Tuesday Aug 18, 2009
Discovering a Rural Renaissance
Our first stop of the day was Richmond Community College where we helped with a local community service event affiliated with President Obama’s United We Serve program. Secretaries Vilsack and Duncan worked alongside volunteers and students to package high-protein meals for children in need. It was a matter of minutes before one of the volunteers struck the gong – signaling that 10,000 meals had been packaged and sending up a loud cheer.
Shortly thereafter we arrived at the rural community forum and were entertained by the music of Hamlet-born jazz great John Coltrane while the Secretaries made their way on stage.
The audience of 600 – one tenth of the community’s population - was excited and after brief introductions, questions poured in. The main topic was the role education plays in revitalizing and rebuilding rural America but it wasn’t long before the local residents presented their own ideas for a 21st century economy. Questions ranged from expanding opportunities of local biomass production to the availability of funding for community colleges with a high-technology focus.
The highlight of the event came when Secretary Vilsack stated “One thing that sets us apart, as a people, is our capacity to innovate.” The crowd affirmed this statement with a loud applause. The pride and determination of the local residents to make Hamlet part of the new economy was so strong it was almost tangible.
With communities like Hamlet, NC leading the way, Secretary Vilsack said it best: There's a rural renaissance about to take place if we just put the resources behind it.
Permalink | Posted at: 02:17PM Aug 18, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA | Add Your Comment Here [0]
Friday Aug 14, 2009
We were back on the road yesterday for the next round of Rural Tour stops. With us were Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Education Secretary Arne Duncan on a plane and road trip to Bethel and Hooper Bay, Alaska.
The day started out with a small hitch, with our plane grounded for minor repairs in the morning. Ultimately the staff were a bit behind schedule with the Secretaries and Sen. Mark Begich took a separate flight into Bethel. Although the forum was delayed for two hours due to the mechanical issues, there was still a great crowd assembled.
Residents were very focused on energy issues, as they face extremely high energy prices; many related their struggles with high energy cost in Alaska, and asked how the administration is working to help mitigate that burden. The Cabinet members discussed developing a new energy economy, emphasizing the use of alternative energy sources (such as the wind turbines we toured later that day) which could help offset high energy costs for all Americans.
In Bethel, which has become a regional hub for commerce, especially among native Alaskans, there was also much conversation on how the government can assist the region in development and economic recovery. One tribal elder was very passionate in describing to the Secretary the desires of native Alaskans to partner with state and federal government in development; in turn, Vilsack pointed out that USDA program assistance is available through state and federal offices, but that he worried many of those funds have gone unused in the past. Vilsack emphasized that the delegation was there to listen to the concerns of people in Alaska, report back to the President, and work to find new lanes of cooperation between the federal government and Alaskans.
Vilsack and his counterparts also outlined some available assistance programs and activities in Alaska -- through emergency food aid as part of the SNAP and TEFAP programs, rural housing loans through USDA Rural Development, projects throughout the state by the Forest Service, and more. After the forum, Secretary Vilsack announced a new Tribal Conservation District in Alaska, which will enable more cooperation between the Natural Resources Conservation Service and tribal leaders in caring for the land.
After the forum in Bethel, everyone boarded a plane to Hooper Bay, a town of 1,000 in western Alaska. Although it was raining and my transporation around town was in the back of a truck in that rain, our visit to Hooper Bay was absolutely remarkable. The community is in the midst of rebuilding after devastating fire in August 2006 that leveled 35 buildings, including the local high school and 12 homes. We toured the new school and stopped by a 19-unit affordable housing project. They've even constructed three wind turbines, which will offset 24 percent of the costly diesel fuel the town has to rely on for energy.
This was a highly educational trip for everyone, and it’s great to have the Rural Tour back in full swing. We'll be going to Hamlet, North Carolina on August 17, with more stops to follow through the month of September. Don't forget, you too can keep up with the rural tour online or on the Twitter feed.
Caleb Weaver
USDA Press Secretary
The day started out with a small hitch, with our plane grounded for minor repairs in the morning. Ultimately the staff were a bit behind schedule with the Secretaries and Sen. Mark Begich took a separate flight into Bethel. Although the forum was delayed for two hours due to the mechanical issues, there was still a great crowd assembled.
