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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 11 Stories
Ralls County Electric Cooperative

Ralls County Electric’s Vision for a Stronger, Smarter Grid

Ralls County Electric Cooperative (RCEC), serving parts of five counties in northeast Missouri, is focused on bringing reliable and modern electric services to its rural members. As a small rural cooperative, RCEC has faced unique challenges in maintaining and upgrading its… [Read More]
Missouri
CORE
Minnkota Buxton Taft Caledonia Line Rebuild

Minnkota Power Cooperative’s $60 Million Infrastructure Upgrade for a Stronger Future

Minnkota Power Cooperative stands out as an example of rural energy resilience following President Trump's declaration of a National Energy Emergency, emphasizing the need to protect the nation's electric system and accelerate investments in essential infrastructure. For 85… [Read More]
Minnesota, North Dakota
CORE
Walton County Power Plant

Oglethorpe Power’s Acquisition of Walton County Power Strengthens Reliability and Affordability in Rural Georgia

Oglethorpe Power’s recent acquisition of Walton County Power marks a significant step in its mission to provide reliable, affordable, and diversified energy to its member cooperatives who serve predominantly rural service territories across Georgia. The purchase of the 465-… [Read More]
Georgia
CORE
Aerial view of Bluff Dwellings rooftops with red cliffs in background.

Bringing Renewable Energy to Southeast Utah Using the Desert's Greatest Resource

The remote desert of Southeastern Utah brings a landscape like no other. While towering red rock mesas and sandstone cliffs provide amazing views you see very few people, and an abundance of sunshine. Southeast Utah’s San Juan County is the largest county in Utah, covering over… [Read More]
Utah
COREREAPRenewable EnergyRural DevelopmentSolar Energy
USDA Rural Development Utah Staff, Samantha Holiday, and Meghan McFall tour the Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii Community Center in Monument Valley, Utah.

USDA Investments Offer Support to Utah Tribes

Monument Valley, Utah is known for its iconic red sandstone buttes, cliffs, desert vistas and mesas. It is also the sacred heart of the Navajo Nation. The people who live among the beautiful scenic landscapes of Monument Valley have deep connections to the land and their native… [Read More]
Utah
CORERural DevelopmentTribal
Alfreda Jarrett-Reynolds poses in front of a Brunswick banner

Partnering to Forge a Better Future for the People of Brunswick County

Southside Virginia may be within driving distance of the state capital, but its tight-knit rural communities are a world away from the more fast-paced urban scene of Richmond. While the region’s agricultural roots run deep, the farms still in operation today can’t sustain the… [Read More]
Virginia
COREEconomic DevelopmentHome Repair

It Takes a Village: Building Hope in Southern Oregon

A strong community must have affordable housing. The lack of affordable or available housing in Cave Junction, Oregon, has led to a housing crisis that has affected the people of this small, rural community within the Illinois Valley. Unpredictable wildfires and a major shift… [Read More]
Oregon
Community FacilitiesCOREHomeownership 2024Housing
A photo of a man and a woman holding packages of cheese and smiling is inset against a photo of a long driveway bordered by trees and fields with a "cattle crossing" sign on the right side.

VAPG Provides a Buffer for a Maine Organic Creamery

Co-owners of Balfour Farm in Pittsfield, Heather and Doug Donahue have adapted to many changes as dairy farmers. First, they switched careers and began farming in 2004. They learned about farming and experimented with different breeds. Next came a move a move from New York to… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessCOREEntrepreneurFood SupplyLocal FoodsREAPRenewable EnergyValue Added

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