At the recent University of Nebraska-sponsored Rural Futures Conference in Lincoln, we visited with Caleb Pollard of Ord, Nebraska, a community of 2,100 people located in central Nebraska. 

Pollard is the executive director of the Ord Area Chamber of Commerce and the Valley County Economic Development Board.   In our interview, Pollard discussed the challenges and opportunities that face his rural community and how Ord is getting young people more involved in mapping out the community’s future path.   We also talked about how agriculture—and specifically, ethanol and livestock—fits into those plans.

AUDIO: Caleb Pollard (11:19 MP3)

Globalization and other factors are rapidly changing the world.  To create a successful future, people in rural America must anticipate and mange this ever-changing environment.

With that in mind, the University of Nebraska hosted the inaugural Rural Futures Conference in Lincoln.  The theme of the conference was “Connecting Innovation”—a challenge to participants to interact and think boldly about the future of rural Nebraska and the Great Plains.

One of those participants was Darci McGee, a University of Nebraska Extension Educator for Nuckolls and Thayer counties in southern Nebraska.   McGee works out of Nelson, a town of about 600 people.  

In an interview with Brownfield, she talks about some of the challenges and opportunities involved in keeping and bringing more young people into their rural communities. 

AUDIO: Darci McGee (3:23 MP3)