rural development
Perdue says he’ll put a ‘go-to person’ in charge of rural development
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told lawmakers he wants an active hand in rural economic development — an element of his reorganization of USDA — but he'll put "a go-to person" in charge of running the programs. "That person will be Senate confirmed in that area," as an assistant secretary, said Perdue; a post that small-farm advocates say will be inferior to the undersecretary now in charge.
Farm groups oppose end to USDA’s rural development office
Fearing the demotion of rural economic concerns and harm to their communities, rural and farm groups urged leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to oppose the USDA’s plan to eliminate the Office of Under Secretary for Rural Development.
Huzzahs for new USDA trade office, qualms about stewardship and rural development
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue unveiled a USDA reorganization that would take effect in mid-June, highlighted by creation of a high-level office to promote U.S. farm exports, with President Trump's call for a smaller and more efficient government still on the docket. Small-farm advocates said rural economic development was downgraded by Perdue's package "in favor of boosting international trade."
Plan for a smaller workforce, White House tells federal agencies
The White House told federal agencies to prepare to scale down employee numbers over the next four years in line with President Trump's proposal — expressed without much detail in mid-March — to slash discretionary spending, including a 21 percent cut at USDA. Budget director Mick Mulvaney said the reductions, part of a government reorganization, were "how you drain the swamp" — a catch phrase from last fall's presidential campaign.
Rural education rates rise, but college gap with cities widens
Increasingly, rural Americans are better educated than a decade or two ago, with more people attending college and fewer people without a high school diploma. Even with a hefty increase in the portion of rural women with a college degree, urban America is moving farther ahead in the overall share of adults with a college degree, says a USDA report.
High tech and biotech say they’re the route to rural development
Rural America, home to 15 percent of the U.S. population, "is still feeling the effects of the Great Recession" in the form of slow growth in wages and slow economic growth overall, a Minnesota official told a House Agriculture subcommittee. Rural electric and telecommunications groups, joined by the biotechnology industry, said their industries represent the path to rural growth, with the help of seed money in the 2018 farm bill.
Kansas governor to become U.S. ambassador for food and ag
Second-term Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will be named U.S. ambassador to UN agencies on food and agriculture in Rome, says Kansas Public Radio, based on information from "a former high-ranking government official." There was no immediate comment from the governor's office and KPR quoted an unnamed source as saying the appointment was "a done deal."
Former USDA official Tonsager is new Farm Credit chief
Dallas Tonsager, the undersecretary in charge of USDA rural development programs during President Obama's first term, was appointed chairman of the Farm Credit Administration for a term that expires in May 2020. Tonsager has been a member of the FCA board since March 2013.
USDA releases $401 million to fight rural poverty
At Berea College in eastern Kentucky, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 26 community development organizations will be able to draw on $401 million in funding to reduce rural poverty through building or improving essential facilities and services such as education and health care.
USDA helps veterinarians pay off school debts
In exchange for working in rural areas with a shortage of veterinarians to treat food animals, 48 veterinarians will share in $4.3 million to retire part of their veterinary college loans, said USDA. The awards, made through a loan repayment program, will bring additional veterinarians to 27 states.
Opportunity Project creates digital tool to ‘FindYour(rural).Town’
The Opportunity Project released 29 digital tools to help communities grow, including one, "FindYour.Town," intended to help rural communities attract investment and spur economic growth, said the White House. The project was launched in March so non-profits, companies and other non-governmental groups could create digital tools that dig into federal databases to benefit communities.
Rural electric cooperatives get $3.6 billion for upgrades
The USDA's Rural Utilities Service, a descendant of the New Deal agency that helped bring electricity to rural areas, awarded $3.6 billion in loans to 82 rural electric projects in 31 states. The money will build or improve 12,500 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and includes $216 million for "smart gird" technology to boost the reliability and efficiency of service.
Vilsack urges governors to invest in rural areas
During a panel discussion at the summer meeting of the National Governors Association, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged state governments to alter the "extraction economy" of sending goods and people to the city, said the Des Moines Register. One step to bolster rural areas, Vilsack said, would be for governors to work with schools and large institutions to buy food locally.
Four years of decline in rural population may be ending
The latest Census Bureau estimates of people living in each county raise the possibility that four years of modest population loss in rural America may be ending, says the USDA. "The 2014-15 improvement in non-metro population change coincides with rural economic recovery and suggests that this first-ever period of overall population decline, from 2010 to 2015, may be ending," says Amber Waves, a USDA publication.
Income inequality is the major cause of higher rural child poverty
The child-poverty rate in rural America was 26.7 percent in 2012, the highest rate in more than four decades, according to Census Bureau data. An analysis by the USDA's Economic Research Service says income inequality was the primary reason for the increase, far outweighing the effect of the overall decline in rural family income due to the recession of 2007-09.
Big buyer plans long presence as farmland owner
Chief executive Paul Pittman of Farmland Partners says his company's purchase last week of 120 farms in Illinois with a combined 22,300 acres is part of an expansion drive. "We think we can keep growing very substantially and target doubling in acreage and value every year," Pittman told DTN.
Energy-saving projects get $173 million from USDA
The Agriculture Department said it will award $102 million in loan guarantees and $71 million in grants for 1,114 small rural businesses and agricultural producers to install renewable energy systems or improve energy efficiency in their operations.
USDA to co-chair Broadband Opportunity Council
President Obama signed a presidential memorandum creating a Broadband Opportunity Council, co-chaired by the secretaries of agriculture and commerce, that will expand the availability of high-speed Internet access.