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Welcome to the quarterly newsletter of USDA Rural Development in Oregon. Here, you will find updates on funding opportunities and program activities through Business, Cooperative, Energy, Electric, Telecommunications, Water and Environmental, Community Facilities, Multi-Family Housing, and Single Family Housing programs.
This is a difficult time across the country and for the rural communities we serve. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, we are committed to being a strong partner to rural communities and all the people who call them home as we grapple with the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
We have taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses, and communities affected by COVID-19. You can always find the latest information on our additional funding opportunities, loan payment assistance, application deadline extensions, and other special measures at www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus.
While Oregon Rural Development staff are working remotely, we remain dedicated to the timely delivery of our programs. I have been quite impressed with the way Oregon’s rural communities are working together and truly stepping up to help each other through this time.
USDA Rural Development is here to help, and with our more than 50 programs, we can create prosperity in rural communities together. I believe that our programs truly make the difference for rural Oregon, and when we work together, America prospers.
Please stay safe and healthy, we will get through this.
John E. Huffman
Oregon State Director
Through our new COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide, USDA provides information on Federal programs that can assist rural communities, organizations, and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This one-stop-shop of Federal programs is a first-of-its-kind resource for rural leaders looking for funding and partnership opportunities to help address the pandemic.
During these difficult times, USDA Rural Development has expanded its deferral and forbearance flexibilities for customers who are experiencing financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 pandemic. The details vary by program.
- Moratorium assistance for up to 180 days, which can be extended for up to two years, is available for Single Family Housing Direct Loan borrowers.
- Lenders will approve forbearance through October 30, 2020, for a period of up to 180 days, on Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loans. The forbearance may be extended for an additional 180 days with no accrual of extra fees, penalties, or interest. Upon completion of the forbearance, the lender will offer the borrower a written re-payment plan to resolve any amount due or extend the loan term for a period that is at least the length of the forbearance.
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Multi-Family Housing Program borrowers may request deferrals, without any additional interest or late fees, for up to 90 days. If the loan payment is normally offset against the Rental Assistance payment, the borrower will receive the full Rental Assistance payment without the mortgage payment deducted. During the deferral period, owners and management agents must not evict tenants for nonpayment of rent. First-time requests will be accepted as long as the National Emergency declaration is in place or through December 31, 2020.
- Forbearance for the Multi-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program will be tailored to address each borrower’s financial hardship. Any additional interest charged will be negotiated between the lender and borrower but should be no higher than the note interest rate. The lender may then enter into a repayment plan with the borrower.
- Borrowers of the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program and Water and Waste Disposal Program may apply through September 30, 2020, for principal and interest payment deferrals for up to one year.
- Guaranteed lenders may offer 180-day loan payment deferrals without prior agency approval for Business and Industry Program and Rural Energy for America Program loan guarantees until September 30, 2020.
- Lenders participating in the Intermediary Relending Program, Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, and Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program may approve loan payment deferrals for their borrowers without USDA approval. USDA will also work with intermediary lenders on loan servicing requests on a case-by-case basis to make sure they remain pillars of business finance in our rural communities.
For more information, visit our Immediate Actions factsheet online…
USDA Rural Development put in place a foreclosure and eviction moratorium. While the mortarium for Multi-Family Housing properties expired on July 25 and the moratorium for Single Family Housing home loans is currently set to expire on August 31, 2020, Rural Development will adhere to Oregon’s foreclosure and eviction moratorium, which is in effect statewide through September 30.
Under House Bill 4213, lenders may not initiate foreclosures against homeowners, and landlords may not evict tenants. Additionally, nonpayment balances may not be reported as delinquent to consumer credit reporting agencies, and late fees may not be charged. Renters will have until March 31, 2021 to pay back their outstanding nonpayment balances.
USDA Rural Development is pleased to announce that Mandie Cole has been selected as the new Business and Cooperative Program Director in Oregon, following the promotion of former Program Director Rachel Reister to a position in Rural Development's National Office.
