Sonny Perdue was sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture on April 25, 2017.

Perdue came by his knowledge of agriculture the old fashioned way: he was born into a farming family in Georgia. From childhood, and through his life in business and elected office, Perdue has experienced the agricultural industry from every possible perspective as a former farmer, agribusinessman, veterinarian, state legislator, and governor of Georgia. Perdue is a strong believer in good government, in that it should operate efficiently and serve the needs of its customers: the people of the United States.

Learn more about Perdue and his confirmation online.

Donald Shephard recently joined USDA Rural Development in Oregon as a Single Family Housing Specialist in the Portland office. He first began working for Rural Development in 2014 as a Multi-Family Housing Area Specialist in Bangor, Maine.

Don came to USDA from the Bureau of Land Management in Portland, Oregon, where he served in the Division of Resource, Use, Planning, and Protection.

Don brings experience as a former loan officer with CTX Mortgage, a direct lender; with Parsons Mortgage Group, a broker; and as a loan officer. During his tenure in the mortgage business, he worked in the Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan area.

Don is also a veteran of the United States Army. He served tours of duty in Tonduchan and Uijeongbu, South Korea. He was then assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington. 

You can contact Don with questions related to USDA’s Single Family Housing programs at (503) 414-3337 or Donald.Shephard@or.usda.gov.

We are pleased to announce that Rachel Reister is now serving as a Single Family Housing Specialist in the Portland office. Rachel has served in a variety of positions during her tenure with USDA Rural Development. Most recently, she worked as a Community Programs Specialist in the Portland office for the past seven years.

If you have questions related to USDA’s Single Family Housing programs, you can contact Rachel at (503) 414-3393 or Rachel.Reister@or.usda.gov. 

The City of Prineville in central Oregon celebrated Earth Day this April with the grand opening of the new Crooked River Wetlands. A component of the city’s wastewater system improvements, the wetlands will utilize the natural environment to gradually reintroduce clean, treated wastewater into the Crooked River, a process that will reduce sediment and maintain the cool water temperatures necessary for salmon and other species.

With assistance from a USDA Rural Development loan of $4 million and a grant of $1 million provided through the Water and Waste Disposal Program, along with funding from state and local partners, the city installed new sewer main lines, upgraded its pump station, and made improvements to the lagoon aeration system. The key feature of this project is the addition of 120 acres of wetlands, which increases the plant’s capacity while eliminating its need to discharge treated wastewater directly into the Crooked River, improving water quality. The wetlands also feature over five miles of new hiking trails, and local school children helped to develop 13 educational kiosks located around the wetlands.

By utilizing the natural environment rather than building a mechanical treatment plant, Prineville is saving $57 million. The Crooked River Wetlands is helping to stabilize future utility rates and support a thriving local economy while also protecting water quality and a healthy watershed for future generations. Learn more online…

Until recently, Gold Beach residents on Oregon’s southern coast were served by an aging, outdated hospital. Constructed in 1951, it began operation providing only acute care services, meaning residents had to travel long distances to receive specialized medical care. The 66-year-old facility could no longer meet patient needs or building codes. In April, the town of Gold Beach, along with Curry Health Network, USDA Rural Development, and partner organizations, celebrated the ribbon cutting for a modern hospital with expanded capacity and improved services.

The local community demonstrated its overwhelming support for a new facility that would provide quality healthcare when residents of the Curry Health District voted in November 2013 to approve a $10 million general obligation bond to fund this project. Curry Health Network provided an additional $521,000. The remaining $20.96 million needed for the construction of the new hospital was provided by USDA Rural Development low-interest loans through its Community Facilities Program.

The new 62,000-square-foot critical care hospital and clinic will provide space for increased services through a variety of medical specialists, including orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons, family physicians, a gynecologist, and a cardiologist. The hospital will also host visiting specialists in oncology; hematology; ophthalmology; ear, nose, and throat medicine; and neurology. The hospital features state-of-the-art medical equipment, including a powerful new CT scanner. With its expanded capacity, Curry General Hospital will provide access to specialized care and meet the medical needs of the more than 22,350 residents within its service district. Learn more online…

The rural community of Crooked River Ranch in central Oregon will have access to safe, affordable, high-quality drinking water for the long term with the completion of substantial infrastructure improvements.

The community’s old water reservoir, which occasionally overflowed onto a local road, was replaced with an elevated 1-million gallon water storage tank. An aging well that had experienced elevated total coliform bacteria readings was also replaced. With a capacity of 1,120 gallons per minute, the new well increased production while ensuring a safe drinking water supply. Other improvements included a new water main and supervisory control system.

The Crooked River Ranch Water Company completed this infrastructure improvement project with the help of $4.9 million in loans and $1.5 million in grants from USDA Rural Development provided through its Water and Waste Disposal Program.

The elevation of the new well and water storage tank has eliminated the need for double pumping while ensuring the system operates at a higher, more consistent pressure. The system now includes redundancies that will allow water service to continue in the event of a maintenance issue, provides more emergency water storage, and allows for additional water treatment measures. Overall, the project will provide reliable, safe drinking water to this rural community of 3,530 people, along with any future residents, for years to come.

USDA Rural Development is inviting applications for the Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program. Funding awarded through this program may be used to construct, improve, or acquire facilities and equipment to provide high-speed broadband to rural areas. 

