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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
Stretching Critical Repair Dollars 2

Stretching Critical Home Repair Dollars

Neighborhood Strong is a community-based organizations serving nine East Texas Counties. They provide critical home repairs and accessibility modifications to low and very low-income homeowners. Over 57% of the homes in this area are over 40 years old. The poverty rate is just… [Read More]
Texas
Housing
A photo on a farm with a grain dryer in the center. There is a small white building to the right and grain bins around the grain dryer.

Farming for the Future

The State of North Dakota is roughly 70,000 square miles. Agricultural land occupied by family farms and ranches accounts for about 60,000 of those square miles. With the sheer number of acres dedicated to growing and raising our country’s food supply, it comes as no surprise… [Read More]
North Dakota
EnergyInfrastructure
World Water Day logo

A Water Legacy in La Union MDSWA

Driving south bound with the Organ Mountains to my left you expect to see many things. Pecan farms, and Dairy farms sure, but also the beauty of southern New Mexico. If you continue on to Anthony NM, you will stumble onto a gem. Rural Development (RD) is no stranger to the area… [Read More]
New Mexico
Rural Partners NetworkWater
7 people standing in front of water tank

USDA Rural Development Helps Community Access Clean Water For The First Time After Five Months

You would be forgiven for thinking that October 17th was just another ordinary day for the fifteen households of the Mt. Rose Bowl subdivision, hidden by dense forest between a ski resort and a sleepaway camp in Northern Nevada. But Sally Sue Broili vividly remembers letting out… [Read More]
Nevada
Community FacilitiesWater
Farmer cultivating produce

An Intensive Small Farm to Get Help from the Sun

Every morning around 6:30, Mathew Ladegaard opens the flow of water from his catchment pond to water his various crops. And each morning, he looks up and sees clouds in the distance and he hopes it’ll rain later in the day which will surely help his crops grow. Ladegaard’s… [Read More]
New Mexico
REAP
Watertower in George, WA was partially funded through USDA Rural Development.

Addressing Water Access Challenges Through USDA Rural Development’s Commitment to Rural Communities

Water is the life source for everything living on this earth. For human survival, we require clean and reliable water through sustainable infrastructure. While most people in US communities are blessed with water resources that don't even need to be thought about when the… [Read More]
Washington
Infrastructure
Senator Angus King stands at a podium bearing the seal of the City of Biddeford. Sean Tarpey stands to the right in the photo, holding an award signifying Saco Bay Marine's REAP grant. In the background are 2 electric boats and a larger boat in the far background.

From Black to Green: A Biddeford, Maine boat yard on the site of a former coal-burning energy plant turns to solar energy for the future

Saco Bay Marine LLC is a Maine company with deep roots. It is the corporate parent of Rumery’s Boat Yard, founded more than 60 years ago on the Saco River in Biddeford. Now owned by Sean Tarpey, the company offers boat storage,… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessEnergyREAPRenewable Energy
City of Italy Pavillion

High Speed Heroes Keeping Rural Texans Connected

Embracing remote work can be a game-changer for rural America, but it requires robust infrastructure and reliable internet connectivity. As remote work becomes more common, high-speed internet will allow Italy to compete for residents seeking a slower pace of life outside of the… [Read More]
Texas
Telecommunications
The GreenTechnologies manufacturing plant in Clay County

National Biobased Products Day: GreenTechnologies’ 25-Year Quest to Provide Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Chemical Fertilizers

When Green Technologies, LLC began operations in 1999, sustainability was a newer concept in the agricultural industry. Still, the company remained dedicated to growing as a market leader in sustainability and innovation. Now, as the company celebrates 25 years, there is a push… [Read More]
Florida and Virgin Islands
BiobasedBioeconomyBiopreferredRural Development
Gary Fox with the town of Rockingham and Bellows Falls Fire Chief Shaun McGinnis stand next to firefighter gear

Bellows Falls Fire Department Receives Clear, Consistent Comms

The town of Rockingham in eastern Vermont includes the villages of Bellows Falls and Saxtons River, little but lively hubs of activity lending their special brand of hardboiled New England character to the rich cultural history of the Connecticut River. Though separated by only… [Read More]
Vermont and New Hampshire
First Responders

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