Southern Rural Development Center

What Southern Rural Development Center does

The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) is a non-profit regional rural development organization founded in 2000 and housed at Mississippi State University. It operates as one of four USDA NIFA-funded Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) and serves 30 Land-Grant universities across the Southern United States by developing research-based curricula, facilitating professional development, and convening Extension professionals focused on rural community development. Its primary audience comprises Extension specialists and faculty at 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant universities who deliver programming in rural communities. SRDC's work addresses digital equity, heirs' property and land loss, succession planning for agricultural and forest landowners, and community economic development.

SRDC's product portfolio centers on four anchor programs. The Understanding Heirs' Property at the Community Level curriculum is a three-part training program addressing land-loss prevention in Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, Southern Crescent, Native American Tribal Lands, and South Texas colonias. The National Digital Education Extension Team (NDEET) is a multi-state network of Extension professionals focused on broadband access education and digital skills training, with documented outcomes reaching 1,000+ students at Langston University and 500+ seniors through Palmetto Care Connections. The Who Will Fill My Shoes succession planning curriculum, developed with Purdue University, NC State, and the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, delivers five modules covering communication, legal structures, and roadmapping for landowners, farmers, forest owners, and family businesses. Impact Measuring Tools — including Ripple Effect Mapping methodology and the National CRED Indicators Team — provide evaluation infrastructure that aggregates indicators from 29 universities across the Southern region. Programs are delivered primarily through train-the-trainer workshops, recorded webinars, the monthly Around the South newsletter, and co-hosted regional conferences.

SRDC does not charge for its products or services. Operations are funded entirely by federal grants from USDA NIFA, the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Extension Foundation. The organization operates with approximately six staff led by Director Dr. John J. Green (a 2025 Rural Renewal Research Prize winner and Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Community Development Research Fellow) and Associate Director Roseanne Scammahorn. Documented impact includes 550+ Alabama residents educated on heirs' property, $17M in real estate value preserved through Metro Atlanta workshops, $111,150 in pro bono estate-planning services, and 180+ hours of pro bono student legal service. The Bonnie Teater Award program has recognized community development excellence annually since 2005.

Name

Southern Rural Development Center

Legal name

Southern Rural Development Center

Website

https://srdc.msstate.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) is a USDA NIFA-funded non-profit hosted at Mississippi State University that serves 30 Land-Grant universities across the Southern US by developing research-based curricula and convening Extension professionals on rural community development, digital equity, heirs' property, and succession planning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Community Development Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB), Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Rural community development
• Extension education programs
• Heirs property education
• Digital access training
• Succession planning curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Mississippi State

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants and Funding: Primary funding from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grants and other federal agency programs including Farm Service Agency and National Resource Conservation Service. Operates as a public service organization within Mississippi State University's Land-Grant system.
2. Extension Foundation Partnership Funding: Funding through Extension Foundation grants including New Technologies for Ag Extension grant no. NTAE-2021-2138 for digital access programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) is a non-profit research and education center hosted at Mississippi State University that develops curricula, training programs, and applied research to support rural community development across 30 Land-Grant universities in the Southern region. Funded primarily by USDA NIFA, the center delivers specialized programs on heirs' property, farm succession planning, digital access, and rural broadband adoption, using train-the-trainer models to scale impact through the Cooperative Extension Service.

Product overview

The Southern Rural Development Center offers a portfolio of educational programs and resources focused on rural community development. Core offerings include the Understanding Heirs' Property at the Community Level training program, the National Digital Education Extension Team (NDEET) focused on digital equity and broadband access, and the Who Will Fill My Shoes succession planning curriculum. These programs are complemented by the Digital Skill Building and Digital Volunteer Initiative, Impact Measuring Tools including Ripple Effect Mapping, the Around the South newsletter, and the Bonnie Teater Community Development Awards. The Center operates as an educational and research-focused organization rather than a commercial product company, providing training, curricula, resources, and convening services to Land-Grant Universities and Extension professionals across the Southern region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Digital Education Extension Team (NDEET): A network of Extension professionals and partners passionate about digital applications, focusing on broadband access, digital skills, and digital equity.
• Who Will Fill My Shoes
• Bonnie Teater Award

