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This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America...

OHKAY OWINGEH, N.M., July 7, 2021 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $307 million to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in 34 states and Puerto Rico (PDF, 224 KB). The investments being...

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the Department is investing $40 million to provide high-speed internet access for people living and working in rural areas in New Mexico. Today’s investments are made possible because of...

The West is one of the most climate-sensitive areas in the United States. Rural communities in this region face additional challenges due to being naturally dry and prone to drought. In recent years, they have experienced earlier snowpack melt and more frequent wildfires.

NEW ORLEANS, February 18, 2013 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that rural electric cooperatives and utilities in 12 states will receive loan guarantees to improve generation and transmission facilities and implement smart grid technologies. The announcement was made on the...

What began as an individual physician medical practice in 1859 in the small rural community of Onaga, Kan., has grown into a regional healthcare system spanning 10,000 square miles in three counties in northeast Kansas. The vision for this regional system was seeded by dedicated doctors, nurses, and...

Audio CHICAGO, February 3, 2012 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that USDA has selected 298 recipients in 44 states and Puerto Rico to receive business development assistance through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. Merrigan made the announcement in...

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is seeking applications from rural small businesses and agricultural producers for funding to make energy efficiency improvements or to install renewable energy systems. "Developing renewable energy presents an...

WASHINGTON, August 9, 2012 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that rural electric utilities in 18 states will receive loan guarantees to make improvements to electric lines, transmission facilities and to reduce peak electric loads by deploying smart grid technologies. USDA Rural...

CLEVELAND, Ohio, March 16, 2012-- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today visited the Sherwin-Williams John G. Breen Technology research facility in Cleveland to highlight how the growing biobased products industry is creating new economic opportunities for Ohio agriculture and manufacturing...