The Brainerd Dispatch reports…

Rural entrepreneurship in Wisconsin and Minnesota will get a boost from a newly created program in the Extension programs at the states’ land grant universities.

The rural entrepreneurship program was announced in a news release this week by University of Wisconsin Extension Dean Karl Martin and University of Minnesota Extension Dean Beverly Durgan. Two farm credit associations — Compeer Financial and AgCountry Farm Credit Services — contributed $400,000 across four years to make the joint program possible.

The new program will build upon research and outreach capabilities of Extension. The program will create and build linkages in entrepreneurial networks, improve the availability and use of resources to entrepreneurs, create opportunities for entrepreneurs and develop the skills necessary for success in the modern rural economy.

“There’s great energy around starting new businesses in our states, but in rural locations there are unique challenges, too, ranging from financing to broadband and child care,” said Durgan in a news release.