~Dr. Larry DeBoer March 30, 2022   Here’s one way to think about property taxes: The local government sets its budget, subtracts all other tax revenue, and raises the remainder with the property tax levy. The assessor measures the value of all the parcels of taxable property inside the boundaries of the government. Then the …

~ by Heather Strohm, Regional Extension Educator, Community Development – Purdue University   Over the past several months, my column has provided an overview of all five of the Business Retention & Expansion Program (BR&E) modules and discussed the Business Retention & Expansion process. The BR&E process includes establishing a Task Force, creating and conducting …

~by Michael Wilcox Assistant Director and Program Leader for Community Development / Purdue Extension Associate Director / North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD)     Last month, I offered a glimpse into our Purdue Study Abroad trip to Ireland focused on rural development. Our planned activities exceeded our expectations during the trip, but …

In 2017, Extension Community Development and the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) sought a way to help Indiana small businesses enhance their online presence. Together they created the Digital Ready Businesses program, hosting numerous hands-on training sessions through educational workshops. Now, in 2022, the program has been updated to add new content that reflect …

~by Steve Yoder Community Development Regional Educator, Purdue Extension   In April, Purdue Extension began piloting a series of training sessions for county extension boards across Indiana. The goal is to gather feedback on the effectiveness of new materials designed to help boards improve their effectiveness in advising and advocating for extension programming at the …

Reminders and alerts for Purdue Extension CD educators. Andrea grew up on a very traditional farm in southern Indiana. They raised corn, soybeans, and wheat, as well as Angus and Hereford cattle. Her family always had a large garden, which is where Andrea discovered her love of watching plants grow. She was active in 4-H …

~ by Heather Strohm, Regional Extension Educator, Community Development – Purdue University   Ribbon cuttings with large gold scissors often celebrate the wins of communities as businesses open. What steps are taken as companies add employees? How do communities, cities, towns, counties, and regions celebrate company success as businesses navigate aspects such as adding water …

~by Michael Wilcox Assistant Director and Program Leader for Community Development / Purdue Extension Associate Director / North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD)   My next two columns are NOT a travelogue. They ARE a love letter to “home.” Last month I had the privilege of co-leading a Study Abroad to the Republic …

~by Steve Yoder Community Development Regional Educator, Purdue Extension   If you’ve ever written a community grant proposal, you’ve discovered that most applications have a standard set of sections that you need to complete.  Examples include the community need statement, expected outcomes, timeline, and budget.  And inevitably, just about every application has a section at …

~Dr. Larry DeBoer February 22, 2022   The inflation rate was 7.5 percent from January 2021 to January 2022, the highest inflation in 40 years. It arrived suddenly and unexpectedly. A year ago the inflation rate was 1.4 percent, which was lower than the 1.7 percent average rate over the previous decade. It’s an unwelcome …