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June 30, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced the award of over $21 million to 18 states to foster business and community development in rural areas.
Full Story / Recipients List
June 20, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr announced the selection of Allan R. Johnson as Director of Legislative and Public Affairs for Rural Development.
Full Story
June 20, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr will give remarks and join State Director Marlene Elliott to assist a local family in building their new home financed by USDA Rural Development.
Full Story
June is National Homeownership Month 2003
Rural Development Under Secretary Thomas Dorr (pictured, right -- click photo to enlarge) joined Maryland State Director Marlene Elliott to help a local family building their new home, which was financed by Rural Development.
June 16, 2003 -- At Rural Development's recent National Rural Housing Summit, Agriculture Secretary Veneman, right, and Housing Secretary Martinez, left (click photo to enlarge), agreed on a cooperative effort to improve housing and economic conditions in the Southwest border region of the United States.
Full Story / en Español / Transcript
Photos from the National Rural Housing Summit
June 16, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr, left, and FDIC Chairman Donald Powell, right (click photo to enlarge), established a working relationship. Under their agreement, FDIC will help train USDA employees to deliver a course called "Money Smart" to housing applicants. Money Smart helps adults outside the financial mainstream enhance their money-handling skills, create positive banking relationships and ultimately achieve homeownership.
June 16, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Veneman and Housing Secretary Martinez signed an agreement establishing a cooperative effort to improve housing and economic conditions in the Southwest border region of the United States.
Full Story
June 16, 2003: National Rural Housing Summit (PDF file)
June 13, 2003 -- Rural Development employees' service to rural America was recognized by Secretary Veneman during her 2003 Honor Awards Ceremony. (Click the picture for an enlarged view.)
Award recipients include Brian Barton and the Pay.Gov Development Team; Edwin Causey and Area Office Eight in Kinston, North Carolina; Joseph Walden and the Georgia Single Family Housing Development Group; Bill Hagy of Business Programs; Richard Burke and the Massachusetts staff; Michael Bosak of Syracuse, New York; Rita Medina of Davis, California; Sally Price and the Kauai Loan Project Team; Larry Crowder; Christine Burgess; and John Rosso and Blaine Stockton of the USDA Farm Bill Working Group.
June 11, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr (pictured, left) speaks with representatives from 1890 institutions on the importance of fostering economic growth in underserved communities through cooperative efforts between Rural Development and 1890 institutions.
Funding Announcement for 1890s Institutions
June 6, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced the selection of nine loan and grant recipients in Kansas that will receive $2.8 million in business development funds to support economic development in rural Kansas communities.
Full Story
June 4, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced the selection of 97 loan and grant recipients in 24 states that will receive $20.1 million in rural business development funds, including $1.6 million to support economic development in Native American and Native Alaskan communities.
Full Story / Recipients List
May 30, 2003 -- As part of Rural Development's celebration of homeownership month, Under Secretary Dorr joined Congressman Steve Pearce and state and local housing officials at the home of the Luis Garcia family to welcome them and present keys to their new home financed by Rural Development (click photo to enlarge).
Full Story
Pictured L to R: Congressman Pearce; 11-year-old Luis Garcia Jr.; Mr. Luis Garcia Sr.; 8-year-old Laura Garcia and Guadalupe Garcia; Under Secretary Dorr.
May 30, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr joined Congressman Steve Pearce and state and local housing officials at the home of the Luis Garcia family to welcome them and present keys to their new home financed by USDA Rural Development.
Full Story
May 29, 2003 -- U.S. Senator Bob Bennett recently held a Rural Utah Business Technology Conference in St. George, Utah, where Rural Development Under Secretary Dorr joined him to present checks totaling $1.3 million to two Utah businesses. The funds will help the companies provide broadband services in rural areas of the state.
Full Story
Pictured L to R: Under Secretary Dorr; Nissa Lamb, Sales and Marketing, Uintah Basin Telecommunications Association, Inc.; Senator Bennett; Eddy Cox, Vice President, Skyline Telecom, Inc.; Steven Clark, Marketing Director, Skyline Telecom, Inc.; John R. Cox, Utah Rural Development State Director; Bruce Todd, Manager, Uintah Basin Telecommunications Association, Inc.
May 29, 2003 -- During a joint check presentation with U.S. Senator Bob Bennett, Under Secretary Dorr said access to rural broadband technology is a key component to economic vitality in rural areas. Dorr and Senator Bennett presented checks for $1.3 million to two Utah businesses that have committed to developing rural broadband services in Utah.
Full Story
May 20, 2003 -- Rural Development announced the
availability of a $300,000 value-added research grant for which eligible universities may apply.
Grant Announcement
May 19, 2003 -- 
New Program: Under Secretary Dorr announced that the deadline for applying for grants under the new Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements program has been extended from June 6 to June 27, 2003.
