Agricultural News
USDA Provides More Grant, Loan Funding for Rural Jobs Creation
Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:35:25 CDT
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is one among 112 recipients in 39 states, Washington, DC, and the Western Pacific of loans and grants to help spur rural economic development and create or save jobs
"These awards illustrate the important impact that economic development assistance can have on small towns and rural communities," Vilsack said. "Whether the funding is given directly to individuals or businesses, or indirectly through utilities and other intermediaries, the results are the same: new jobs, stronger economies and more vibrant communities."
The Seminole Nation will receive a $150,000 Rural Business Opportunity Grant to develop tourism activities at the Grisso Mansion and Cultural Events Center.
USDA is providing assistance through several Rural Development programs. In one, the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program, utilities receive zero-interest loans that they pass through to local businesses for projects to create and retain jobs in rural areas. For example, Lawrenceburg Utility Systems in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., has been selected for a $260,000 grant to provide financing to the Twenty-First Century Council of Lawrence County. The council will help the current tenant of an industrial building expand production. For more information about the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program, click here.
Secretary Vilsack also announced today the selection of 35 organizations for Rural Cooperative Development grants to provide technical and business development assistance in rural areas. The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Education and Charitable Foundation, Inc. has been selected for a $175,000 grant to support a business development center for newly formed cooperatives in Colorado. In Dennison, Minn., the Food Co-op Initiative has been selected for a grant, also $175,000, to support a center that will help create businesses and establish new markets for local producers. For more information about the Rural Cooperative Development Grant program, click here.
Kentucky's Center for Agriculture and Rural Development is one of 19 organizations selected nationwide for Rural Development grants to help small and socially disadvantaged farmers. It has been selected for a $107,825 award to provide technical assistance to producers who are interested or already engaged in alternative enterprises such as horticulture, aquaculture or pasture poultry.
Through the Rural Business Opportunity Grant program, Montana's Crow Tribe of Indians has been selected for a $50,000 grant to prepare an economic development plan for the reservation. The plan will focus on developing energy and mining resources.
With today's announcement, USDA is investing more than $20 million to spur economic growth. For a complete list of recipients that have been selected for funding, click here. Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan or grant agreement.
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