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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 their Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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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: 76 Stories
Chris Wall and his family in their cherry orchard

Keeping it local works best for Utah orchard farmer

Wall Brothers Orchards has been in the fruit growing business for more than 50 years, growing apples, peaches, and cherries in Payson, Utah. The highest quality fruit is selected to sell to distributors and consumers in Orchard Brothers Farmer’s Market. Every growing season a… [Read More]
Food SupplyGrantsLocal FoodsLocal ProduceValue Added
Rock County Librarians Macey Lackoff and Kim Orr

There's More to the Story

National Library Week is April 23-29. The theme this year is “There’s More to the Story.” To the folks in north central Nebraska, where towns are small and there are many miles between homes, farms, and ranches, this theme comes to life at the Rock County Community Library. For… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesEducationGrantsRecreation
Michael Mitchell outside his home in Aberdeen.

Working together for homeownership

The saying ‘it takes a village’ can carry many meanings. For Aberdeen resident Michael Mitchell, it meant multiple organizations coming together to help homeowners like him find and purchase an affordable home. Through a partnership between USDA Rural Development (RD), Homes… [Read More]
GrantsHome RepairHomeownershipHousing
Town officials conferring with an RD staffer at the wastewater treatment plant site.

Taming an Energy Hog to Support a Growing Community in Elkton

Wastewater treatment is one of those services that most folks only think about when something goes wrong. In Elkton, Va., the quaint brick manholes of this scenic Shenandoah Valley community were covering a simmering issue with the sewer lines below. The treatment plant was… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesGrantsInfrastructureRural DevelopmentWastewaterWater
(L-R) Jessi, Abby, and Mariah, co-owners of Montana RancHers Beef Co., in Hilger, MT

Rural Montana Women Turn 'Side Project' into Profitable Operation

Nestled in the heart of central Montana’s Fergus County sits the town of Hilger, home to the Montana RancHers Beef Co. This woman-owned beef production business, which formed in 2020 during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, is a collaborative three-family operation that… [Read More]
GrantsLocal FoodsValue Added
Loretta 504 Success Story

Repairs Imperative to Keep Independence and Peace of Mind

Like many Wyoming women, Loretta is strong-willed and independent. She takes pride in her ability to do things for herself, and to not rely on others. But when her mobility started to decrease, Loretta’s daughter became concerned for her safety and wellbeing at home. Loretta… [Read More]
GrantsHome Repair
PA Business Installs Solar Panel With REAP Funding

REAP Funding Helps Pennsylvania Business Go Solar

Three Rivers Farm helps bring fresh, locally grown produce to the marketplace in a sustainable way. Nathan Holmes is the owner and founder of the business and knew early on that he wanted to help local farmers while fueling economic development in his community. As a Pittsburgh… [Read More]
Economic DevelopmentElectricGrantsLocal ProduceREAPSolar EnergySustainable/Organic Foods
VAPG sheep

Rural Development grant helps market, grow Kentucky Spring Lamb

The bleating of sheep when they hear the feed bucket can be deafening. “BAAAAA! BAAAAA! BAAAAA! BAAAAA! BAAAAA! BAAAAA!” Like a nearby car horn or a low-flying jet, the sound can stop conversations cold. To a sheep producer, that is the sound of money, and more and more… [Read More]
Economic DevelopmentFood SupplyGrantsValue Added
finnriver coowners photo by james curtis. Three people smiling in front of fermenting equipment and bottles.

Sustainability at the Core

For many, apples are a sweet addition to a balanced diet. For Eric Jorgensen, one of the founders of Finnriver Farm & Cidery, apples are a way of life. Jorgensen and his partners started their small organic fruit and vegetable farm in Chimacum, Washington, on the state’s… [Read More]
EnergyGrantsLocal ProduceMade in Rural AmericaREAPRural DevelopmentSmall BusinessSolar EnergySustainable/Organic FoodsValue Added
Hospital staff assisting patient with mammography screening

Winning in Winner with Advanced Technology

Giving patients the best and most thorough mammography screening experience is so important to a rural community, but the technology doesn’t last forever. That’s exactly what Winner Regional Health experienced when their aging two-dimensional (2D) mammography imaging wasn’t… [Read More]
Community FacilitiesGrantsHealth Care

Additional Success Stories