Full Story / Technical Resources
Federal Register Notice: TEXT / PDF
May 17, 2003: Briefing on the 2002 Farm Bill
May 16, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced selection of the first broadband community grants to be awarded by USDA. The grants total $20 million with over $8.2 million benefiting 13 Native American and Native Alaskan communities.
Full Story / Grant Recipients List
May 14, 2003 -- Rural Development's Business Programs announced the
availability of about $6.5 million in Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) funds, and about $1.5 million in cooperative agreement funds for 1890 Land Grant Institutions.
RCDG Announcement / 1890 Institutions Announcement
May 13, 2003 -- May 13th was the first anniversary of the signing of the 2002 Farm Bill by President Bush.
Rural Development's Farm Bill Activities
May 2003: National Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Rural Cooperatives
Magazine
April 25, 2003 -- The Department of Agriculture appointed Dale A. Sherwin as the Rural Development Michigan State Director.
Full Story
April 24, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr recently joined Montana Senator Conrad Burns at a groundbreaking for a self-help housing project in Kalispell, Montana that will provide homes to 16 families.
Lean More About Self-Help Housing
Pictured L to R: Under Secretary Dorr, family participating in the project, Senator Burns, Rural Development Montana State Director Tim Ryan.
April 22, 2003 -- Earth Day 2003
Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced the selection of 45 rural water and wastewater projects in 29 states to receive more than $105 million in funding that will help rural communities address health and environmental issues and promote business development.
Full StoryProjects List
More Coverage of Rural Development's
Earth Day 2003 Events
Rural Development in Utah recently held a Self Help Housing event in Payson, Utah, to celebrate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding where the Utah Housing Corporation and Fannie Mae will partner to fund the Rural Utah Self-Built Homes (Utilities Programs) Program with Rural Development's Self Help Housing Program, to increase funding in the State. Gilbert Gonzalez,
Deputy Under Secretary, and Arthur Garcia, Administrator of Rural Development's Housing Programs, joined the event.
Full Story
Pictured L to R, front row: Michael T. Hernandez, Fannie Mae Vice President; Self Help participant Rylee Reid and 2 daughters; Gilbert Gonzalez, Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary; Fremont Woodward, Construction Supervisor. Back row: Jeffrey Bennion, Utah Fannie Mae Director; Arthur Garcia, Administrator of Rural Development's Housing Programs; John Cox, Rural Development Utah State Director; Brad Bishop, Director, Rural Housing Development Corporation; Bernell Evans, Payson City Mayor.
April 22, 2003: Earth Day.
Rural Development is hosting Earth Day events across the country. Contact your State Office for event information and see President Bush's related Year of Clean Water proclamation. Government-wide activities are listed at EarthDay.gov.
April 16, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced $6.5 million in loans and grants to help business, community services and water and waste water infrastructure needs throughout rural Tennessee during a roundtable with area farmers.
Full Story
April 14, 2003 -- Under Secretary Thomas Dorr addresses members of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) during their recent Washington Policy Conference.
April 9, 2003 -- Suzanne Hansen (seated left), President of Colson Services Corporation, and John Rosso (seated right), Administrator for Rural Development's Business Programs, sign an agreement that will provide a new lending tool to rural lenders. Nicholas Scarabino (standing), Senior Vice President of JP Morgan Chase Bank, attended the signing.
Full Story
April 9, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr announced that Rural Development has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with Colson Services Corporation, a subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase Bank. The agreement will provide greater opportunity for rural lenders to participate in Rural Development's Business and Industry (B&I) guaranteed loan program.
Full Story
April 8, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Veneman announced the availability of about $44 million in grants that will support President Bush's energy plan to develop renewable energy and expand the economic and environmental prospects of biomass.
Full Story / 2002 Farm Bill Renewable Energy Site
Federal Register Notice: TEXT / PDF
April 7, 2003 -- Under Secretary Dorr attended the North American Agriculture Journalists Forum in Washington, DC where he discussed Rural Development's priorities.
Mr. Dorr's Remarks (PDF file)
April 3, 2003 -- Deputy Under Secretary Gilbert G. Gonzalez recently participated in a conference in Tennessee that focused on housing issues and challenges faced by the Hispanic community.
Pictured, L to R: Back row - Ralph Perrey, Director of the Tennessee Office, Fannie Mae; Jose Gonzalez, Co-Founder of Conexion Americas, a non-profit organization seeking to promote the economic and social integration of
Hispanic Families in the middle Tennessee area; David Weed, Field Representative for U.S. Senator Bill Frist; and Gilbert Gonzalez, Deputy Under Secretary, Rural Development. Front row - Janice Myrick, Executive Director, Tennessee Housing Development
Agency; Mary (Ruth) Tackett, Tennessee State Director, Rural Development; Jessica LeVeen, Community Investment Advisor, Federal
Reserve Bank; and Anne Locke, Field Representative for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander.
* PDF files require the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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