After a steep recession in the 1980s, many rural places are mounting a strong economic comeback in the 1990s. Reflecting the economic turnaround, more people are moving to rural areas. Notwithstanding the improved rural economic picture, rural leaders remain concerned about rural America's...

More than 250 rural leaders from throughout the nation and beyond gathered at a special conference in Kansas City in April to discuss rural America's future, its challenges, and policies to meet those challenges. The conference was the first in a new series sponsored by the Center for the Study...

The United States needs a new rural policy. That was the conclusion of ten policy experts and 250 rural leaders from throughout the nation who met in Kansas City for the Center for the Study of Rural America’s second annual conference on rural policy matters, Exploring Policy Options for a New...

Bolstered by strong crop prices and some continued federal assistance in 1988, U.S. agriculture effectively shrugged off the worst drought since the 1930s. The farm outlook for 1989 remains bright. Overall, U.S. agriculture should enjoy a third straight year of broad-based recovery.

New approaches to rural policy are badly needed, as past reliance on subsidies and policies focused on a single sector are yielding diminishing results. Fortunately, a new frontier of policy experiments is emerging, and this frontier holds great promise in helping rural regions seize new...

Sluggish growth in global food markets has diminished the competitive advantage U.S. agriculture derives from its huge resource base and superior infrastructure. Unless robust growth in foreign markets resumes, U.S. policymakers will face a difficult choice - let the market remove farm resources...