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Success Stories

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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: 13 Stories
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]
BusinessClean EnergyEntrepreneurFood SupplyLocal FoodsREAPRenewable EnergyValue Added
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… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing
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, maintenance and repair, and boatlift… [Read More]
BusinessClean EnergyEnergyInflation Reduction ActREAPRenewable Energy
A bearded man poses in front of a backdrop that says "GORiLLA LUBE" with industrial products on a table in front of him with orange labels.

Finding New Markets with USDA BioPreferred: Small Town Biobased Company has Outsized Impact on the Slopes and Ziplines of America

Scott and Kathie Lee are the founders of Gorilla Lube, based in Brownville, Maine.Scott Lee found his mission while still in college. At the time he worked for the Connecticut Department of Health inspecting public water supplies and tracing the source of pollutants… [Read More]
BiobasedBiopreferredBroadbandEntrepreneurMade in Rural AmericaManufacturing
Four women and one man sit at tables in a large room with a USDA banner in the background.

New Capacity for Sunrise County: USDA Helps Meet Business Needs

When team at the Sunrise County Economic Council (SCEC) polled area businesses, they heard a consistent message. Asked what they needed to thrive, business owners made it clear. They were looking for more training opportunities and resources right in the community. Washington… [Read More]
BusinessEconomic DevelopmentGrantsUnderserved
Two men and two women stand in front of a snow grooming machine in a snowy field under a blue sky. They are dressed warmly, and there are leafless trees in the background.

Slam Dunk for Poodunck: Safer, Eco-friendly Trail Grooming Machine

December 13, 2023, was a happy day for the members of the Poodunck Snowmobile Club in Dixfield, Maine. That day they took delivery of their new trail grooming machine. The massive new Prinoth machine is state-of the art, replacing the club’s fifteen-year-old equipment. Trail… [Read More]
RecreationUnderserved
Image of people in a boat

Working Together for Change on Spruce Head Island: Maine Oyster Company Goes Green with REAP Grant

Entrepreneurs must weigh every potential expense carefully. This is certainly true for Krista Tripp, owner of a lobster business and commercial oyster farm on Sprucehead Island, ME. Her company, Aphrodite Oysters, markets its fresh seafood directly to consumers and through area… [Read More]
BusinessClean EnergyEnergyEntrepreneurInflation Reduction ActLocal FoodsRenewable EnergySmall BusinessSolar Energy
A smiling family, father, mother, two young daughters, standing on the porch of their own home.

Couple Turns Wishes of Homeownership into Reality with USDA and Four Directions

“When we walked in, I felt like an imposter - Like I just stole somebody’s house,” said Michael Carlos, a Houlton, Maine native and fiancé of Sakoya Blackwell, a member of the Maliseet Indian Tribe in Houlton. “I couldn’t believe it was really ours.” For years, their family… [Read More]
HomeownershipHomeownership Month 2022Tribal
The Hodgdon Family stand on their front porch

Homeownership Keeps Family Close to Their Coastal Heritage

Thanks to the USDA Rural Development Single-Family Direct Housing Program, the Hodgdon family has an affordable home they love in Boothbay Harbor, a community their family has lived in for generations. Jacob Hodgdon, his fiancé Shelby, and their two children Graycin, age five,… [Read More]
Homeownership
The LaRue Family sits on the steps of their new home

Oh Baby! Homeownership Dreams Do Come True

Little eleven-month-old Katie LaRue will never remember the struggles of her family to find the perfect home in rural Maine. She will grow up with her own room and a large yard to play in. For her Mom, Monique, Dad, Jesse, and her four siblings, they will always appreciate how… [Read More]
Homeownership