity by analyzing such factors as:

I don’t pretend to be an economist or sociologist (and I didn’t stay in a Holiday Inn last night either), but I do know that this is a very different way of thinking.  It’s definitely more in line with what Daryl was telling us, and I like it.  But then I don’t measure my personal prosperity by my bank account alone either. 

While exited to see this new approach to studying communities, I can’t help but wonder if the study didn’t miss one important criterion by not analyzing health trends.  In other words, are people in the community healthy?

I’m sure some in the academia and the economic development worlds will prefer the more traditional use of income and growth to measure community prosperity.  And that’s ok.  I’m just glad to see others like me are looking at the world a little differently.

Image credit: Andrew Isserman, Edward Feser, Drake Warren, University of Illinois, via LiveScience.com

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Will Rural America be left behind?

December 3rd, 2009

It’s common for bloggers to capture provocative quotes from newspapers and use them to start a little controversy.  At ReImagine Rural, we’re not about controversy, but I couldn’t let the following quote from Dr. Frank Fear go by without comment:

“Will rural America be left behind?” he asked. “Will small towns, farms and places that have spawned so many things that have made this country great be left behind?” (source:  “Michigan State University prepares to dismantle extension,” Capital Press.)

Dr. Fear, senior associate dean of agriculture and natural resources at Michigan State, made this statement at the National Grange Annual Convention in response to budgetary cuts that could cause the termination of Michigan’s Extension program. 

The article, from which the above quote appears, goes on to note that agriculture in Michigan is currently doing pretty well while the rest of the state’s economy is in shambles.  In doing so, it raises the question, “Does Michigan need to divert the resources from supporting agriculture to other economic development activities?”

I obviously don’t know the intimate details about Michigan, so I can’t offer definitive answers on what they should be doing. 

I hope that we never see the end of Michigan’s extension program, or any states’ for that matter.  From what I know about the goings on in Van Buren County, MI, Extension is a key player in their entrepreneurship initiative.  Removing the funding from Extension to recreate it someplace else would seem a senseless waste of resources.   

As for Fear’s question?  In my opinion, Rural America has been left behind for a long time - at least in our part of the country. 

 

 Other resources
“Dismantling Extension in Michigan” Timothy J. Shaffer (blog) -
Press Release: “Sustain the Legacy. Keep Agriculture and Rural America Vital,” The National Grange 

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Wind Energy Jobs outgrow Coal Jobs

December 1st, 2009

Thanks to a post on The Rural Blog, I stumbled across this old article from the Fortune Magazine blog touting an American Wind Energy study that claims more people are employed in wind energy than in coal mining.  My first reaction was “can this be true?”

With two wind energy companies located in tiny Howard, SD (pop. 1080), I recognize the importance of green job development to the future of Midwestern rural communities.  But I had no idea the wind industry now employs 85,000 workers compared to approximately 81,000 workers in the coal mining industry.

With that in mind, however, I’d like to caution people not to jump to the conclusion that there are more jobs in the wind energy industry than the coal industry.  The statistics speak only to coal mining.  Just as mechanization has led to the transfer of jobs from farming to the agro-industrial sector, the coal industry has also seen the movement of jobs from coal mining to industry related activities like the manufacturing of coal mining equipment.

What I like about the wind energy industry is that it makes business sense to locate the new jobs they create in rural communities close to wind resources.  Howard is a perfect example.

If you are interested in joining the conversation about job creation in wind energy, I’d encourage you to get to know the South Dakota Wind Energy Association.  Today, they are hosting their Annual Meeting in Pierre, SD. 

You can also become an “Advocate Member” of the association by visiting their website.  It’s easy and free. The wind energy industry is not going to save every rural community, but it can create a positive effect on many.

Photo Credit: Green for All - Flickr

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Why is it so tough to recycle in rural communities?

November 25th, 2009

Congratulations Salem!  You are one of the newest communities in South Dakota to participate in and benefit from the RecycleBank recycling program. 

Like most Americans, I understand the importance of recycling, but I’ve not always been as consistent in my recycling efforts as I should be.  After all, it’s usually inconvenient and there’s very little reward for recycling (outside of it is the right thing to do). 

According to this article in the Mitchell Daily Republic, some of these reasons have disappeared in Salem and in fourteen other rural SD communities through the RecycleBank program being offered by Novak Sanitary Services. 

Through the RecycleBank program, residents are (1) able to receive coupons based on the volume of waste they recycle, and (2) don’t have to sort their recyclable material.

When I lived in South Carolina during the early 1990s, my wife and I were regular recyclers, but fell out of the practice after moving back to rural South Dakota.  The reasons for this backslide were simple: there was no organized recycling in the town where I lived; and no one else collected any waste other than aluminum cans.

The Daily Republic article has me thinking:  How many rural communities in South Dakota offer recycling?  The article identifies fourteen additional small towns using the RecycleBank program, but I wonder how many others are recycling through other programs? 

And if rural communities are not offering recycling services, why not?  Why is it so difficult to offer recycling in a small town? 

 

Photo credit:  sparkle lavalamp - Flickr

 

 

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Is your community on your Christmas list?

November 19th, 2009

We don’t often think of giving Christmas presents to our communities unless we are considering a donation to a community foundation or program. A recent post from the Strom Center at Dickenson State University reminded me how important it is for rural communities to create activities that encourage residents to shop locally this holiday season.  In many ways individuals who commit to buying their Christmas gifts locally are giving a gift to the community. 

Specifically, the Strom Center post highlights a “shopping celebration” they are sponsoring in Dickinson called “Ladies Night Out.”

Featuring Downtown businesses, Ladies Night Out offers an eventful evening for all ages. Over twenty downtown stores will be offering a special discount/promotion during this event. A majority of the stores will be hosting refreshments and food sampling. Various downtown professional businesses are sponsoring the event to make the night spectacular. Downtown bars and restaurants will be offering different specials to complete the night.”

Events like Ladies Night Out are a part of a burgeoning “shop local” effort many communities are working on this holiday season.  They provide the entertainment necessary to keep residents from driving to larger communities for their shopping.

Howard, SD created a similar event named Hometown Holidays back in 2001.  Geared more towards families, it offers a lighted parade, horse carriage rides, Santa Clause and much more.  It’s a pretty big event for a town of 1000 residents.

Reflecting on these two events has caused me to wonder what else small, rural towns are doing this holiday season?  With this in mind, I conducted a quick internet search, and found a few more innovative activities, which sounded fun:

There are undoubtedly a lot of other great ideas happening in rural communities.  And sharing them will help other communities make the most if their holiday season.  If you know of innovative holiday event, share them in the comment section below.

 

Photo Credit:  David R. Carroll - Flickr

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