$194 Million investment for rural growth and innovation

Dec 05, 2024
By Farms.com

New grants support clean energy, small businesses, and jobs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has pledged $194 million to help foster economic growth and sustainability in underserved rural and tribal communities.

This investment is part of the USDA’s broader efforts to support rural development through the Rural Partners Network (RPN), a collaborative program that connects local communities with federal resources.

RPN was established in 2022 to ensure rural and tribal communities receive fair access to federal funding. Since then, the initiative has brought over $8.5 billion in federal investments to local projects.

The current round of funding will support 118 projects aimed at creating jobs, modernizing infrastructure, and promoting clean energy in rural areas.

In Alaska, hydroelectric plants will be upgraded to increase energy generation, while Georgia will invest in vocational training programs to fill labor gaps. In Kentucky, infrastructure improvements like sewer upgrades and solar installations will help create jobs and reduce costs for local businesses.

Additionally, investments in clean energy and water systems will improve the lives of people living in rural areas. Projects like these aim to make rural communities more resilient and economically viable in the long term.

The USDA continues to work alongside local governments and community leaders to drive sustainable economic growth and improve the quality of life in rural America.

These investments will help prepare communities for a prosperous future while addressing their immediate needs.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

JOIN THE BARN TALK NEWSLETTER AND GET LIVE EVENT ACCESS: We're on a mission to hit 10,000 subscribers, and when we do, we're hosting a live event at the barn. Sign up for exclusive access to tickets and details.