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Sustainability at the Core
For many, apples are a sweet addition to a balanced diet. For Eric Jorgensen, one of the founders of Finnriver Farm & Cidery, apples are a way of life.
Jorgensen and his partners started their small organic fruit and vegetable farm in Chimacum, Washington, on the state’s… [Read More]
03.15.2023

Entrepreneurs and RD: a Match Meant to Bee
Mark and Linda Graf have a crew of over 400,000 bees in over 100 hives working for them near Emerson, Nebraska. The Buzz, their store on Main Street, sells local honey and related products.
The Grafs are shining examples of entrepreneurship in rural America. Linda describes… [Read More]
02.14.2023

Going Solar in Fulton
Fulton is a small town in Missouri and the largest city in Callaway County, with a population of about 13,000 people. But for many rural towns, identifying and securing solar incentives can be a challenge. RD’s Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems &… [Read More]
02.08.2023

Luther Center Helps Local Businesses Go Solar
The Luther College’s Center for Sustainable Communities is working to improve local economies in the Midwest with the help of a Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Grant (REAP). When the two investor-owned… [Read More]
02.08.2023

REAP Grant Helps Rural Farming Business Go Solar
Homegrown HideAways is more than just a farm. Located in the Appalachians of Berea, Kentucky, the 100-acre holler welcomes more than 2,000 guests per year and has more than a dozen listings on Airbnb. When Jessa Turner and her partner opened the center, they had plans of adding… [Read More]
02.08.2023

East Kentucky entrepreneur uses solar power to significantly cut power costs
Geoff Marietta found out just how expensive it can be to heat a 12,000-square-foot, 100-plus-year-old building.
The building, located on the corner of 2nd and Main streets in downtown Corbin, Kentucky, sat vacant from 2005 until Marietta bought it in 2017. He immediately… [Read More]
01.26.2023

Humboldt Community REAPs the Benefit of Webb Farm Solar
Located in rural Humboldt, Tennessee, Mr. Aaron Webb of Webb Farm Solar Systems Inc., owns and operates a minority owned solar farm. This farm has been in operation since 2012, with Photo-Voltaic (PV) Solar Systems on several farm properties.
It was in 2019, when Webb walked… [Read More]
01.11.2023

Solar: It’s a “Big Dill” for Real Pickles Cooperative
As USDA Rural Development (RD) highlights National Cooperative Month, one worker owned co-op in Massachusetts stands out as a model for sustainability, collaboration, and local food system resiliency. The saying goes “it’s not easy being green.” But for Real Pickles in… [Read More]
10.20.2022
Smart Ranching
The sun is just rising over the High Plains east of Roswell, New Mexico. --But the day for Trish and Kim Chessar at the Burnt Well Guest Ranch started more than an hour ago.
Today, will be special, --their guests will become cowboys.
Since the Chessar’s opened the guest… [Read More]
11.15.2021

Improving Rural Communities, Business by Business
Glendive EyeCare is nestled in the heart of downtown Glendive, Montana, which is well-known by paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts as a treasure trove that is rich in history and archaeological findings.
Despite living in a semi-arid climate, the staff of this optometry… [Read More]
10.19.2021