USDA Blog

The Obama Administration has made domestic production of renewable energy a national priority because it will create quality American jobs, combat global warming, reduce fossil fuel dependence and lay a strong foundation for a strong rural economy.

USDA Agriculture Secretary Vilsack kicked off the third in a series of five workshops on competition in agriculture today. Speaking to a packed house of more then 500 small and large dairy farmers, FFA members and members of the public at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Vilsack highlighted...

Written by Anita Rios Moore, Vermont USDA Public Information Coordinator USDA Rural Development State Director, Molly Lambert, joined by representatives from the Vermont Congressional delegation presented seven Northeast Kingdom organizations with Certificates of Partnership recently during a grant...

While the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is rich in cultural pride, identity and history, its remote location in the rugged terrain of Southeast Oklahoma has severely limited the tribe’s economic development efforts. But a Broadband Initiative Program grant, made available by the American Recovery and...

Cross-posted from the White House Blog Today I released our first comprehensive report on USDA’s deployment of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for rural broadband. It showed that the 68 investments we have already made will bring broadband access to an estimated 530,000 households, 93...

Written by Katie Yocum, USDA Rural Development, with assistance from Gayle Cargo, Texas Rural Development Public Information Coordinator

Cross-posted from the White House Blog By Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack As the Obama Administration National Rural Summit came to a close yesterday, there was a general feeling of hope for the future of America’s rural communities. But there was also a sense that a host of partners - federal...

By Liz Purchia, Press Assistant A crowd of all ages gathered in the Jefferson College Field House this morning for the Obama administration’s National Rural Summit. The audience listened as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, along with several other esteemed panelists, took the stage to discuss the...

Cross-posted from the White House Blog Tomorrow I will travel to Hillsboro, Missouri to host the Obama Administration’s National Summit of Rural America: A Dialogue for Renewing Promise. The event will feature a broad conversation with key policymakers and community leaders to explore the priorities...