USDA Blog

On Monday, Secretary Tom Vilsack and Congressman John Spratt visited several PeeDee area farms in South Carolina, and spoke with local leaders and farmers about the importance of developing a strong rural economy. USDA State Directors, Vernita F. Dore, State Director for Rural Development, Ann...

Several years ago, commissioners in Lake County in Northeastern Minnesota began researching the possibility of bringing fully network connected broadband services to the region.

“The Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA) are myth-busters, plain and simple,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan at a recent funding announcement held at JABA’s main office and Adult Daycare Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The famous chef and food writer James Beard once said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” From our potluck dinners to an after-church brunch, food is the tangible connection between us and our communities. Studies have shown the positive impact family dinners have on the...

We’re just finishing a trio of new videos introducing programs within the Rural Development mission area that can be used to support local and regional food systems. Prairieland Dairy of Hallam, Nebraska had a vision: they wanted to expand their operation to meet growing demand for sustainable...

Thanks the efforts of community members and financing from USDA Rural Development and Agstar Rural Capital Network, a project nine years in the making will soon be a reality in Hutchinson, Minn.

St. Johns is a small community in Apache County, Arizona, close to the New Mexico border. Originally called El Vadito—little river crossing—St. Johns has found water to be an issue for their growth and development lately.

Maine USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia Manuel welcomed the Deputy Administrator for Rural Utilities (RUS) Jessica Zufolo to Maine this week for an important tribal consultation meeting with leaders of Maine’s Native American tribes.

Born in the first half of the 20 th century, rural electric cooperatives drove the monumental effort to bring electricity to remote areas of the country where investor-owned utilities could not make a profit. Owned by their members and not-for-profit organizations, rural electric cooperatives have...

A new, yet traditional cedar Plankhouse on the southern Oregon coast provided a culturally appropriate setting for American Indian Tribal leaders to gather with USDA Rural Development last week. At the meeting, Tribes from across the state provided feedback to help improve the delivery of USDA...