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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: 51 Stories
Jim Pitreau stands at the base of Green Thumb Farms' new grain dryer.

High Efficiency Grain Dryer Proves Transformational for Green Thumb Farms

Soil Health, Bottom Line, and Maine Livestock All Benefit from REAP GrantGreen Thumb Farms is a familiar name to many Mainers. The farm’s “Cold River Gold” potatoes are found in abundance in New England supermarkets each fall and winter.  The family-owned farm in the… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessEnergyFood SupplyInflation Reduction ActKnow Your FarmerREAP
Man standing in front of two large water heaters.

Energy Grant Helps Keep Dinner Plates Fresh and Full Year-Round

The Chef's Garden in Huron, Ohio, is a year-round 400-acre production farm that grows more than 800 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and microgreens. USDA Photo.  The Chef’s Garden, Inc., is a year-round 400-acre production farm in… [Read More]
Ohio
EnergyREAP
Brandon Willis, Rancher's Insurance owner standing in front of ground mounted solar panels in Laketown, Utah.

Solar Project Provides Big Opportunities for a Rural Utah Farmer, Businessman, and Community Leader

Northern Utah’s Laketown is a rural community with a population of just 299 on the South end of Bear Lake. The area offers beautiful lake views, summer recreation, and miles of agriculture. Brandon Willis, owner of Rancher’s Insurance, provides agriculture insurance to farmers… [Read More]
Utah
Clean EnergyEnergyRenewable EnergyRural DevelopmentSolar Energy
Man standing in front of grocery store.

Energy Grant Helps Local Grocery Serve Neighbors and Community

New energy efficient lighting illuminates the well-stocked produce section of Albert’s Fresh Market in Grafton, Ohio. USDA Photo.  Small businesses are the heartbeat of rural communities, helping them thrive by providing goods,… [Read More]
Ohio
BusinessEnergy
A man stands against a porch railing with a long wood shed behind him. The roof of the shed is covered with solar panels. There is fall foliage in the background.

Marsh River Co-op Finds "the Easiest Way to Reduce Overhead Costs"

The Waldo County town of Brooks is located about half an hour from Belfast on the Penobscot Bay. It is a rural community with a population of about 1000 people. The store is located right downtown in a property that was recently donated… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessClean EnergyCooperativesEnergyFood SupplyInflation Reduction ActLocal FoodsLocal ProduceREAPSmall BusinessSolar Energy
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Energy Grant Adds Flavor to America’s Salads and Sandwiches

Mucci Farms is a large greenhouse with 75 acres of growing space not far from the shores of Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio, and provides the ideal growing environment for the nearly 12 million units of tomatoes and cucumbers it produces annually. “We are farmers at heart… [Read More]
Ohio
EnergyREAP
A woman wearing denim overalls stands in a green field with flowers in the foreground and solar panels and trees in the background.

REAP at the Junction of Farming and Clean Energy

When Eileen Flanagan and John Cochrane moved to Vassalboro, Maine and founded their farm, Junction Garden LLC, they knew they had a lot to learn about diversified agriculture in Maine. As they developed their market farm and growing business, one goal stood out: “We were very… [Read More]
Maine
Clean EnergyEnergyInflation Reduction ActLocal FoodsLocal ProduceREAPRenewable EnergySolar Energy
A woman stands in the lobby area of a small gym in rural Colorado. A teal colored sign with a skull and wing logo for Catacombs Fitness Collective is displayed on the wall behind her.

Sunny Southwest Colorado Gym Owner Adds Solar to Support Community Spirit

Tracie Holcomb, the owner of Catacombs Fitness Collective in Durango, Colorado, has continually sought ways to enhance her gym’s role as a community cornerstone. “Our motto is fitness and community,” says Tracie. “We think if people have a safe space where their friends are,… [Read More]
Colorado
Clean EnergyEnergyREAPRenewable EnergySmall BusinessSolar Energy
The Pelican Athletic Club General Manager Alix St. Pé, USDA Rural Business Cooperative Services Administrator Betsy Londrigan, Associate Deputy Administrator Dr. James Jordan, Rural Development Chief of Staff Leroy Garcia, Special Advisor Robert Lyons alongside Rural Development Louisiana Business Programs Director Whey McGrew, Community Programs Director Matt Seaton, along with 50 USDA staff from across the country. The Next Solar Energy Technology Inc.'s Vice President of Sales, Eric LeBlanc, General Man

Pelican Athletic Club Enhances Energy Efficiency with USDA Rural Development Grants

Pelican Athletic Club Enhances Energy Efficiency with USDA Rural Development Grants The Pelican Athletic Club greeted and welcomed USDA Rural Development staff to their premier fitness and wellness center in Mandeville, Louisiana, to show off their new energy efficiency… [Read More]
Louisiana
EnergyGrantsREAPRenewable EnergySolar Energy
A group photo at Wen Crest Farms in Lebanon, Pa.

Grant Money Energizes Family's Solar Dream

By Stephanie Speicher, Lancaster Farming LEBANON, Pa. — Steven and Bonnie Wenger have been talking about adding solar energy to Wen-Crest Farms for 15 years.A federal grant has finally made it possible.The Wengers are installing a 243-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
Clean EnergyEnergyRenewable EnergySolar Energy

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