The Flag is raised in front of a new hospital in Missouri, funded with support from USDA Rural Development

I am winding through rural roads in extreme northwest Missouri, away from any large city, in the middle of the country, basically out in the middle of nowhere as some would say, and I am thinking about the investment Rural Development is making; thinking about the amount of money we have provided to the community of Fairfax, population 645 and the county of Atchison, population 6,430. The total investment is almost $39 million for a new hospital, regional wholesale water system, and city distribution system. Read more »

Nicola Macpherson is the owner of Ozark Forest Mushrooms in Salem, Missouri. With the assistance of her state’s forestry agency, a Forest Stewardship Plan was developed to help her sustainably manage the forest and produce wholesome mushroom products at the same time.

Imagine an open field of vegetables and greens, exposed to the sun and the wind on the outskirts of your town.  Now imagine a row of trees sheltering the crops from hot dry winds and producing more marketable melons than in open fields; more snap beans earlier and later in the season when prices are higher. Read more »

Tribal Consultation: Front row, left to right, Phillip Chimburas, Ute Indian Tribe; Ernest House, Chairman, Ute Mountain; Leona Eyetoo, South Ute Tribe; Jeanine Borchardt, Chairwoman, Paiute Tribe; Jessica Zufolo, Deputy Administrator, Rural Utilities Service; Forrest S. Cuch, Director, Division of Indian Affairs: Madeline Greymountain, Tribal Council Member, Confederate Tribes of Goshute Reservations. Back row: Kenneth Maryboy, Navajo, UTL Chair; Dave Conine, Utah State Director, USDA Rural Development; Utah LT. Governor Greg Bell; Leonard Gorman , Executive Director Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission.

USDA Rural Development officials joined Greg Bell, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Utah recently at the 2010 Native American Summit held in Ogden.  This historic gathering provided an opportunity to meet with Utah’s tribal Leaders, and explore the means available for USDA to become a more effective partner in delivering services and addressing tribal needs. Read more »

Creating terraces on the Joens farm.

Jim Joens remembers planting crops on the Minnesota farm where he grew up as early as 1973, when he was 14 years old. Even then he knew that farming was what he wanted to be doing, and he’s been doing it ever since. Read more »