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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 their 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: 72 Stories
Brian Eng of Sustaine and the three owners of The Bankery and Skowhegan Fleuriste stand on the sidewalk in front of The Bankery with other businesses visible in the background.

Reaping Savings, Employee Retention, and a Better Workplace Culture with REAP TAG

Transitioning to renewable energy or committing to significant energy efficiency improvements requires major investments of time and capital for a business. It helps to have a trusted advisor to navigate the process. In October 2023, USDA Rural Development in Maine announced… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessClean EnergyEnergyInflation Reduction ActREAPRenewable EnergySmall Business
Woman standing under Sugar Nymphs Bistro sign next to parking lot

Bistro Menu and Accessibility Boosted by Rural Business Development Grant

You might not expect to find a fancy bistro when driving through the mountains in northern New Mexico, but that is exactly what you will find in the small mountain town of Peñasco. Sugar Nymphs Bistro shares building space with the town theater and is a place where people come… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsLocal FoodsSmall BusinessUnderserved
Two farmers pose with sheep inside a barn with hay on the floor and an open door in the background.

Maine Farm Uses REAP to Help Diversify Farm and Serve a Heritage Industry

Elizabeth Goundie and Josh Emerman are the co-founders of Moorit Hill Farm and Fiber in Troy, Maine. They came to Central Maine by a circuitous route, purchasing the property in 2017. Just seven years later, the young farmers are not only tending more than 70 sheep but also… [Read More]
Maine
Food SupplyInflation Reduction ActKnow Your FarmerLocal FoodsREAPSmall BusinessSolar Energy
Two men stand to the left of an outside restaurant order window

USDA Grant Helps Make Local Fast Food Faster

The small town of Peñasco, New Mexico, doesn’t offer any chain restaurants to stop in for a meal. But what it does offer is a variety of local cuisine. If you are looking for a quick bite to eat on your drive through the mountains, you might try to search for El Ya Merito. It is… [Read More]
New Mexico
Local FoodsSmall Business
Woman holding green chile in her restaurant kitchen

Rural Business Development Grant Helps Business Expand Hours

If you pass through Peñasco, New Mexico, in the spring or summer and crave some New Mexican style comfort food, you are in luck. La Jicarita Harvest offers just the food to give you a taste of authentic northern New Mexican cuisine. Sopapilla burgers, Indian tacos, and Frito… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsLocal FoodsSmall Business
Three people standing next to a sign that say S.P.O.T.

Rural Business Development Grant and Nonprofit Boost Local Businesses

Peñasco, a small mountain town in northern New Mexico, sits along the High Road to Taos, a scenic byway in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Despite its small size, Peñasco offers a surprising amount to the area. The town enjoys a variety of restaurants and businesses… [Read More]
New Mexico
Local FoodsSmall BusinessUnderserved
Five people pose for a photo in a tire shop garage area

USDA Grant Helps Expand Tire Repair Service

Turning away customers is something no business owner ever wants to do, but that is exactly what employees at Traveler’s Service Station in Peñasco, New Mexico, had to do. Fortunately, the local nonprofit MAS Comunidad helped them purchase new equipment with funds from a USDA… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsSmall Business
Man stands next to farm equipment

USDA Grant Helps Rancher Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Peñasco, New Mexico is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and a lot of people have multiple jobs in the community. It’s the kind of place where you might go into an automotive shop and end up talking to the local water association vice president. Ivan Roybal,… [Read More]
New Mexico
Small BusinessUnderserved
Molly and Jesse of Piper Mountain Christmas Trees stand in front of a vintage blue pickup truck with their two children. In the background there is a red barn and a distant hill.

Beginning Farmers Use REAP Grant to Make Their Christmas Tree Farm Greener

Molly Livingston and Jesse Jimerson were living in Northern Nevada while looking for an opportunity to get into farming. When they heard that Piper Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Newburgh, Maine was for sale, they were interested. The farm had been in business since 1978 and… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessClean EnergyEnergyGrantsMade in Rural AmericaREAPRenewable EnergySmall Business
A woman and man stand in front of a pontoon boat with a banner that says the company name, "Wilde Recreation."

Nurturing Dreams and Livelihoods: Local Partner in Northern Maine Makes USDA Financing Easy to Access

After a long career in software development, Marci Wilde was ready for a change of vocation. Being a recreation enthusiast herself, she knew how much folks love to enjoy the trails, woods, and lakes year-round, especially up north. So, she packed up and moved to rural Cross Lake… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessEntrepreneurRecreationRMAPRural DevelopmentSmall Business

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