It's hard to believe that it's already been two months since I accepted the appointment as USDA Rural Development Montana State Director. I’m so proud of the great work our dedicated Business and Cooperative, Community Facilities, Water and Environmental, and Single Family Housing program teams complete every day to help Montana's rural communities, businesses, and residents thrive. 

Late last month we announced $3 million in Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) for our fiscal year 2021 funding cycle. I had the privilege of meeting with Jake Teselle, the owner of Crooked Yard Hops outside Bozeman, to discuss how his almost $40,000 VAPG award will assist with the marketing, processing, packaging, and distributing of their products.  CLICK HERE to hear him tell his story. 

I am also excited that Roam Free Ranch, in Hot Springs, used their 2020 VAPG award to expand operations and capacity so they could launch their Roam Free Bison Chili and Bison Steak Tips and Vegetables into Northwest area Costco stores. That includes all Montana locations!  Keep reading to see their story.

I’ve had the honor of being the dinner speaker at annual meetings of both the Montana Council of Cooperatives, and the Montana Farmer's Union, and I appreciate the honor of those invitations. A common topic there and beyond continues to be supply chain issues for Montana's agricultural producers and consumers.  I'm excited to be joining Rural Development at a time when new initiatives, such as the Food Supply Guaranteed Loan Program, are opening up nearly $1 billion in nationwide funding, through multiple programs, to expand meat and poultry processing capacity. More information on those programs is below and at usda.gov/meat.

Lastly, we just announced funding for four key Community Facilities projects, which resulted in:

• A $36,000 loan for safety and response gear and equipment for ten volunteer firefighters at the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department in Sanders County. This will improve firefighter safety as well as provide better care for the community;
• A $13,400 grant to fund safety gear and equipment, and car and body cameras for the Wheatland County Sheriff’s Department. Based out of Harlowton, the department covers both Wheatland and Golden Valley Counties;
• A $61,000 grant to help pay for public safety data management software and equipment for the City of Hardin Police Department. These office upgrades will improve the ability of the department to map and analyze reports, and better serve the community; and 
• A $15,000 grant to Kid Country Day Care in Twin Bridges to invest in facilities and operational improvements to better serve children and families in Twin Bridges and surrounding Madison County communities.

As we look forward, there are a few upcoming deadlines for loan and grant cycles that you won't want to miss!  And, there are a number of other great opportunities and offerings. Here are a few:

• USDA is inviting applications for our ReConnect program, which will assist rural communities throughout Montana to expand the availability of broadband.  The current funding cycle includes up to $1.15 billion in loans and grants, and of that, $350 Million in grants has been allocated to specifically help Tribal and Socially Vulnerable Communities.  The application period closes March 9, 2022.  
• USDA is also inviting applications for technical assistance grants to help organizations apply for funding to develop decent, safe, affordable and equitable housing for year-round and migrant or seasonal domestic farmworkers through the Off-Farm Labor Housing Technical Assistance Grant program.  Electronic applications must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. (MST) on March 21, 2022. For additional information on how to apply, see page 3071 of the Jan. 20, 2022, Federal Register or Grants.gov.
• The application period for the Rural Community Development Initiative program is now open.  Electronic applications will be accepted via Grants.gov and must be submitted by 9:59 p.m. (MST) on April 19, 2022.  The deadline for paper applications is 4 p.m. local time, April 25, 2022.  

As always, we invite you to stay connected, through our Twitter feed, to ensure you have the most up-to-date info about USDA RD Montana happenings. 

All the best as we continue to make our way through winter and look forward to a productive spring.