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Success Stories

“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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Search Results: 868 Stories

DeSoto Regional Health Breaks Grounds on $50 Million Expansion with $32 million USDA Loan, Enhancing Emergency and Urgent Care for Rural Louisiana

With a $32 million Community Facilities direct loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, DeSoto Regional Health, a 70-year-old hospital in Mansfield, LA, broke ground on renovations and expansions to add a 16-bed medical/surgical unit, a 9-bed… [Read More]
Louisiana

New Solar Projects Shine at Carlisle Expo Center

It takes a lot of resources to execute events at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds and Carlisle Expo Center.  There’s manpower, wind power, horsepower, and all new for 2025, solar power.  Carlisle Events, in partnership with the USDA and Solar Renewable Energy of… [Read More]
Pennsylvania

Better Local Healthcare for Florida’s Rural Panhandle with USDA

Just north of Interstate 10, and ninety minutes away from Pensacola to the west and Tallahassee to the east you’ll find Bonifay, Florida. This small community of 2,700 is the county seat for Holmes County, and like many other rural communities of its size, the people here are… [Read More]
Florida and Virgin Islands

A New Beginning: How Rural Development Made Homeownership Possible for a Louisiana Family

Inspiring Journey to Homeownership Meet Kaitlyn, a determined single mother from rural Louisiana whose dream of owning a home became a reality through the USDA Rural Development's Section 502 Direct Loan Program. Kaitlyn envisioned providing her son, Tyrin, with the comfort and… [Read More]
Louisiana

Michigan Dairy Cuts Electricity Costs by up to 90 Percent with REAP Grant

Dairy cows and sustainability have always been a part of Deidre Iciek’s life. As the oldest daughter of two veterinarians, she grew up around animals, large and small, from the time she was born. After high school, she majored in environmental studies at Michigan State… [Read More]
Michigan

Rural Energy for America Program Grant Powers Flower Growth at Michigan Greenhouse

When Ron Sportel’s grandfather started his celery farm in Comstock, Michigan, in 1918, he probably didn’t expect the family farm would sell flowers to big box stores across five states 100 years later. Sportel’s father and uncle continued growing celery on the family farm until… [Read More]
Michigan

Solar Panels Help Save Money and Create More Energy to Secure Future for Michigan Farm

Kent County, Michigan, is the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone. It is also the place where Jim Kober grew up helping on the family pig farm. His grandparents established the family farm originally as an apple orchard in the early 1900s. “I grew up there and I… [Read More]
Michigan

Sunshine Powers Michigan Hog Farm

Sustainability may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about hog farms, but for Arrow Farms in Scotts, Michigan, it is a part of their business model. Jarred Lorenz, Arrow Farms owner and H&H Farms general manager of hog operations, views hog production… [Read More]
Michigan

Eight-bell Turns a Thing of the Past for the Corinna Fire Department

The Corinna Fire Department groundbreaking ceremony July 31, 2023 (from left to right: Shawn Richards, Jeff Dorman, Allen Emerson, T.J. Emerson, John Bridges and Shawn Henderson). Less than one year after breaking ground on a new fire… [Read More]
Maine

“We are in the Business of Accuracy!”

From the planes in the sky to the work done on your vehicles, various tools are required for these services. Many of these tools require calibration, a process where a tool is tested and adjusted to ensure accurate measurements. In 2012, PinnaCal opened their doors as the only… [Read More]
Montana