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REAP Adds Another Level of Sustainability to Bio-based Business
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Bill Garmier returned to Ohio with nothing but starting a family farm on his mind. For years, his family would plant and harvest corn and soybeans, but when the market began to change Garmier knew he needed to find an additional source of… [Read More]
04.21.2023

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

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

How Rural Partnerships Helped Glasgow Community Open Its First Hospice Center
For the people of Glasgow, Kentucky, collaborations between the local electric cooperative, USDA Rural Development and other county entities have helped meet critical needs in the community. The first partnership between Farmers RECC, their power supplier, East Kentucky Power… [Read More]
10.24.2022

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

The Perks of Solar: Sustainability with Every Sip at Cape Cod Coffee
Many people have a passion for coffee. In fact, many of us cannot imagine starting our day without it. But for Pam and Jan Aggerbeck, owners of Cape Cod Coffee in Mashpee, Massachusetts, every cup of coffee is a part of their story of sustainability- And an opportunity to give… [Read More]
10.13.2022

Distillery is Making a Splash Mixing Community with Commerce
In the midst of the pandemic, while juggling work, civic leadership and homeschooling, friends Shawna Kelsey and Kristina Boyd decided to double down on their plans to launch Pink Bench Distilling in Troy, Montana.
In early 2020, they acquired a 100-year-old building from a… [Read More]
12.02.2021

Rural Co-op Shines a Light on the Benefits of Solar Energy
Sustainability has been a fundamental tenant of the food cooperative movement since it began, and not only in terms of selling organic, sustainably-harvested food. Co-ops around the country are also turning to renewable energy. For the Astoria Co-op on the Oregon coast, that… [Read More]
06.03.2021