Connecting Rural America

On Monday, USDA announced nearly $700 million to connect thousands of rural residents, farmers and business owners in 22 states and the Marshall Islands to reliable, affordable high-speed internet through the ReConnect Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Connecting all communities across the United States to high-speed internet is a central part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild the economy from the bottom up and middle out.

Key Headlines:  

• Associated Press: Biden administration announces more new funding for rural broadband infrastructure 
• Pennsylvania Capital-Star: ‘The internet is no longer a luxury’: $667M from USDA for rural broadband 

‘The People’s Department’ in Action 

When he established USDA in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln called it ‘The People’s Department.’ This week, we released a video showcasing how USDA’s vast mission touches the life of every American, every day. 

Creating More Opportunities for Underserved Forest Landowners 

On Tuesday, Secretary Vilsack was in Brunswick, Georgia at the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention (SFLR) Annual Conference. While there, he announced the availability of $150 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to help underserved and small acreage forest landowners connect to climate markets, which will provide more economic opportunities for landowners and incentivize improved forest health and management. 

Key Headlines:  

• Associated Press: Biden administration spending $150M to help small forest owners benefit from selling carbon credits 
• WTOC (Savannah, GA): USDA announces large climate investment at Brunswick conference 

Creating More, New and Better Markets for Producers 

On Wednesday, Secretary Vilsack held roundtable with producers at Common Market in East Point, Georgia. The Secretary shared how the Department is creating new economic opportunities for producers and rural communities in Georgia and beyond, bridging the gap between government and the people it serves and announced $72.9 million in awards for the Specialty Crop Block Program, awarded to 55 states and territories. 

Key Headlines:  

• WABE (Atlanta, GA):: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visits East Point to announce investments in urban farming 
• RFD-TV: USDA announces 587 new projects awarded through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program 

Updates to Help Producers Recover from Severe Weather 

On Friday, USDA updated the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) payment rate to better support livestock producers in the Midwest who have lost cattle to extreme heat and humidity this summer. Secretary Vilsack talked with USDA Radio about the update. 

Women’s Equality Day 

On August 26, we recognize Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed women the right to vote. Over 100 years later, USDA has a historic number of women in leadership positions. Two of those women – Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Dr. Penny Brown Reynolds – came together to host a fireside chat celebrating Women’s Equality Day and the progress we have made.  

Photo of the Week

Local artist Trinity Harrison provided incredible chalkboard artwork that featured prominently at Secretary Vilsack’s roundtable in East Point, Georgia. Her work perfectly captures what USDA is striving to achieve by supporting local and regional food systems – and she did it all freehand! 

Check out all of USDA's photos on Flickr.