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

Search Results: 19 Stories
The Gerritsen family of Wood Prairie farm is shown gathered around potato sorting equipment.

Iconic Maine Farm Returns to its Roots with REAP

Wood Prairie Family Farm (WPFF) is in the far northern town of Bridgewater, Maine, near the Canadian border. The farm is best known for its certified organic table potatoes and Maine certified seed potatoes (sold locally, online, and from a… [Read More]
Maine
Food SupplyKnow Your FarmerLocal ProduceRenewable Energy
Jim Pitreau stands at the base of Green Thumb Farms' new grain dryer.

High Efficiency Grain Dryer Proves Transformational for Green Thumb Farms

Soil Health, Bottom Line, and Maine Livestock All Benefit from REAP GrantGreen Thumb Farms is a familiar name to many Mainers. The farm’s “Cold River Gold” potatoes are found in abundance in New England supermarkets each fall and winter.  The family-owned farm in the… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessEnergyFood SupplyKnow Your FarmerREAP
Redhead Creamery remains a popular attraction in Brooten due to its cheese shop and added bar and restaurant area.

From Cheesemaking to Distilling Spirits: USDA Loan Helps Minnesota Creamery Venture Into New Industry

Nestled in the countryside of Brooten, Minnesota, Redhead Creamery stands as a beacon of innovation and community spirit. What was once a traditional dairy farm has expanded into a family-operated business widely recognized as a vibrant hub for artisan cheese and distilled… [Read More]
Minnesota
Food SupplyValue Added
Officials gather for the grand opening of Central Lakes College's new mobile meat processing facility.

Central Lakes College Facility Addresses Increased Demand for Meat Processing

In recent years, the need to train meat cutters and butchers has increased across the nation. Despite already having a robust butchery program, Central Lakes College (CLC) is taking further action to address this demand. The college’s campus in Staples recently held a grand… [Read More]
Minnesota
Community CollegesFood Supply
A man stands against a porch railing with a long wood shed behind him. The roof of the shed is covered with solar panels. There is fall foliage in the background.

Marsh River Co-op Finds "the Easiest Way to Reduce Overhead Costs"

The Waldo County town of Brooks is located about half an hour from Belfast on the Penobscot Bay. It is a rural community with a population of about 1000 people. The store is located right downtown in a property that was recently donated… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessCooperativesEnergyFood SupplyLocal FoodsLocal ProduceREAPSmall BusinessSolar Energy
Four men stand in front of a fertilizer production plant under construction in Montana.

More Fertilizer, Better Service, Less Carbon!

Since 1997 Town & Country Supply Association merged with two other cooperatives to provide high quality fertilizer products and on-site services at competitive prices to Montana’s farmers and ranchers. The rural community of Lockwood, Montana, is home to Town & Country’s… [Read More]
Montana
Fertilizer Production Expansion ProgramFood Supply
Two farmers pose with sheep inside a barn with hay on the floor and an open door in the background.

Maine Farm Uses REAP to Help Diversify Farm and Serve a Heritage Industry

Elizabeth Goundie and Josh Emerman are the co-founders of Moorit Hill Farm and Fiber in Troy, Maine. They came to Central Maine by a circuitous route, purchasing the property in 2017. Just seven years later, the young farmers are not only tending more than 70 sheep but also… [Read More]
Maine
Food SupplyKnow Your FarmerLocal FoodsREAPSmall BusinessSolar Energy
Molly and Everett pose with dog Cricket in front of their barn with the solar panels on the roof.

REAP Helps Nettie Fox Farm Step Away from Fossil Fuels

Nestled in the gently rolling hills of Newburgh, Maine, Nettie Fox Farm produces certified organic vegetables. Molly Crouse founded the farm in 2009. In 2013 her partner, Everett Ottinger, joined her in operating the 33-acre spread. They began steadily increasing the… [Read More]
Maine
ElectricFood SupplyKnow Your FarmerLocal FoodsLocal ProduceRCDIREAPRenewable EnergySolar Energy
A photo of a man and a woman holding packages of cheese and smiling is inset against a photo of a long driveway bordered by trees and fields with a "cattle crossing" sign on the right side.

VAPG Provides a Buffer for a Maine Organic Creamery

Co-owners of Balfour Farm in Pittsfield, Heather and Doug Donahue have adapted to many changes as dairy farmers. First, they switched careers and began farming in 2004. They learned about farming and experimented with different breeds. Next came a move a move from New York to… [Read More]
Maine
BusinessCOREEntrepreneurFood SupplyLocal FoodsREAPRenewable EnergyValue Added
God's Pantry Food Bank Mobile Pantry Program

Rural health care grant helps God’s Pantry Food Bank expand food delivery program

Food insecurity in rural Kentucky, depending on who you ask, is somewhere around 15 percent. That means about one out of every six households does not have access to affordable nutritious food, putting them at increased risk for conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease,… [Read More]
Kentucky
Food SupplyHealth Care

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