Resources

These organizations, publications, and websites have similar missions as the Rural Cause. The missions of these entities copies the information provided on their websites.

General

• The United States Department of Agriculture is the governmental department responsible for rural America. Their user-friendly website can help you learn more about the government’s work in rural America, agriculture, and a host of other issues.
• The National Rural Assembly is a network of more than 500 organizations and individuals across the country working together to build a stronger, more resilient rural America.
• Center for Rural Strategies works to improve economic and social conditions in rural communities across America and around the world.
• Center for Rural Affairs, based in Nebraska, works on a wide-range of issues, including agriculture and food sources, the environment, community development, and building strong rural economies.

Publications

• In These Times is a blog with a mission to weave rural issues into the national discourse.
• Belt Magazine is a nonprofit journalism website dedicated to the politics and culture of the Rust Belt and the Midwest
• The Daily Yonder is a multi-media source of news, commentary, research and features.
• Vegetable Growers News is a vibrant resource for vegetable growers across America. They publish a monthly magazine, as well as online content.
• Food and Environment Reporting Network is the only independent, nonprofit news organization that produces investigative and explanatory reporting on food, agriculture, and environmental health through partnerships with regional and national media outlets.

Academia

• College Advising Corps works to increase the number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented college students in a method similar to Americorps. Although not explicitly rural, members of the Corps are often sent to rural areas.
• Places Journal is a free, online academic journal that focuses on architecture, landscape, and urbanism. While they focus primarily on cities, their concern for creating resilient places includes all types of places.

Rural Healthcare

• University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center is a policy research center that works to improve healthcare in rural America.
• National Rural Health Association is a national nonprofit membership organization with a mission to provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education, and research.
• Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis conducts research and provides analyses to federal and state policymakers for healthcare legislation.
• Rural Health Information Hub is a landing site for information about rural health. Planners, policymakers, leaders, and healthcare workers can use the resources provided on their website to help their own communities.

Policy (General)

• Rural Policy Research Institute provides unbiased analysis and information on the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing rural America. An institute with a global reach, it is housed within the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa.
• The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities.
• Farm Bureau is the leading lobbyist organization for farmers and agricultural communities.

Government Initiatives

• The National Institute for Food and Agriculture, which falls under the domain of the Department of Agriculture, provides leadership and funding for programs that advance agriculture-related sciences.
• The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, an office of the Department of Health and Human Services, provides policy support to the Office of Secretary and supports a number of rural health programs, including rural health networks, black lung clinics, telehealth, and veterans rural health access programs.

Appalachia

• Queer Appalachia is a publication that covers the lives of queer Appalachians.

Mid-Atlantic

FRESHFARM is a nonprofit that promotes sustainable agriculture and improves food access and equity in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Midwest

• The Country Today is a newspaper dedicated to “every facet of rural life in Minnesota and Wisconsin.”

Food Issues

• Spoon University, a web resource, is a global community produced by college students interested in food and culinary arts. It is devoted to nurturing the careers of young people by giving them experience in digital media, journalism, marketing, and event planning.

Agriculture 

• The National Agricultural Statistics Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, conducts hundreds of surveys every year and prepares reports covering virtually every aspect of U.S. agriculture.
• The Rodale Institute, based in Pennsylvania, is a nonprofit dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach. Their Farming Systems Trial is the longest-running side-by-side U.S. study comparing conventional chemical agriculture with organic methods.
• Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable agriculture by providing the education, resources and expertise farmers need to succeed.
• The Cornucopia Institute supports organic farmers and the sustainable agriculture movement by conducting research on agriculture and food issues and informing farmers and consumers on their findings.

Education

• National FFA Organization
• 4-H