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$770 million for rural progress

By Farms.com

In a significant push towards rural revitalization, the USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Neera Tanden, announced funding exceeding $770 million aimed at upgrading rural America's infrastructure. This landmark move, revealed in Edgecombe County, N.C., signifies a crucial step in fulfilling the Investing in America agenda, ensuring that rural communities are no longer left behind.

The funding will support a wide array of projects designed to bring state-of-the-art services to rural areas, including high-speed internet through the Reconnect and Broadband Technical Assistance Programs, and initiatives to provide clean drinking water and modern wastewater systems.  

These efforts are expected to impact positively over 1 million residents across the nation, fostering economic growth and improving living standards. 

Special emphasis is placed on expanding digital connectivity, with substantial grants allocated to extend broadband services in rural, remote, and underserved communities. The initiative also includes significant investments to bolster rural utilities, ensuring access to clean water and enhancing waste management systems, crucial for public health and environmental sustainability. 

The announcement underscores the administration's dedication to addressing the unique challenges faced by rural communities, highlighting the importance of infrastructure in achieving economic prosperity and equity.  

By investing in critical areas such as internet access, clean water, and efficient infrastructure, the Biden-Harris Administration aims to pave the way for a brighter, more connected future for rural America.


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How women saved agricultural economics and other ideas for why diversity matters | Jill J. McCluskey

Video: How women saved agricultural economics and other ideas for why diversity matters | Jill J. McCluskey

Dr. Jill J. McCluskey, Regents Professor at Washington State University and Director of the School of Economic Science

Dr. McCluskey documents that women entered agricultural economics in significant numbers starting in the 1980s, and their ranks have increased over time. She argues that women have increased the relevance in the field of agricultural economics through their diverse interests, perspectives, and experiences. In their research, women have expanded the field's treatment of non-traditional topics such as food safety and nutrition and environmental and natural resource economics. In this sense, women saved the Agricultural Economics profession from a future as a specialty narrowly focused on agricultural production and markets. McCluskey will go on to discuss some of her own story and how it has shaped some of her thinking and research. She will present her research on dual-career couples in academia, promotional achievement of women in both Economics and Agricultural Economics, and work-life support programs.

The Daryl F. Kraft Lecture is arranged by the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, with the support of the Solomon Sinclair Farm Management Institute, and in cooperation with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.