Renewable Energy

Sorry Mr. Wolfe. As it turns out, you actually CAN go home again…and John Padalino recently did. Padalino is the Administrator for the USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a branch of USDA Rural Development. Born in south Tucson, Padalino grew up along the border where his father was a customs agent...

Earlier this month, Town Hall meetings at USDA headquarters attracted good commentary on a proposed rule that can serve as a way to transition to energy generation of the future. The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) held the meetings to hear from rural electric program...

This week, folks across the nation have come together with family and friends to celebrate America’s independence – and millions are enjoying the great outdoors. That’s why this is an appropriate time to remember that we must protect America’s natural treasures for generations to come. A changing...

Last week, in Chicago, I had the honor to hear from and meet some of the leaders in the nation’s aviation industry as they assembled to issue a new report showing a clear path toward cleaner, more economical and more secure energy alternatives through the increased use of advanced aviation biofuels...

Betty and Kee Acothley live miles off the beaten track in the former Bennett Freeze area on the Navajo Nation. Kee once tended thousands of head of sheep at the remote sheep camp he and his wife Betty call home. Now, at 80, he keeps only around 70 head. He and Betty, 79, follow the sheep on foot...

USDA’s 2012 Sustainability Scorecard showcases the Department’s ongoing commitment to meeting goals that reduce indirect greenhouse gas emissions, decrease energy use per square foot, increase renewable energy use, decrease potable water use per square foot, and incorporate sustainable building...

On Friday, May 17, 2013, in Mexico City, Mexico USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack led U.S. and Mexican agribusiness representatives in a discussion of priority issues affecting North American agriculture. The roundtable’s participants represented the breadth and diversity of agricultural trade between the...

Last month, USDA Rural Development employees and several partner organizations donated their Saturday to celebrate Earth Day with elementary and middle school-aged children at the Castle Rock farm worker housing complex in Boardman, Oregon. Volunteers from Energy Trust of Oregon, CASA of Oregon...

Have you ever been on vacation, but just couldn’t get away from your work? Me too. It seems everywhere I look I see the footprint of USDA Rural Development and its ties to rural revitalization. Because I love my job and the good work USDA is doing, I am thrilled each and every time I see the results...

A mid-winter snow storm did not stop more than 200 participants from attending the 7 th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit and Trade Show held January 30 th in Des Moines. During Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager’s presentation it was clear that everyone in attendance was...