Mandie has worked for Rural Development for almost 10 years. She has a diverse background gained from working in every program offered by Rural Development over her career. She began working for the agency as a Single Family Housing Technician. For the past seven years, she has served as a Business and Cooperative Programs Specialist.
She began her federal career with the USDA Farm Service Agency at the age of 19. This position gave Mandie experience in guaranteed and direct lending and helped her discover a love for working both with numbers and rural communities.
Mandie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with an option in Accounting from Oregon State University. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors as much as possible with her husband and three kids.
You can reach Mandie at (541) 378-3538 or mandie.cole@usda.gov.
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As the coronavirus pandemic took hold in Oregon, the hospitality industry became one of many sectors suddenly struggling to survive. The Best Western Astoria Bayfront Hotel on the Oregon coast lost 95 percent of its business as the state’s stay-at-home order and then the mayor’s shutdown order went into effect. It was a devastating blow for a seasonal business that only earns a profit during the summer.
Unlike many hotels in the area, the Best Western made the decision to remain open. It offered lodging to essential workers, including nurses who arrived in anticipation of additional needs at the local hospital, Life Flight pilots, and construction workers. However, those guests accounted for only a small percentage of the hotel’s usual business.
The Best Western Astoria applied for and received a working capital loan from Live Oak Bank that was guaranteed by USDA’s new Business and Industry CARES Act Program.
“USDA’s loan guarantee allows lenders to offer reasonable rates in a time when capital is very much in need,” said Holly Walker with Live Oak Bank. “We recognize the incredible work USDA is doing to finance business owners in these unprecedented times.”
The loan will bridge the gap until next summer, when the hotel can again earn a profit. By remaining open despite significantly reduced business, the hotel continues to provide fully paid positions for all 25 of its employees, an invaluable asset in this rural town amid the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Read the full story online…
USDA Rural Development is seeking your input to help launch a new program that will create high-wage jobs in rural communities and strengthen regional economies.
Under the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Program, USDA intends to make grants available to help rural communities and regional stakeholders establish job accelerators and innovation centers to support the rural workforce. The innovation centers created through this program will improve the ability of distressed rural communities to create high-wage jobs and accelerate the formation of new businesses with high growth potential. They will also help rural communities identify and maximize local assets and connect to regional opportunities, networks, and industry clusters.
Rural Development is seeking input from the public on a final rule to establish the RISE Program, which will be published this fall. Written comments on the RISE Program application requirements and project priorities may be submitted online at www.regulations.gov through September 4, 2020.
USDA offers a variety of farm financing, risk management, disaster assistance, and conservation programs to support agricultural producers, including beginning farmers and ranchers. Additionally, a number of these programs have provisions specifically for beginning farmers and ranchers, including targeted funding for loan, grant, and conservation programs, as well as waivers and exemptions.
To institutionalize support for beginning farmers and ranchers, USDA is launching a national coordinator and state-level coordinator positions for four agencies: the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Rural Development.
In Oregon, this new team will be led by Kathy Ferge, Tribal Liaison and Outreach Coordinator for NRCS. Ferge's team includes:
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Donna Sprenkle, Farm Loan Manager with FSA in Tangent, OR;
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Cara McNab, Regional Deputy Director with RMA in Spokane, WA; and
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Erika Moellmer, Business and Cooperative Programs Specialist with Rural Development in Portland, OR.
These new coordinators will be available to assist members of the public who need help navigating the variety of resources USDA has to offer. Learn more…
USDA Rural Development is making available up to $1 billion in loan guarantees nationwide to help rural businesses meet their working capital needs during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Business and Industry (B&I) Program increases access to capital for rural businesses by guaranteeing loans made by private lenders. Loans receiving a guarantee under provisions that were included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act must be used as working capital to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Business and Industry CARES Act Program allows USDA to:
- Provide 90 percent guarantees;
- Set the application and guarantee fee at two percent of the loan;
- Accept appraisals completed within two years of the loan application date;
- Not require discounting of collateral for working capital loans;
- Extend the maximum term for working capital loans to 10 years; and
- Expand eligibility to certain agricultural producers.
