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Items of Interest
Letter from the Director:
John J. Green
As we have reported through several outlets, including Around the South, 2024 marked the fiftieth anniversary of operations for the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC). Established under the Rural Development Act of 1972, the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers have focused attention on building the capacity of the Land-Grant System to advance quality of life and well-being through research and Extension with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The SRDC’s first plan of work was officially approved in 1974, and reflecting on this history as we approach the celebration of Thanksgiving in 2024, we see that there is so much to be grateful for in our work.
Of special mention are the many collaborations between individuals and organizations working together across social, institutional, and state boundaries for the benefit of rural communities. As demonstrated in this and previous issues of Around the South, such partnerships provide a strong basis for a brighter future in rural America.
To view previous issues of SRDC’s newsletter, Around the South, please visit: https://srdc.msstate.edu/newsletters/ats
SERA-47 Local and Regional Food Systems Virtual Annual Meeting
We are happy to announce the 2024 SERA-47 Virtual Annual Meeting. Attendees will participate in a half-day virtual meeting with engaging and informative discussions and presentations on best practices in local and regional food systems. The meeting date is Tuesday, December 10, 2024.
Tuesday, December 10: 10:00AM – 1:00PM CT/11:00AM – 2:00PM ET
- Welcome
- Lightning Talks
- Discussion Panel
A more detailed schedule will follow in the coming weeks.
Register here:
https://msstateextension.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJErdOypqTguGdC6GUh1_…;
For disability accommodation, please contact Grace Langford at grace.langford@msstate.edu or 662-325-3207.
Webinar to be held Winter/Spring 2025:
Who Will Fill My Shoes: Succession Planning for Land Owners and Family Businesses
Dates of Webinar & Time:
All of the webinars take place on the following Wednesdays at 2:00 PM ET/ 1:00 PM CT/ 12:00 PM MT/ 11:00 AM PT
- Module 1: January 22
- Module 2: January 29
- Module 3: February 5
- Module 4: February 12
- Module 5: February 19
To register for the webinars, please visit: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2aRrKSK3aF7ady6
Not knowing where to start in succession planning is often paralyzing. In Who Will Fill My Shoes: Succession Planning for Land Owners, Farmers, Forest Owners, and Family Businesses, participants will learn about the following components of succession planning:
- M1: Communication and Conflict in Succession
- M2: Key Players in Succession: Who Should Be Involved?
- M3: Legal and Business Structures
- M4: Road mapping and Goals in Succession: Who, When, and How to Transfer?
- M5: Meeting Planning and Coordination for Succession
Succession planning encompasses many emotional and financial aspects of a family and a business, making decisions and moving forward more difficult. This research-based curriculum with integrated and comprehensive handouts will give participants the confidence they need to learn strategies for moving succession forward with their property or business. Both soft and hard skills are covered in the materials and will empower owners to develop and implement their succession plan.
For disability accommodation, please contact Roseanne Scammahorn at r.scammahorn@msstate.edu or 662-325-3207.
SRDC Repository Readership Snapshot Update: October 2024
The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) hosts new and archived publications on Mississippi State University’s platform, Scholars Junction, which allows users to explore published content from the Center and its partners. Through this system, the Center also receives updates pertaining to readership of these published materials. Readership activity highlights from October 2024 are listed below:
- Breaking Barriers: Examining Heirs' Property Legislation and Access to USDA Programs, in partnership with the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center at Alcorn State University had 72 full-text downloads. The most popular paper was Examining the Efficacy of the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act in Georgia and Alabama and Its Relevance to Kentucky, with 41 downloads. To view the articles from this series, visit https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/srdctopics-breakingbarriers/
- SRDC Annual Reports from 2015, 2017, and 2009 were also a highly accessed topic area with 48 full-text downloads. View the above-mentioned annual reports and others at https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/srdc-annual-reports/
- CREATE BRIDGES had 24 downloads. Extended Publication: Measuring the Impact Economic Pull Factors Have on the Tier Status of the CREATE BRIDGES Counties in Western North Carolina was the most downloaded publication at 6 downloads. To view the CREATE BRIDGES briefs and extended publications, please visit https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/srdctopics-createbridges/
- Heirs’ Property had 22 downloads. The article Black Land: Research Note on The Heirs’ Property to Poverty Pipeline in Louisiana was downloaded 11 times. View this article and others from the Heirs’ Property series at https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/srdctopics-heirsproperty/
To access these topic areas and others, visit the SRDC archival system at https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/srdc/
Future Directions for Rural Population Research: Findings from the Rural Population Research Network’s Listening Sessions
In 2023 and 2024, the Rural Population Research Network (RPRN) led an effort to identify the issues diverse rural stakeholders see as top priorities for understanding rural population change. More than 80 Extension colleagues working with rural people and places from across the country participated in listening sessions on challenges and opportunities related to population change.
RPRN is now excited to share the findings from those listening sessions. The report can be found at this link. Please share these findings with your networks, as they can be used for identifying topics of interest and priorities for future applied research and interventions.
The Rural Population Research Network is a USDA-supported multi-state research project on the causes and consequences of demographic change in rural America.
Job Opportunities
Current Job Opportunities at the Community and Economic Development Unit of Prairie View A&M University Extension
The Community and Economic Development Department (CED) at Prairie View A&M University in Texas is dedicated to supporting limited-resource families and individuals in achieving a higher standard of living through various means, such as small business development, youth entrepreneurship, community program involvement, home ownership, government assistance programs, non-profit assistance, and workforce development. Our team of professionals is ready to offer consultation and technical assistance to entrepreneurs and community organizations who wish to start or expand their operations. To learn more about the CED at PVAMU, please visit https://www.pvamu.edu/cafnr/extension/community-and-economic-development/.
CED Extension Agent positions are available in the following counties: Fayette County, Washington, Kleberg, Lee, and others. To learn more about these and other positions, visit the Prairie View A&M University job postings web page: https://tamus.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PVAMU_External?q=CED
Conferences, Workshops, Trainings
2025 Southern Rural Sociological Association (SRSA) Conference
In-Person: February 2-3, 2025, The Westin Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Irving, Texas
2025 Extension Leadership Conference (ELC)
In-Person: February 19-20, 2025, Savannah, Georgia
2025 Public Issues Leadership Development Conference (PILD)
In-Person: April 7-8, 2025, Arlington, Virginia
Save the date and the location of the 2025 PILD Conference. Request for proposals open: Due December 9, 2024. LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT PROPOSAL
2025 National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) Conference
In-Person: June 9-12, 2025, Charleston, West Virginia
Join the West Virginia State University Extension Service and West Virginia Extension Service in Charleston for the 2025 NACDEP Conference: Country Roads, Connecting the Farm to the Country. More details to come.
2025 Community Development Society (CDS) Conference
In-Person: July 6-9, 2025, Geneva, New York
The conference theme is Innovative Pathways to Thriving Communities: People, Technology, and Place-based Collaboration.