USDA Acting Administrator John Padalino (second from left) along with panel of judges at Great American Water Taste Test. Photo courtesy of the National Rural Water Association. Used with permission.

And the winner … the city of Prairie du Sac in southern Wisconsin for having the best tasting water in rural America.  Earlier this week, at the National Rural Water Association’s Water Rally, Prairie du Sac won the coveted gold medal as part of the Great American Water Taste Test.

USDA Rural Utilities Service Acting Administrator John Padalino served on the judging panel. Padalino administers USDA water and environmental programs. Read more »

National Rural Water Association Deputy CEO Sam Wade (center) responds to a question, during the Rural Development session on “Why Every American Should Care About the Future of Rural Water,” at the 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum, “Moving Agriculture Forward, Growing, Innovating and Celebrating 150 Years” held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Virginia, on Friday, February 24, 2012. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

As rural Americans look for new ways to compete globally in the areas of renewable energy production, business expansion and job creation, one factor that is often taken for granted is the availability of a ready supply of water.  In much of America, with the exception of parts of the West, water has often been thought of as accessible as the air.  Those attitudes are changing. Read more »