Products and services

• Heirs' Property Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 550 residents educated on heirs' property across 21 Alabama counties through Virginia Caples Lifelong Learning Institute
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRDC is one of four Regional Rural Development Centers in the national RRDC network, funded by USDA NIFA. The network connects land-grant universities with community, state, and national organizations to support rural development research and Extension efforts.
• Mississippi State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRDC is housed on the campus of Mississippi State University, a Land-Grant institution. The Director holds a professorship in the Department of Agricultural Economics.
• National Policy Research Center at Alcorn State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor partner in the heirs' property education initiative, working with SRDC and SRMEC to address land loss through educational programming.
• Southern Risk Management Education Center (SRMEC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor partner in the heirs' property education initiative, providing funding and programmatic support.
• Extension FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in digital access programming, hosting NDEET strategic planning convenings and providing grant support through New Technologies for Ag Extension grant.
• Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) Broadband Program Action TeammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Advancing Digital Access initiative and NDEET strategic planning efforts.
• National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped the Digital Navigator model incorporated into SRDC's digital access training programs.
• Oklahoma State University (Rural Renewal Initiative)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the annual Rural Renewal Initiative symposium where the Rural Renewal Research Prize is awarded to recognize exceptional contributions to rural community development.
• North Central Regional Center for Rural DevelopmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in succession planning curriculum development, with contact expert Renee Wiatt providing family business management expertise.
• Purdue UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in succession planning curriculum, contributing research and expertise through the Purdue Institute for Family Business.
• North Carolina State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in succession planning curriculum, with Dr. Kurt Smith contributing expertise in forestry and environmental resources.
• University of Arkansas System Division of AgriculturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates through the Center for Rural Resilience and Workforce Development and ASPIRE program for housing resilience in Arkansas communities.
• University of ArkansascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads Connecting Communities working group in NDEET, with Stacey McCullough serving as Assistant Director for Community and Economic Development.
• University of TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in NDEET Connecting Communities working group with Sreedhar Upendram as co-lead.
• Washington State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in NDEET Strengthening & Establishing Partnerships and Cybersecurity working groups, developed Broadband Action Team initiative.
• Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in NDEET AI and Advanced Technology working group, with Kristopher Elliott as VP for Extension.
• University of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in NDEET Strengthening & Establishing Partnerships and Economic Prosperity working groups.
• North Carolina State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in NDEET Connecting Communities and Cybersecurity working groups.
• Penn State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in NDEET AI and Advanced Technology working group with Jim Ladlee.
• Fort Valley State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in NDEET Cybersecurity working group with Terrence Wolfork.
• University of Missouri System Office of EngagementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped original material for Advancing Digital Access workshop curriculum.
• WinRock InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant partner in ASPIRE program for rural community development in Arkansas.
• Federal Reserve Bank of St. LouismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRDC Director appointed Community Development Research Fellow, engaging with Federal Reserve research and community development insights.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP): National professional association for Extension community development practitioners. SRDC co-hosts and participates in NACDEP conferences; NACDEP serves as the membership/credentialing body while SRDC provides curricula and regional convening. Comparable target audience and conference channel.
• Extension Foundation: National organization supporting all US Cooperative Extension professionals. Provides grant administration (e.g., NTAE grants), convenings, and digital tools that complement SRDC's programs. Operates at national scope across all four RRDC regions; co-funds SRDC's digital access programming.
• Community Development Society: International professional society for community development practitioners. SRDC co-hosts and participates in CDS meetings. Overlapping practitioner audience and convening function, though CDS operates as a membership society while SRDC delivers federally funded programming.

Direct peers

• Western Rural Development Center: The fourth Regional Rural Development Center in the USDA NIFA network, serving western Land-Grant universities. Directly comparable to SRDC in mission, structure, federal funding model, and Extension training portfolio.
• Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development: Sister Regional Rural Development Center serving the Northeastern US. Operates the same federally mandated model as SRDC, supporting Land-Grant universities and Extension professionals on rural development, digital equity, and community economic development. Comparable structure, scale, and funding base.
• North Central Regional Center for Rural Development: Sister Regional Rural Development Center in the same USDA NIFA-funded RRDC network. Direct peer serving the North Central region with parallel Land-Grant university support, Extension training, and community development programming. Already an explicit collaboration partner on the "Who Will Fill My Shoes" succession planning curriculum.

Others

• Rural Sociological Society: Professional association for rural sociology researchers. SRDC participates in RSS meetings. Adjacent peer — RSS provides academic research and convening; SRDC translates research into Extension programming for the Southern region.
• USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture: Primary federal funding partner of SRDC and the entire RRDC network. Not a peer in the competitive sense, but the funder whose priorities and grant cycles directly shape SRDC's programmatic scope and sustainability.

Emerging players

• National Digital Inclusion Alliance: National nonprofit advancing digital equity. SRDC incorporated NDIA's Digital Navigator model into its training programs. Overlapping focus on broadband access and digital literacy; NDIA operates at national policy/coalition level while SRDC delivers through Land-Grant Extension.

Regional players

• Southern Risk Management Education Center: Sister center at Mississippi State University focused on agricultural risk management education. Direct co-funding partner on SRDC's heirs' property initiative. Shares federal funding base and Extension distribution but addresses agricultural risk rather than community development.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/so_dev_center
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@southernruraldevelopmentce6923
• Facebookfacebook.com/southernruraldevelopmentcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-rural-development-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southern Rural Development Center