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

Search Results: 888 Stories
A woman and man stand in front of a pontoon boat with a banner that says the company name, "Wilde Recreation."

Nurturing Dreams and Livelihoods: Local Partner in Northern Maine Makes USDA Financing Easy to Access

After a long career in software development, Marci Wilde was ready for a change of vocation. Being a recreation enthusiast herself, she knew how much folks love to enjoy the trails, woods, and lakes year-round, especially up north. So, she packed up and moved to rural Cross Lake… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessEntrepreneurRecreationRMAPRural DevelopmentSmall Business
The Link serves as a resource center for many residents living in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.

Kandiyohi County Non-Profit Uses Rural Development Grant to Purchase Building

Since 2008, The Link has served as a central hub for people in need living in and around New London, Minnesota. The Link was originally established by the local ministerial association as a center coordinating resources for people in need. Since it was founded, the non-profit’… [Read More]
Minnesota
Community Facilities
Richard Smith stands next to his solar array on his farm in Morris, Minnesota.

REAP Grant Helps Minnesota Farm Cut Costs

For nearly 50 years, Richard Smith has lived and worked on his farm in Morris. No stranger to the area, he grew up four miles from his current farm, where his sister lives now. Smith grows a variety of crops on his farm—including corn, beans, wheat, and alfalfa—and raises cattle… [Read More]
Minnesota
Solar Energy
Molly and Everett pose with dog Cricket in front of their barn with the solar panels on the roof.

REAP Helps Nettie Fox Farm Step Away from Fossil Fuels

Nestled in the gently rolling hills of Newburgh, Maine, Nettie Fox Farm produces certified organic vegetables. Molly Crouse founded the farm in 2009. In 2013 her partner, Everett Ottinger, joined her in operating the 33-acre spread. They began steadily increasing the… [Read More]
Maine
ElectricFood SupplyKnow Your FarmerLocal FoodsLocal ProduceRCDIREAPRenewable EnergySolar Energy
For Benjamin Barnett, a seven-year farmer, in Waynesboro, Pa., he decided to pivot his farming operation from boarding horses to dairy. Like many farmers he decided to invest in his farm through the Rural Energy for America program. The project is expected to save the farm approximately $5,500 per year and will replace 50,148 kWh per year, enough to power four homes in Franklin County.

Farmers Are Reaping the Benefits of Solar in Pennsylvania

You can view a video of the project on our YouTube channel. The pandemic and subsequential inflation forced many farmers to find ways to keep their businesses viable. For Benjamin Barnett, a seven-year farmer and owner of Marsh Run… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
EnergyREAPSolar Energy
woman splicing line of fiber

ReConnect Program Brings Opportunity to Rural Nevada Town

Brenda Dela Torriente twines the lines of fiber with precision. Her brows are furrowed as her fingers find the ridges between the cords, working them at an astonishing speed. It's a painstaking process. For the town of Montello, Nevada, it's also a deeply important one. Those… [Read More]
Nevada
BroadbandHigh Speed Internet
Maine Flower Collective photo by Gina Bartholomew with Left to Right, Courtney Mongell, Melissa Law, Andrea Ault, Michelle Jones, Mary Lou Hoskins, Carolyn Snell

Maine Flower Collective blooms and grows after first year

In a world where imported blooms typically dominate our bouquets and arrangements, there remains a healthy demand for local, seasonal flowers in Maine. Ranunculus, Lisianthus, dahlias, and hydrangeas are popular for being the beautiful workhorses of flower designs, but they don’… [Read More]
Maine
CooperativesEconomic DevelopmentEntrepreneurLocal ProduceMade in Rural AmericaRural DevelopmentSmall Business
Man standing by wastewater plant in rural area.

Regional Wastewater Hub Improves Quality of Life in Rural Ohio

In a small rural community nestled in the foothills of southeast Ohio’s Appalachian region, the city of Nelsonville recently celebrated a water infrastructure milestone with the opening of its new regional wastewater treatment facility.  Built in 1956, the original… [Read More]
Ohio
Wastewater
On May 2, 2024, USDA Rural Development was able to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new mental health service center in Uniontown, Pa. The facility, funded through our essential community facilities program, gives locals in need of care a place to meet with qualified professionals from the Fayette County Mental Health Association.

Where to Start: Accessing Mental Health Resources in Rural Pennsylvania

Bob Morgan, State Director of USDA Rural DevelopmentIt starts with caring.On May 2, 2024, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new mental health service center in Uniontown, Pa. The facility, funded through our essential community… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
Community FacilitiesMental Health
Crandell-Home

It’s Never too Late - The American Dream of Homeownership

John and Kathleen Crandell thought that owning their own home was just a dream. But this dream finally became a reality. This retired couple, ages 70 and 68, had always rented and lived on a fixed income from Social Security and a small pension. The idea of homeownership seemed… [Read More]
Texas
HomeownershipHousing

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