![L-R: Orlando Housing Authority President Vivian Bryant; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; Rural Development Florida State Director Richard Machek and Rural Development Florida Single Family Housing Program Director Daryl Cooper participated in a business roundtable in Orlando, Fla., last Friday. They discussed discuss the USDA Rural Development Home Refinancing Pilot Program which is available to USDA borrowers in 19 states.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121021123447im_/http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7337464902_a7e651509b.jpg)
L-R: Orlando Housing Authority President Vivian Bryant; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack; Rural Development Florida State Director Richard Machek and Rural Development Florida Single Family Housing Program Director Daryl Cooper participated in a business roundtable in Orlando, Fla., last Friday. They discussed the USDA Rural Development Home Refinancing Pilot Program which is available to USDA borrowers in 19 states.
When most people think of Orlando, Florida, they envision exciting theme parks, Cinderella’s castle and a mouse with big ears. But when USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Orlando on February 24th, it was with a different vision in mind. Read more »
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Rural Development
![Isabella Pellets at work: A wood stove burns brightly with plenty of pellets](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121021123447im_/http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6152/6244231598_eba4a005f6.jpg)
Isabella Pellets at work: A wood stove burns brightly with plenty of pellets
Yesterday Isabella Pellet held the grand opening for its new facility in Weidman, just a few minutes outside of Mount Pleasant. Read more »
Lee Township is a small community tucked into Michigan’s southwest corner in the rural area between Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Lake Michigan.
On Tuesday, Aug. 16, the township officially broke ground on a new fire station – though construction work has already begun. The project was made possible by a $400,000 loan and $50,000 grant from Rural Development funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Total project cost is $1,068,500 with Lee Township contributing $618,500.
Township Supervisor Steve Miller presided at the brief ceremony which included state Rep. Bob Genetski, and remarked that it was the biggest thing to happen in the township. Read more »
![Groundbreaking at the Fremont, Michigan, Community Digester. From left: City of Fremont Mayor James Rynberg, Rob Zeldenrust of North Central Co-Op, Arvin Shah of INDUS Energy, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, NOVI Energy President Anand Gangadharan, USDA Rural Development State Director for Michigan James J. Turner, and state Rep. Jon Bumstead.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121021123447im_/http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6053/5891787578_459546b497.jpg)
Groundbreaking at the Fremont, Michigan, Community Digester. From left: City of Fremont Mayor James Rynberg, Rob Zeldenrust of North Central Co-Op, Arvin Shah of INDUS Energy, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, NOVI Energy President Anand Gangadharan, USDA Rural Development State Director for Michigan James J. Turner, and state Rep. Jon Bumstead.
Michigan always has unpredictable weather, and Friday’s was exactly what one would expect – unexpected. I’m sure when they scheduled the groundbreaking for the Fremont community anaerobic digester, NOVI Energy assumed that late June would see warm weather and clear skies. Instead, the temperature was in the low 60s with scattered rain. This is no doubt why NOVI Energy also put up two large tents. Weather aside, the groundbreaking event was a huge success. Read more »
“The streams of a watershed are like the body’s circulatory system,” says Todd Warner, Natural Resources Director of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC), in the northwest Upper Peninsula of Michigan, along the Keweenaw Bay of Lake Superior.
KBIC and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are partnering on a project to improve the health of that circulatory system on KBIC tribal lands and surrounding areas as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Read more »
Last week USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Programs Administrator Judith Canales crossed Michigan’s Lower Peninsula at a series of events to highlight flex-fuel options and the availability of renewable energy assistance.
She addressed the Michigan Business Incubator Association’s conference “Michigan’s Changing Economy: The Role of Business Incubation and New Venture Creation” in East Lansing.
Afterward she met with Michael Petersen, owner of Petersen Oil in Greenville, and a leader in the flexible fuel movement, and discussed how USDA Rural Development can provide funding for flex fuel pumps. The application deadline is June 15. Read more »