Initiatives

The Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) has been serving the members of Taos County and northern New Mexico for over 35 years. The organization supports the food, land, water and cultures of the people of Northern New Mexico by practicing regenerative agriculture and spreading knowledge of sustainable farming.

Four years ago, Jordan McMahon wasn’t sure if he would go to college. Today, he is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1890 National Scholar and published researcher. He recently graduated from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and will be pursuing a master’s degree, eventual Ph.D., and a career in agriculture.

With a long family history of farming in rural communities, Nils Christoffersen, a member of USDA’s Equity Commission Rural Community Economic Development Subcommittee, was inspired to learn about the challenges impacting rural America. Christoffersen’s desire to bring attention to the needs, opportunities, and challenges faced by rural and Tribal communities grew from participating in farming and enjoying the experiences of farm life. This led him to the Equity Commission where he helped develop recommendations that were brought forward to help improve outcomes for USDA customers in rural areas.

Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) in Springfield, Missouri has been successfully operating and growing since 2010 with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2501 Program.

The Tri-Faith Unity Garden and Hope Orchard, a USDA People’s Garden in Omaha, Nebraska, is a natural healing space where people of three faiths gather through the Tri-Faith Initiative. This unique interfaith project —including a synagogue, church, and mosque along with the garden— is a space where people can practice their faith while connecting, learning, and growing through the vision of “a world in which differences are honored, similarities are built upon, and everyone belongs.”

This summer 14 students (PDF, 1.4 MB) from agricultural migrant and farmworker backgrounds will take part in paid 10-week internships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

For basketball great Ralph Sampson, farming is his new game of choice. The new and beginning farmer is looking to resurrect his family’s farm and spur new economic growth on the ancestral land.

Just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina, veteran farmer Jim Hartman embodies the resilience and resourcefulness of the honeybees he tends to. His success in building his honey business stems from his proactive approach of seeking out government funds, a trait that has been instrumental in his journey.

USDA kicked off National Small Business Month with the Midwest “Path to Prosperity" event at the Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO on April 24^th and 25^th. This was the 19^th event, since 2022, to provide regional business and economic development workshops that featured experts from the financial industry, federal government, community partners and stakeholders.

Yimmuaj Yang, community director of the Wisconsin-based nonprofit and community organization Groundswell Conservancy, explains its mission in the simplest terms: “We protect special places forever.”