Applications will be accepted through September 15, 2021, or until funds are expended.
Learn more…
The Mitchell family was living on top of each other in their cramped Tillamook apartment. The exposed wiring in the second bedroom forced them to share the master with their two young children. But home prices had shot up and were out of reach.
Tillamook County Habitat for Humanity had purchased a house in need of repairs and was looking for a buyer. They applied and were selected. Through a new partnership with USDA Rural Development, a Single Family Housing Program home loan made the mortgage affordable with a low interest rate and no down payment requirement.
Over the next eight months, on nights and weekends, the Mitchells contributed 500 hours of their own sweat equity to complete the repairs.
They now live in a house with a bedroom for each of their children. They already have equity because the home was appraised at a higher value than they paid for it. And the purchase of the house provided Tillamook County Habitat for Humanity with the most cash on hand in its history, enabling it to double the number of families it serves.
The Mitchells are especially grateful to have their own home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We finally have a safe place for our family just when things feel very unsafe outside of the home,” said LeeAnne. “It’s my everything. It’s my hopes, my dreams, my mental and physical wellbeing, my comfort. We plan to stay here for life.”
Read the full story online…
USDA Rural Development has taken steps to help rural residents access our homeownership financing during the unusual circumstances created by the pandemic.
We have waived or relaxed certain parts of the application process for Single Family Housing Direct Loans, including site assessments. We have also extended the time period that certificates of eligibility are valid.
USDA mortgage holders who are experiencing reductions of income can request a Payment Assistance Package to determine if they’re eligible for assistance with their mortgage payments.
Additionally, exceptions to appraisal, repair inspection, income verification, and employment verification requirements for Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loans are in effect through August 31, 2020.
Learn more…
To continue to meet the increasing demand for safe, affordable rural rental housing, USDA Rural Development is reorganizing its Multi-Family Housing Programs into an integrated model with specialized teams.
In the new model, all Multi-Family Housing staff will be aligned under one of three integrated divisions:
- The Field Operations Division will deliver routine servicing through regional teams.
- The Production and Preservation Division will process, underwrite, and close all Multi-Family Housing direct, preservation, and guaranteed loan transactions.
- The Asset Management Division, through regional teams, will oversee portfolio health.
The transition to this integrated model will occur in two waves. The first wave, including USDA’s National Office and the Northeastern region, took effect in July. The second wave will include the remaining states in the Southern, Midwestern, and Western regions and is scheduled to launch on October 13, 2020.
This integration will allow USDA to establish streamlined business processes, provide consistent and predictable work for staff, and improve customer service for our Multi-Family Housing Programs.
 USDA Rural Development is taking several additional steps to help owners, management agents, and tenants of USDA-financed apartments maintain quality housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
USDA encourages all apartment owners to work with impacted residents to adjust rent payments, enter into forbearance agreements, and lessen the impact on affected tenants.
For tenants receiving Rental Assistance, an interim recertification should be completed as quickly as possible for any change in monthly income. Tenants may need to complete more than one recertification if they experience additional changes to their income. We encourage agents to accept information by phone or email, and to make accommodations when income changes can’t be verified due to business closures.
We have also suspended the verification of living expenses for zero-income recertifications. Rent for tenants who have been furloughed or laid off due to COVID-19 should be calculated based on their current income instead of annualized.
Finally, if property owners are temporarily unable to make loan payments, Rural Development may waive late fees and enter into official workout plans.
 Access to food for those currently without work or with reduced income is especially important right now. On the Oregon coast, the nonprofit Florence Food Share helps ensure that seniors, people with disabilities, those who are unemployed, and low-income families have enough to eat. The nonprofit relies on donations from a wide array of organizations, but the cost of repairs and improvements to its facilities sometimes exceed what the pantry can afford. “USDA grants have helped our agency serve this small coastal community over the years,” said Colin Morgan, Operations Manager.
