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Success Stories

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

Search Results: 20 Stories
Amelia Smith is building her own home through the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program.

I Built a Future With My Own Hands

Amelia Smith is building her first home through the USDA Rural Development's Mutual Self-Help program in collaboration with Six County Association of Governments (SEAULG), which improves local government coordination of mutually beneficial programs where she lives in Sevier,… [Read More]

Straw Bale Homes More Than a Dirt-Cheap Option

In Moab, Utah, Community Rebuilds literally takes dirt-cheap sustainable, highly energy-efficient materials to build affordable homes. With assistance from USDA Rural Development’s Mutual Self-Help program, individuals can apply to build a natural self-help home. After a… [Read More]
Image of Pineae Greenhouse

Business is Blooming for Utah Greenhouse

Pineae Greenhouses, Inc. has been a familiar presence in northern Utah since 1952 when the Gold family opened a small greenhouse in  Bountiful, Utah. Since then the business has had to move further north to allow for expansion and to protect their product, as strong canyon… [Read More]
Chad Mortensen outside his variety store

Energy Efficiency Improvements Increase Longevity of Small Business

Chad Mortensen is a third-generation owner and operator of Marion’s Variety shop and restaurant in Roosevelt, Utah. Chad’s great aunt Marion Mortensen opened the business in 1933 after emigrating from Denmark. Over a span of 36 years Marion changed locations along the main road… [Read More]
Heather Gallagher in Home

Natural Building of Homes and Partnerships in Utah

Heather Gallagher has traveled the world to rock climb in as many locations as she can manage. Even so, in all her travels she kept returning to Moab, Utah. In 2002 she decided to make the small town her permanent home. “I know this is the place I want to be at,” she said. The… [Read More]
Pandolabs offers training and mentorship opportunities.

New Business Incubator Gives Access to Expertise, Growth

For a starting entrepreneur, having a mentor or expert within reach on an as-needed basis to help answer questions, pitch ideas, and test theory may seem like a very expensive luxury. At one business incubator in Park City, Utah, however, it’s standard. At Pandolabs, those… [Read More]
Image of Minersville library renovation

New Equipment Revitalizes Small Town Library

Rural libraries often serve as community gathering places. Public voting, educational activities, and more take place in public libraries and the historic library in the Town of Minersville is no different.  Located twenty miles from any other town, the Minersville Public… [Read More]
Janet Ross of the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education

New Vehicles Help Keep Students Moving for Outdoor Education

For students participating in the Canyon Country Youth Corps (CCYC) at the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education (FCS), a hard hat and shovel prove to be just as useful as a pencil and paper. CCYC is just one of four interrelated programs at the school and participation in it… [Read More]
Image of kitchen incubator in Cache Valley

Tech College Supports Kitchen Incubator to Jump-Start Business

Cache Valley, Utah, has a number of small “agribusinesses” that have unique products but no commercial kitchen to prepare them in. Many businesses rent spaces in restaurants but the accompanying fees are burdensome. In order to prepare products according to local and federal… [Read More]

USDA Investment Makes a Dangerous Road Safer

U.S. Highway 6 has been named one of America’s Deadliest Highways more than once throughout the past 15 years. It is a long stretch of road that is a favorite of truckers, tourists, and residents for its direct route to the Wasatch Front’s medical centers, shopping, and… [Read More]