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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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Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 10 Stories
A view of the Columbia River Gorge from Crown Point

From Engagement to Impact: Empowering Rural Communities and Tribes in the Pacific Northwest

It takes a certain kind of person to make a life in the rural Pacific Northwest. From the towering bluffs of the high desert to the crashing waves of the rocky coasts and the mountains in between, the region is lower 48’s wild frontier. There are few places as geographically… [Read More]
Oregon, Washington
CORE
The Gerritsen family of Wood Prairie farm is shown gathered around potato sorting equipment.

Iconic Maine Farm Returns to its Solar Roots with REAP

Wood Prairie Family Farm (WPFF) is in the far northern town of Bridgewater, Maine, near the Canadian border. The farm is best known for its certified organic table potatoes and Maine certified seed potatoes (sold locally, online, and from a… [Read More]
Maine
Clean EnergyCOREFood SupplyInflation Reduction ActKnow Your FarmerLocal ProduceRenewable Energy
Aerial view of Bluff Dwellings rooftops with red cliffs in background.

Bringing Renewable Energy to Southeast Utah Using the Desert's Greatest Resource

The remote desert of Southeastern Utah brings a landscape like no other. While towering red rock mesas and sandstone cliffs provide amazing views you see very few people, and an abundance of sunshine. Southeast Utah’s San Juan County is the largest county in Utah, covering over… [Read More]
Utah
Clean EnergyCOREREAPRenewable EnergyRural DevelopmentSolar EnergyUnderserved
USDA Rural Development Utah Staff, Samantha Holiday, and Meghan McFall tour the Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii Community Center in Monument Valley, Utah.

USDA Investments Offer Support to Utah Tribes

Monument Valley, Utah is known for its iconic red sandstone buttes, cliffs, desert vistas and mesas. It is also the sacred heart of the Navajo Nation. The people who live among the beautiful scenic landscapes of Monument Valley have deep connections to the land and their native… [Read More]
Utah
CORERural DevelopmentTribalUnderserved
Alfreda Jarrett-Reynolds poses in front of a Brunswick banner

Partnering to Forge a Better Future for the People of Brunswick County

Southside Virginia may be within driving distance of the state capital, but its tight-knit rural communities are a world away from the more fast-paced urban scene of Richmond. While the region’s agricultural roots run deep, the farms still in operation today can’t sustain the… [Read More]
Virginia
COREEconomic DevelopmentHome RepairUnderserved
An illustration of I.V. Hope Village housing. I.V. Hope Village is a transitional living project in Cave Junction, OR designed to increase the number of affordable housing options.

It Takes a Village: Building Hope in Southern Oregon

A strong community must have affordable housing. The lack of affordable or available housing in Cave Junction, Oregon, has led to a housing crisis that has affected the people of this small, rural community within the Illinois Valley. Unpredictable wildfires and a major shift… [Read More]
Oregon
Community FacilitiesCOREHomeownership 2024HousingUnderserved
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]
Maine
BusinessClean EnergyCOREEntrepreneurFood SupplyLocal FoodsREAPRenewable EnergyValue Added
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]
Maine
CORERecreationUnderserved
A group of adults sit in a community meeting room, listening to a speaker. Several members of the audience have their hands raised to ask a question.

USDA Rural Development Helps Rural School District Provide More than Education to Communities

In the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley lies a remote area sparsely dotted with unincorporated towns. Each town is small, where most of the residents are Latino farmworkers and low-income, and where community resources are limited. In lieu of a local government, the… [Read More]
California
Community FacilitiesCOREEducationTechnologyUnderserved

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