rural development

Today, November 18, 210, Basin Electric Power Cooperative based in Bismarck, ND, will receive a USDA Rural Development Rural Utilities loan guarantee for $153,396,000 for two wind projects in Mina, ND.  Together these projects will provide 120 MW of renewable electricity.  Combined with Basin’s previous wind investments, they are expected to represent over 600 MW of wind generation – enough to power the average annual needs of 175,000 homes.

Right now, across the country, innovative agricultural producers are turning farm animal manure into renewable energy through a process called anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a proven technology – available to farmers today – that represents a huge economic opportunity for rural America, while simultaneously addressing our nation's energy and climate challenges.  This technology utilizes bacteria that breakdown waste and produce a biogas that contains methane and carbon dioxide. The biogas is then captured and used as a source of renewable energy, primarily by combusting the gas to generate electricity.

The Bois Forte Tribe in northeastern Minnesota has taken a proactive approach toward economic development. As recently as 10 years ago, there were areas of the Bois Forte community that did not have safe and sanitary drinking water. Building safe and affordable housing for tribal members also was an issue, along with other infrastructure and facility needs.

Recently Utah’s Snow College and the surrounding community gathered to celebrate the opening of the new Traditional Building Skills Institute (TBSI) building, resulting in job and educational opportunities as well as historic preservation.

USDA Rural Development has a long history of providing rural Americans with access to safe, sanitary and affordable housing.  In interior Alaska, quality housing is a basic need.  Temperatures regularly plunge far below zero, often to as cold as -60 F. Thanks to extra effort on the part of some dedicated USDA employees, this winter a number of rural families in interior Alaska communities will have homes they can be proud of.

La Agencia de Servicio Agrícola (“Farm Service Agency” o FSA, por sus siglas en inglés) se enorgullece de encabezar la marcha en la representación del USDA en un importante evento nacional a favor de la educación de los hispanos.  La ocasión fue la convención anual de la Asociación Hispana de Universidades (“Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities” o HACU), celebrada este año en San Diego, California. La oficina de la FSA del estado de California estuvo a cargo de coordinar la participación, y se me asigno la responsabilidad de montar y atender el quiosco de información, junto con otros funcionarios de la FSA y de Desarrollo Rural (“Rural Development”) en California. El quiosco de la FSA figuró como un punto focal de atención para los estudiantes y varias otras agencias del USDA también compartieron con éxito su información con los estudiantes presentes.

Monday was breezy in rural Maryland, but a crowd of about 70 was in high spirits as federal, state and local officials gathered at Sunnyside Farms to inaugurate a new solar panel system that will reduce power costs at this major egg producing facility.

Over 50 biofuel stakeholders and agricultural leaders participated in Pennsylvania’s Biofuels Forum on October 27^th.

The Farm Service Agency was proud to lead the way recently for USDA representation at a major national Hispanic educator’s event. The occasion was the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Annual Convention, held this year in San Diego. The FSA California State Office was asked to coordinate our attendance and I was detailed to set up and staff our booth alongside other California staff with FSA and Rural Development. FSA’s booth seemed to be the focal point for student attention and several other USDA agencies were also successful in sharing information with those attending.

November is National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month and a fitting time to highlight USDA Rural Development’s recent projects on tribal lands. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Mashpee, Massachusetts, are the direct ancestors of those who helped the Pilgrims on their arrival to New England over 400 years ago. Thanks to recent financing from USDA Rural Development (USDA RD), a means to preserve their culture and conduct tribal operations will soon improve dramatically.