Hardware Hills Vineyard is located about five miles from downtown Scottsville but might well be in the middle of its namesake river when it comes to network connectivity. Owners Andrea and Rob Nickels spent their first 10 days on the property without internet and had to schedule multiple service calls with their initial provider to address glitches in the coverage.

It’s no coincidence that the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) named their internet subsidiary after a small, luminescent insect. The parallels between the push to power rural homes in the 1930’s and the challenge of bringing broadband to remote areas of the state were undeniable as the company expanded its reach into telecommunications.

USDA Rural Development is proud to support United States Veteran Marine Roy Oliver through the Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants Program.  Mr. Oliver served in the Marines guarding supplies of ammunition.  Today, he is happily settled in Fairbury, Nebraska.

When Deputy Trevor Mishler was hired by Roberts County Sheriff's Department, there weren’t enough patrol cruisers to go around and some of the equipment being used by deputies was outdated and past its serviceable life. The Sheriff and county staff gave the deputy the green light to look for funding to purchase an additional vehicle and upgraded equipment. That’s when Deputy Mishler came across Rural Development’s Community Facilities Loans and Grants.

The Sage Apartments is a 12-unit multi-family housing complex that provides quality, safe, and affordable housing for eligible seniors and persons with disabilities in a rural Harlowton, Montana.

“With the ongoing housing crisis, there are limited options in rural communities, and that is what these properties are built for, especially for elderly residents,” said Robbie Carpenter, owner of the Sage Apartments with her husband, Vince Winterhalter. “This collaboration with USDA Rural Development ensures we can provide housing for eligible low-income residents in Harlowton.”

Wagner Early Childhood in south-central South Dakota has been caring for children for more than 30 years and Rural Development Community Facilities loans and grants have helped in many ways, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When schools and businesses closed because of the pandemic, many teachers took their kids out of daycare. Our enrollment dropped significantly,” said Pam Beeson, Wagner Early Childhood Director. “But because we’ve been able to qualify for loans and grants as a non-profit business, we were able to keep our doors open and keep the facility up-to-date.”

What happens to a vacant big-box retail space in a rural community with leaders who have a vision and passion for service? In the case of Shelby, Montana, rural residents here and beyond will benefit with increased access to quality, affordable health care at a new, state-of-the-art clinic.

With residents, staff members and community leaders gathered, the Marias Health Care Clinic opened its doors after a year-long renovation project, creating a larger space to accommodate patient care and administrative and support services for this rural Montana community.