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I’ve learned a lot about cacao lately. I learned that it’s pronounced ka-COW. I learned that it’s grown on trees in tropical climates and is the essential ingredient in chocolate, cocoa powder and cocoa butter. I learned that it’s not to be confused with coca, which is an illicit crop and the...

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack today unveiled a new program to support American wood processing facilities.

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2020 – Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) forged a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by signing the National Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Programs, National Conference of State...

Maine USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia Manuel welcomed the Deputy Administrator for Rural Utilities (RUS) Jessica Zufolo to Maine this week for an important tribal consultation meeting with leaders of Maine’s Native American tribes.

USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia Manuel and staff recently organized an important visit to Maine for a high-level worldwide organization known as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The group, headquartered in Paris, France, established formal links with...

WASHINGTON, October 25, 2017 – Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced today that USDA is making resources available to help rural people and communities recover from the effects of California wildfires. “While the full extent of damage from the current wildfires is...

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson today announced that USDA is making priority funding available for coastal National Scenic Areas that have been devastated by wildfires. National Scenic Areas are...