sarah adler

Nevada’s Stronger Economies Together (SET) Regional Team members met one last time Nov. 28 in Fallon, Nevada, to unveil the “Western Nevada Blueprint for Economic Development,”  a plan that set goals to develop five targeted economic sectors for a 33,000-square mile region of Nevada across nine counties, involving more than 200 people.

The 75 people who met in good cheer that morning at the beautiful old Oats Park Art Center, had a lot to celebrate.  They knew their region’s assets, they understood the barriers to growth, and they were starting to understand how working collaboratively benefits them all.

Our June Feds Feed Families totals are in, and I would like to give my USDA colleagues across the country a discreet, virtual high-five.

Today, Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA donated just over 100,000 pounds of food to the Feds Feed Families food drive during the month of June.  What a great start to the campaign! The National Office Feds Feed Families team continues to be inspired by the stories we are hearing from our counterparts in the field.

On a chilly, gray morning, under the shadow of the still challenging Nevada economy, more than 70 people gathered in the beautiful Nevada State Capitol building to share with each other why it remains so important to keep the dream of homeownership alive. In the majestic and historic Old Assembly Chambers, homeowners, realtors, and lenders active in USDA Rural Development Direct and Guaranteed Home loan programs participated in a two part event, as Nevada Rural Development State Director Sarah Adler put it: “recognition and revenue.”

Jeff Bishop, a homeowner from Washoe County, won the heart of the crowd with his simple eloquence. Jeff is a high school janitor, a musician, a family man. His wife Brooke and their two daughters, Emma and Rose, stood proudly by him, grinning, showing off their hand-drawn poster of their new home.

USDA Rural Development along with The Walker River Paiute Tribe (WRPT) scheduled a Resource Fair to accompany the Completion Ceremony of their newly constructed Four Seasons Fireworks Building. The Completion Ceremony and Resource Fair took place on September 17, 2010 in Schurz, Nevada. The new 60x40 steel structure replaced an old 40 foot container. The WRPT Housing Force Account Crew did an amazing job constructing the new building. The new fireworks store was funded in part by a USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant, funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

It was my pleasure as State Director of USDA Rural Development in Nevada to welcome officials from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (a part of Rural Development) to Reno earlier this week to discuss exciting opportunities to extend broadband to unserved and underserved parts of the United States.