Residents were very focused on energy issues, as they face extremely high energy prices; many related their struggles with high energy cost in Alaska, and asked how the administration is working to help mitigate that burden. The Cabinet members discussed developing a new energy economy, emphasizing the use of alternative energy sources (such as the wind turbines we toured later that day) which could help offset high energy costs for all Americans.
In Bethel, which has become a regional hub for commerce, especially among native Alaskans, there was also much conversation on how the government can assist the region in development and economic recovery. One tribal elder was very passionate in describing to the Secretary the desires of native Alaskans to partner with state and federal government in development; in turn, Vilsack pointed out that USDA program assistance is available through state and federal offices, but that he worried many of those funds have gone unused in the past. Vilsack emphasized that the delegation was there to listen to the concerns of people in Alaska, report back to the President, and work to find new lanes of cooperation between the federal government and Alaskans.
Vilsack and his counterparts also outlined some available assistance programs and activities in Alaska -- through emergency food aid as part of the SNAP and TEFAP programs, rural housing loans through USDA Rural Development, projects throughout the state by the Forest Service, and more. After the forum, Secretary Vilsack announced a new Tribal Conservation District in Alaska, which will enable more cooperation between the Natural Resources Conservation Service and tribal leaders in caring for the land.
After the forum in Bethel, everyone boarded a plane to Hooper Bay, a town of 1,000 in western Alaska. Although it was raining and my transporation around town was in the back of a truck in that rain, our visit to Hooper Bay was absolutely remarkable. The community is in the midst of rebuilding after devastating fire in August 2006 that leveled 35 buildings, including the local high school and 12 homes. We toured the new school and stopped by a 19-unit affordable housing project. They've even constructed three wind turbines, which will offset 24 percent of the costly diesel fuel the town has to rely on for energy.
This was a highly educational trip for everyone, and it’s great to have the Rural Tour back in full swing. We'll be going to Hamlet, North Carolina on August 17, with more stops to follow through the month of September. Don't forget, you too can keep up with the rural tour online or on the Twitter feed.
Caleb Weaver
USDA Press Secretary
Permalink | Posted at: 03:13PM Aug 14, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA | Add Your Comment Here [0]
Tuesday Jul 21, 2009
St. John's Parish hosts four Obama Cabinet members on Rural Tour
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Veterans' Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki joined Vilsack at an Army National Guard drill hall so packed with interested Louisianans, staff had to find more and more chairs leading up to the moment the event began.
The large crowd led to big lines to ask questions of the officials about a range of issues. Questions were focused largely on the need for health care reform, but also addressing housing costs, homeownership, and a variety of other issues facing Louisiana families. Because time didn't allow for every question, Sen. Mary Landrieu (also in attendance at the event) promised a follow-up forum to keep the discussion going.
The Rural Tour will continue on August 12, when Vilsack joins four other Cabinet members in traveling to Bethel, Alaska, where they'll focus on green jobs, a new energy economy, and climate change. Until then, you can stay tuned for updates at the Rural Tour Twitter Feed.
Permalink | Posted at: 08:03AM Jul 21, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA | Add Your Comment Here [2]
Saturday Jul 18, 2009
Secretary Vilsack and Secretary Chu discuss green jobs in Virginia
This morning, Chu and Vilsack toured the Piedmont BioProducts plant in Danville, and discussed the refinery's cooperation with universities around the country to develop the work Piedmont is doing.
After a cheeseburger, the Secretaries headed to Buddy Mayhew's farm near Chatham, where this afternoon's Rural Tour event drew about 300 people interested in the Obama Administration's plans to create green jobs for rural communities across our nation. Plenty of questions, which has been the case at every stop on the tour and gives the Secretary a great platform to discuss the many ways USDA is touching people in states like Virginia every day, every way.
Vilsack later met with local biofuel manufacturers and local USDA employees. (USDA, in case you're wondering, isn't just in Washington -- a huge part of the revitalization and recovery effort is being led by thousands of USDA employees at the county and state levels, as well as by Foreign Agriculture Service officers posted around the world).
Stay tuned for some photos of this long, but very productive and educational, day. Meanwhile, USDA staff on the road with the Secretary are still Tweeting away as the afternoon goes on.
Permalink | Posted at: 03:11PM Jul 18, 2009 by USDAblogger in USDA | Add Your Comment Here [0]
