THE NORTHEAST REGIONAL CENTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT - 2013

We will implement the programs and activities approved by the Center's Board of Directors at the 2012 Board Meeting in Portsmouth, NH, and will continue to build on the successes of the previous year that have been outlined in the Annual Report 2012. The leadership of NERA and NEED continues to seek out the Center for its expertise in rural development and is asking us to contribute to new regional initiatives. In response to input from the Center's Technical Advisory Committee, we will increase our efforts in the area of networking the land grant university stakeholders and other agencies in the Northeast as well as nationally. The Center's three key subject matter areas align closely with the priorities of NERA and NEED as well as USDA/NIFA. The Center's continuing relevance is evident from the fact that the Director was invited to organize a symposium session at the joint North Central and Northeast leadership meeting last fall on the scale and diversity of agriculture and food distribution in the Northeast. He has also been invited to present at an American Applied (formerly Agricultural) Economics Association workshop to be held in Washington, DC this summer. This integrated project focuses on local and regional issues that, working collaboratively through the other RRDCs, also have a national impact.