NSAC Archives for the 'Rural Development' Category
USDA Taking Rural Business Opportunity Grant Applications
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
USDA has issued a notice that the Rural Development Agency is taking applications for Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG). RBOG funds feasibility studies, strategic planning, leadership training and other services and activities that can foster the creation of businesses and jobs in rural areas. Eligible applicants include public entities, non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, Read the Rest…
Farmers and Ranchers Awarded Value-Added Grants for New Markets and Products
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
On May 1, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) awards to over 110 agricultural producers. The grant awards totaled nearly $16.8 million. The funding came from the $14 million appropriation for VAPG in the FY 2012 Appropriations Bill as well as $2.8 million from earlier years. The Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) Read the Rest…
For Immediate Release: Grants for Farm and Rural Business Development Announced
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
For Immediate Release May 2, 2013 Contact: Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Grants for Farm and Rural Business Development Announced Washington, D.C., May 2, 2013 – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that over 110 agricultural producers from 43 states will receive nearly $16.8 million in grants from the 2012 round of the Value-Added Producer Grants program. Read the Rest…
House Subcommittee Debates 2014 Farm and Food Funding
Friday, April 26th, 2013
Over the last two weeks, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a series of hearings to examine the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s and the Food and Drug Administration’s budget requests for fiscal year (FY) 2014. We previously posted about the first Subcommittee hearing of the year, which featured Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and the second Read the Rest…
President’s 2014 Budget: Overview and Department of Agriculture
Thursday, April 11th, 2013
On Wednesday, April 10, President Obama released his budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. In this year’s ongoing budget saga, the White House is billing its proposal as a step towards reaching a “grand bargain” with Republicans over taxes and spending. (For more on the “grand bargain,” see a previous blog post.) Over ten weeks Read the Rest…
Rural Development Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2012
Thursday, January 10th, 2013
On January 9, USDA released their Rural Development Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2012. The report highlights success stories from USDA Rural Development’s active portfolio, including the following rural business development programs: $1 billion in Business and Industry loan guarantees $25.5 million in Rural Business Enterprise Grants $50.3 million in Rural Economic Development loans and Read the Rest…
Stories from the Field: Boosting the Economy in Rural Nebraska
Thursday, November 8th, 2012
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without funding. This post is part of our 10-week blog series that features both Read the Rest…
What’s at Stake: Rural Economic Development
Tuesday, November 6th, 2012
Due to Congressional inaction, the 2008 Farm Bill has expired without a new bill or extension to take its place. In the absence of a farm bill, numerous innovative programs that invest in sustainable agriculture systems are shut down and left without mandatory funding. This is the sixth post in our 10-week “What’s at Stake?” Read the Rest…
Farm Energy: USDA Announces $16 Million in Rural Energy Grants
Friday, October 19th, 2012
On Friday, October 19, USDA announced that it is awarding $16 million in grant and loan awards in FY 2012 through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The award will fund 244 projects aimed at helping farmers, ranchers, and small businesses conserve energy and produce renewable energy. In August of this year, USDA awarded Read the Rest…
Investing in Food Hubs and Rural Coops: 2012 RBOG and RCDG Awards Announced
Wednesday, October 17th, 2012
On Wednesday, October 17, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the recipients of USDA’s 2012 Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) and Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG). Both of these programs seek to spur growth and create jobs in rural communities. Out of the 42 total RBOG projects funded, five projects address agricultural and food system development: Read the Rest…
