A Grassroots
Rural
Issues
Organization

representing 16 Southwest Iowa Counties

Adair

Adams

Audubon

Clarke

Cass

Decatur

Fremont

Guthrie

Mills

Montgomery

Page

Pottawattamie

Ringgold

Shelby

Taylor

Union

click here for an order form

April 22, 2008 Coalition Board and Member Meeting
will be of special interest to those who are/would like to participate in local food production and capitalize on a regional awareness campaign to promote locally grown foods.

Happy Hollow Country Club - Corning, IA, 2068 Valley Rd
3:30 Board Meeting
6 p.m. dinner and membership meeting
RSVP your selection of entree: grilled chicken or pork filet ($14 per dinner) to the office.

The 2008 Membership Drive has begun.
click here for a 2008 Membership Form

Join the Chorus of Voices for Rural Advocacy
2008 Members to date - Thank you!

Membership Benefits:

• A strong concerted voice on rural issues affecting your community, county and business
• Networking opportunities with other community, county and business leaders
• Opportunities to meet with state and federal agency representatives, policymakers and legislators
• Assistance with accessing a $1.8 million revolving loan fund for community and business projects
• Joint or regional marketing options to assist you in locating skilled labor and new industry
• A voice and a vote within an organization in which you set an annual agenda for rural development
• Timely alerts and notices of relative news, meetings and events
• A monthly newsletter to keep you current on Coalition activities
  

RSVP for the April 22nd SWICO meeting and learn about the new grant available through The Southwest Iowa Food & Farm Initiative of up to $500 to local producers interested in starting or expanding local food production, processing, marketing or distribution in the eight southwest Iowa counties of Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Guthrie, Montgomery, Pottawattamie and Shelby. Read more at http://swiffi.org/about_us  and bring others who might be interested in the opportunity.

Speakers for the membership meeting, Keith Booth, Development Director, Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development & Holly Born, Midwest Field Office Director, National Center for Appropriate Technology will talk with the group about the regional opportunities in western/southwest Iowa through several regional initiatives which are being funded in part by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Iowa West Foundation that include the Southwest Iowa Farm to Food Initiative and the new western Iowa Chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign. The 2008 Recipient of the Austin B Turner III Leadership and Memorial Scholarship Award will be announced.

click here for a copy of the 2008 Legislative Agenda of Priorities.

click here to read the first quarter 2008 SWICO Newsletter

Grow Iowa website www.growiowa.org

click here to go to the new RDRC website - enterprisingIowans.com

click here to learn more about the Rural Development Resource Center - Want to know more about the Rural Development Resource Center - click here for information about the design and history leading up to this grand opening.

From the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research & Development: REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS - not just for farmers. Go to the economic development page for a report on this meeting.

Federal Home Loan Banks rural competitiveness study now available. The study addresses the "future prosperity of rural America and can be found at http://www.fhlbdm.com/
Scroll on the page to Study Addresses Future Prosperity of Rural America and select either the fact sheet or the entire study.

Commonality of SWICO members lie with their shared rural challenges involving transportation, housing, water, communications, distance learning, physician recruitment, Iowa Department of Economic Development allocations, agriculture, and community-specific topics. The need to address these issues is what spawned the organization and motivates it to continue.