To be eligible, the applicant must serve an area where at least 15 percent of households are currently unserved. The minimum loan amount is $100,000, and the maximum award amount is $10 million. Under this program, loans and loan guarantees are awarded through a national competition.

Applications may be submitted between September 1 and September 30, 2017. Once an application is formally submitted through the online system RD Apply, USDA will be unable to provide additional assistance; nor can the applicant submit additional supporting information.

To assist with the development of complete applications, USDA is holding a pre-application period during which Rural Development staff will be available to review draft applications and help applicants identify and correct deficiencies before the final applications are formally submitted. The pre-application window will take place from July 1, 2017, through September 22, 2017.

More information is available on page 2309 of the January 9, 2017, Federal Register, and applicants are encouraged to refer to the Rural Broadband Access Application Guide. Questions related to applications for USDA's Rural Broadband Access Program should be directed to Shawn Arner, (202) 720-0800. 

Jake and Paige Hines dreamed about expanding the local foods market in their small, rural town of La Grande in northeastern Oregon. They knew their community wanted the ability to buy locally produced meat, so they planned to open a meat processing plant and retail store. They quickly discovered, however, that access to capital is often limited in rural areas, especially for start-up businesses. It proved difficult for the Hines family to secure the financing they needed to make their vision a reality.

They were eventually able to secure a loan through Old West Federal Credit Union with the help of USDA Rural Development’s Business and Industry Program, which guaranteed 80 percent of the loan, sharing the risk with the lender.

Hines Meat Company opened its doors in June 2016. This locally owned and operated business provides custom meat processing, in-house curing and smoking, on-site slaughter, a full service meat counter, and catering for events. In its first year of operation, the business was able to hire 10 full-time and 6 part-time employees during peak season.

Jake and Paige Hines hope to make their business a staple of the community that will provide an additional, steady market for the region’s livestock producers while making local products more readily accessible for their neighbors. Learn more online…

USDA is recognizing the vital contributions homeowners make to communities across rural America in celebration of National Homeownership Month.

Owning a home not only helps families build long-term financial stability, it also creates jobs, promotes community stability, and stimulates the local economy. Since the National Housing Act was passed 68 years ago, USDA has helped more than 4.1 million low-income rural residents buy their homes.

Throughout June, USDA will celebration National Homeownership Month and recognize the Department’s longstanding commitment to provide affordable housing opportunities for rural Americans. Learn more online…

A single mother of two and a college student, Lacie Tai was renting a home in Roseburg, Oregon, but the house was in rough shape. Rent had already increased twice that year, with a third increase on the way.

With the help of her family, Lacie purchased a small three-bedroom home built in 1946. It was in need of extensive repairs, which she planned to complete herself. However, the home’s needs quickly became more than she could address on her own when the plumbing failed, destroying her bathroom floor, and pooling rainwater began to saturate the exterior walls.

Lacie was beginning to worry that she had made a mistake buying the house when she learned about a program offered by the nonprofit NeighborWorks Umpqua. Funded in part by a USDA Rural Development Mutual Self-help Housing grant, the program provided Lacie with the assistance of professional contractors while enabling her to save money on the repairs by performing much of the work herself. Lacie was able to install a new roof, complete significant structural repairs, replace the bathroom plumbing and flooring, install a ductless heat pump, replace the HVAC, and install new siding.

Lacie now owns a home that is safe and protected from the elements, a home where nobody can raise her rent. The sweat equity she put into this house, and the skills she gained in the process, will help make her a successful homeowner who no longer has to worry about how the fluctuating rental market will affect her family. Learn more online…

Farmworkers in the Silverton area now have access to additional affordable housing. Earlier this month, the community celebrated the grand opening of Colonia Jardines, a new apartment complex that will provide affordable rental housing for farm laborers and their families.

Colonia Jardines can accommodate 20 families, and the complex will foster a community environment with a meeting space and outdoor playground. It was built by the nonprofit Farmworker Housing Development Corporation with assistance from a USDA Rural Development loan of $1 million and a grant of $2 million provided through the Farm Labor Housing Program, with additional financing provided by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) and Community And Shelter Assistance Corporation (CASA) of Oregon. In addition, Rural Development is providing rental assistance to 19 families at this apartment complex, ensuring their rent payments do not exceed 30 percent of their income.

Colonia Jardines has been certified as a LEED Platinum building, the highest sustainability rating available. Constructed using eco-friendly strategies, the apartment complex’s sustainable features include the use of locally-sourced materials and the installation of drought-tolerant landscaping. At least half of all construction waste was recycled. The non-toxic materials used in construction, along with the hard flooring in the units, will improve air quality and reduce allergens. Additionally, the two- and three-bedroom apartments feature Energy Star-rated appliances, high efficiency water fixtures, and energy-efficient water heating and HVAC systems. These sustainable features will reduce energy use, helping to protect the environment and save the residents money on their utility bills.

These apartments will guarantee more hardworking farm laborers have a safe, comfortable place they can call home while the rental assistance will help prevent difficult decisions between paying for food, rent, and other necessities for their families. 

You can now find detailed data on USDA-financed apartment complexes in Oregon and across the country using a new web-based tool.
 
Launched in 2016, the USDA Multi-Family Housing Property Preservation Tool allows you to learn about the distribution of USDA affordable apartment complexes nationally or at a state level. Additionally, those involved in efforts to preserve affordable rural rental housing can better track properties scheduled to exit USDA’s Multi-Family Housing programs when their loans mature.