The nonprofit knew that in the event of a power outage, low-income families would have an even greater need for food assistance, and yet it did not have the means to protect its perishable foods. A Community Facilities grant from USDA enabled Florence Food Share to install a generator that will keep its refrigerators and freezers running, even during a storm.
The following year, the food pantry needed to replace its roof and was losing crops to deer and wind damage in its garden, which provides 10,000 pounds of fresh produce each year. Once again, the nonprofit applied to Rural Development and received a grant that made it possible to install a new roof and add a fence around the garden.
The food pantry also switched to a ductless heat pump with help from USDA. The energy-efficient heating and cooling system is reducing the nonprofit’s monthly utility bill, providing savings it can use to feed more people in need.
“The bottom line,” said Morgan, “is that USDA has been a great partner.” With the repairs and improvements to its facilities, Florence Food Share will be able to do even more to alleviate hunger in its 270-square-mile rural service area. Read the full story online…
 The rural community of Parkdale in the upper Hood River Valley recently completed a significant municipal infrastructure project. The Parkdale Sanitary District installed a new wastewater treatment plant, replacing a 40-year-old facility that could no longer meet the community’s needs.
With $1.5 million in loans and $1.2 million in grants from USDA Rural Development’s Water and Waste Disposal Program, the district was able to install a membrane bioreactor, as well as replace and repair pipes throughout the system.
These improvements will provide a more efficient treatment process and enable the plant to meet new, more stringent discharge requirements.
Overall, this project will ensure the 311 residents of this rural community continue to have access to utility services that meet their needs and protect local water quality, ensuring the health and safety of this community during the current pandemic and for decades to come.
 Access to safe, sanitary waste disposal is essential for public health and especially important during the coronavirus pandemic. The small, rural community of Echo in northwest Oregon is upgrading its wastewater treatment plant using a $1.7 million investment by USDA Rural Development.
The wastewater treatment system in Echo has not undergone any improvements since 1985 and is no longer able to comply with updated environmental standards.
With the help of a $929,000 loan and a $769,875 grant from USDA's Water and Waste Disposal Program, as well as $1 million from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Echo will upgrade the plant's lift station and pressure main. The town will also build a pipeline to transport the effluent to the nearby Stanfield collection system, eliminating the need to discharge treated wastewater into the Umatilla River. This solution avoids the need to build additional storage and treatment infrastructure, making it the most cost-effective option while also increasing the plant's treatment capacity.
Overall, this project will ensure this rural community of 699 people has a safe, reliable wastewater treatment system to meet its needs for years to come.
 During the pandemic, the availability of telehealth services has been expended to help facilitate access to healthcare.
These measures include allowing rural health clinics and federally-qualified health centers to serve as distant site providers, increasing the types of service that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can deliver via telehealth and allowing certain telehealth services to be delivered to Medicare recipients by phone.
These changes are helping to ensure that more rural residents can access care when and where they need it during the pandemic. Rural Development has compiled an overview of the key changes to help rural communities understand the new measures and explore ways to support healthcare providers as they begin or increase virtual care services.
 As people across the country continue to work and study online, broadband access is more important than ever for rural communities that often have slow connection speeds or no access at all. USDA Rural Development is working hard to invest in expanded broadband infrastructure in rural America.
The American Broadband Initiative (ABI) recently released a Progress Report that shows significant achievements across government in removing regulatory barriers to broadband deployment, leveraging public resources for broadband expansion, and maximizing the impact of Federal broadband funding.
The Progress Report highlights USDA’s accomplishments over the last year in deploying high-speed broadband across rural America, including the investment $744 million to support 80 broadband projects benefiting more than 430,000 rural residents in 34 states through the ReConnect Program.
Read the full Progress Report online…
 To ensure USDA-financed electric and telecommunications providers experience no disruption in service during the pandemic, USDA is waiving borrower covenant requirements for loan agreement financial ratios through December 31, 2020, and will consider requests to waive site inspection requirements.
On a case-by-case basis, USDA will help Electric Program borrowers gain access to obligated funds more quickly at current low interest rates by considering extensions of loan terms and requests to move obligated funds between the Electric Program’s six budget purposes.
