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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 876 Stories
Woman sitting on sofa with cup

CEI’s “Business Startup in Rural Wisconsin” Program Provides Free Technical Assistance and Training to Help Create Jobs and Drive Economic Growth in Rural Wisconsin

Siren Steel Yard, LLC employee Tyler Sley (left) with co-owners Jen Lundberg (center); and Rob “Tex” Northquest stand with an early 1990s shear that is still used today for cutting sheets of metal. Siren Steel is involved in an RBDG-funded… [Read More]
Wisconsin
Rural Development
Jaci Gibson and her dog at home.

Blueprints for a Beginning: A New Home and Marriage

When Jaci Velder applied to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Mutual Self-Help (MSH) Housing Program through the Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments (UAACOG), she was hoping for something simple: a safe and affordable place to call home… [Read More]
Colorado
Housing
Mark and Megan Bausch of Bausch Potato Inc. stand outside their farmhouse next to a sign indicating the farm.

Legacy Keeps Montana Family on the Farm

Megan Bausch stacks boxes of potatoes at their storage facility in Whitehall, Montana. USDA photo. South of Whitehall, Montana, against towering mountain peaks and under the wide skies, Mark Bausch and his daughter Megan start and end each… [Read More]
Montana
Value Added
Group at Mine

USDA Investments Power Coal Production with Modern Equipment for West Virginia Miners

Coal mining is more than an industry in rural West Virginia, it’s a way of life that has shaped families and communities for generations. Since the earliest mines opened in the 1810s, the work and the technology behind them have changed dramatically. Over two centuries later,… [Read More]
West Virginia
BusinessEnergy
two people toasting

USDA Rural Development grant helps Wisconsin agricultural entrepreneurs expand and grow

From a beekeeper in Southern Wisconsin who is reviving a refreshment rooted in medieval history to an apple cider entrepreneur in Bayfield, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development is investing in Wisconsin agriculture producers that aim to expand and grow. Funding… [Read More]
Wisconsin
Value Added
ProTek Fiber Closing Group Photo

USDA Invests in ProTek Fiber Project to Provide Direct Fiber-to-the-Home Service in Southern Illinois

Fiber-optic Infrastructure Project Saves Dozens of Jobs and Creates Even MoreU.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Illinois State Director Jesus Ortega recently announced that the agency is investing nearly $21 million to ProTek Fiber through Farmers State Bank of… [Read More]
Illinois
Economic Development
Boyceville homeowner David Jacott stands in front of his home.

Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants Program Helps Boyceville Homeowner Find Peace of Mind Heading into Winter in Rural Wisconsin

David Jacott stands on the newly paved driveway of his home in Boyceville. Boyceville resident David Jacott is heading into winter with greater peace of mind, knowing his home is better protected against ice and water damage. Through the… [Read More]
Wisconsin
Home Repair
A woman in a pink dress sits on her front porch.

A Home Saved, A Life Restored: The Impact of USDA Rural Development Funding

Maureen's wall was crumbling and propped up by boards prior to the repairs.  In the heart of rural Washington County, Pennsylvania, 72-year-old Maureen Bird faced a crisis that threatened her safety. Her modest home was built almost 100… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
Home RepairHomeownershipHousing
Top of Water Tower

USDA Rural Development provides funding to construct a new water tank in the Village of Burnt Prairie

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Rural Development (RD) provided a $1,243,000 grant and a $786,000 loan through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program to the Village of Burnt Prairie, IL, to construct a new 75,000-gallon elevated water storage tank. The… [Read More]
Illinois
Community Facilities

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