Rural Development published the Fiscal Year 2026 Section 533 Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) Notice of Funding Opportunity on August 6, 2026. The HPG program awards grants to qualified organizations to repair or rehabilitate homes, rental properties, or co-ops occupied by low- and very-low-income residents in rural areas. Eligible applicants include most State or local governmental entities, federally recognized Indian Tribes, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based organizations.

The Hidalgo County Service Center in Edinburg, Texas, will be temporarily closed. Effective July 30, 2026, USDA Rural Development staff at the Hidalgo County Service Center will be relocated until further notice. Customers seeking assistance or to do business with USDA Rural Development may meet with staff in person by appointment each Wednesday at a temporary location in Edinburg.

Interested customers may make meeting arrangements or ask questions by contacting Area Director Roel Gomez at 956-383-4928.

Unicom, Incorporated proposes to use a middle-mile1 system to interconnect with a fiber-optic cable (FOC) in Nunapitchuk and extend the Airraq Network through Mertarvik to Tununak and Toksook Bay. The preferred route is overland from Nunapitchuk to Tununak, Toksook Bay, Alakanuk, Emmonak, and Kotlik, which would also require a marine fiber lay through Baird Inlet to Mertarvik and from Tununak to Alakanuk. Through Airraq Kotlik, the Airraq Network would extend from Emmonak to Kotlik, primarily via overland route.

(Columbus, N.J., August 3, 2026) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development, Office of Seafood, Farm Service Agency, and Natural Resource Conservation Service, together with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and New Jersey Department of Agriculture have announced the second “Seafood Industry Perspectives: A Collaborative Listening Session” focusing on gathering perspectives from New Jersey’s local seafood sector.

(Stevens Point, Wis., Aug. 10, 2026) – U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Andrew C. Iverson announced today that the agency is making a $2.518 million loan available to the city of Viroqua. The investment will help the city install new solid waste infrastructure at the city’s closed landfill to prevent harmful gases from leaking.

USDA Rural Development State Director for Colorado Sallie Clark joined local leaders, board members, and community partners today to celebrate recent upgrades to the Montezuma Water Company (MWC) Treatment facility. The milestone was made possible through USDA Rural Development’s $28,107,000 direct and guaranteed loan investment in rural infrastructure.