 USDA Rural Development is taking steps to increase private investment in rural communities by making it easier for lenders to access four flagship loan guarantee programs.
Through a series of regulatory reforms known collectively as the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative that will take effect on October 1, USDA will eliminate duplicative processes, standardize requirements, and launch a single platform for four key loan guarantee programs:
Input from the public is vital to ensure changes to these loan guarantee programs meet expectations, continue to support the mission of Rural Development, and avoid overly burdening customers. You can submit written comments to www.regulations.gov through September 14, 2020.
Bette Brand has been appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development. Previously, Brand served as the Rural Business-Cooperative Service Administrator.
Brand has supported Rural Development’s mission through strong leadership, program stewardship, and partnerships within the Federal family. Since her arrival at USDA in January 2018, Brand has prioritized increasing rural America’s access to capital, investing in innovative technology, and helping businesses create jobs.
Brand came to USDA after 35 years with Farm Credit of the Virginias, where she served as chief advocate for the agriculture industry and rural businesses. Prior to this, she served as Chief Sales Officer, overseeing a $1.6 billion credit portfolio in business development and managing a team of commercial agriculture and agribusiness lenders.
She has wide-ranging experience promoting rural communities, having served on the Virginia Agribusiness Council, Virginia Horse Council, Virginia Cooperative Council, and Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.
Brand has a degree in Animal Science and a Master of Business Administration from Virginia Tech.
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Rebeckah Freeman Adcock has been named Administrator of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
Before being appointed to this role, Adcock served as a Senior Advisor to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. In 2017, the Secretary designated Adcock as USDA’s Regulatory Reform and Policy Officer, where she led an effort to ease the burden of overregulation and ensure that regulatory actions are properly prioritized and implemented.
Adcock directly advised the Secretary and led internal coordination on issues relating to homeland security, operational continuity, and disaster response. Adcock served as the Manager of the President’s Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity and continues to advise the Secretary on policy relating to interagency coordination.
Before joining USDA, Adcock served as a senior policy director for various agricultural organizations and as Counsel on the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for Senator Jim Inhofe.
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Elizabeth “Beth” Green has been named Acting Administrator of the Rural Housing Service following the retirement of former Administrator Bruce Lammers.
Before being appointed to this role, Green served as USDA Rural Development’s State Director for Virginia. During her tenure, she led a team of 61 people to invest in rural communities across the state.
Green has lived in Virginia and worked in federal and state politics for 33 years. During that time, Green has cultivated relations with many of rural America’s political and industry leaders.
She graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Communications and Political Science.
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USDA Rural Development in Oregon is open for business and looks forward to continuing our vital efforts to support those who live and work in rural America.
We continue to be in enterprise-wide remote operational status, but we are still delivering programs and offering the highest level of customer service. Our employees are ready to answer your questions and help move your projects forward. And we are pleased to welcome three recent additions to our team.
Brittney Onstott is a new Loan Technician in the Pendleton office.
For the past seven years, Brittney worked with the USDA Farm Service Agency as a Farm Loan Technician.
She was born in Pendleton, where she currently lives with her husband and two children.
Brittney enjoys being outdoors, whether in her garden, up in the mountains camping, fishing, or morel hunting. She also enjoys Harley rides with her husband.
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Serena Vigg is a new Pathways Intern working for the Single Family Housing team in Portland.
Serena previously worked as an Assistant Manager for Friends of Vista House, a nonprofit retail operation at the Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge.
Serena has nearly completed her bachelor’s degree. She is majoring in accounting and minoring in Spanish at Washington State University Vancouver. She is planning to complete a Master of Business Administration degree next.
In her free time, Serena enjoys walking her dog, going for runs, and learning other languages.
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Emily Jennings is our new Engineer Intern in Portland.
Emily is a senior at the University of Washington, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on hydrology and environmental engineering.
In her free time, Emily enjoys hiking, running, and watching Jeopardy.
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