rural

My first three weeks interning for USDA have been extremely interesting and enjoyable.  A native of Austin, Texas, I grew up spending most weekends on my grandparents’ farm, the same farm where we currently raise Texas Longhorn cattle. Instead of returning to Austin after the baseball season, I came to Washington, DC to take advantage of this great opportunity to learn about both agriculture and the government while also making a difference.

Cuando la mayoría de los americanos piensan en café, piensan en Sur America o Hawaii. Lo que no saben es que Puerto Rico tiene una larga tradición en la producción de café de alta calidad. Un donativo otorgado al dueño de una hacienda de café  por USDA Rural Development bajo el programa de Energía Rural para America (REAP) está ayudando a conservar la tradición.

When most Americans think of coffee, they think of South America or Hawaii.  What they may not know is that Puerto Rico has a long and significant relationship with coffee.  Funds provided to a coffee plantation owner by USDA Rural Development through the Rural Energy for America (REAP) program are helping to preserve that heritage.

I had a chance this morning to testify before the House Agriculture Committee about USDA’s commitment to energy security for America.  I shared the spotlight for this hearing with Under Secretary Tonsager, and together we impressed on our colleagues on the Hill the great challenges we have before us in developing a new biofuels industry, and expertise and knowledge of the many people here at USDA working on this critical issue.

USDA Rural Development announced on Friday that $20.6 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding will be provided to the Town of Berlin and to the Worcester County Commissioners on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to help upgrade two wastewater treatment systems.

Since the first event in June, we've been excited to see the Rural Tour generating really thoughtful conversation and debate on the issues facing rural America. At town hall forums across the nation, Secretary Vilsack and his counterparts across the government have met with large, sometimes overflow, crowds. They've been able to answer questions and engage in productive debate on the best ways to help rural America.

Secretary Vilsack, accompanied by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, held a community forum in Wisconsin today to discuss economic development in rural America.