June 2018 Articles

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It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the State Director of USDA Rural Deve

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the State Director of USDA Rural Development. One of the great things about my job is that I get to be part of the tremendous difference USDA makes in rural Louisiana. As our infrastructure ages, modern infrastructure is essential to economic growth and connectivity. RD programs can help connect a business to its customer, connect a farmer to his market, connect rural homes to clean water, connect students to a world of knowledge via high-speed internet, and connect doctors to patients. The Community Facilities Program helps improve essential community services for public use in rural areas. Public bodies and nonprofit organizations can use these funds to construct, expand, or improve facilities that provide health care, education, fire protection and safety, as well as other community-based initiatives in areas up to 20,000 in population. The Water and Environmental Program provides infrastructure crucial for rural communities to establish, expand, or modernize a facility for safe drinking water. These projects include water systems, waste systems, solid waste, and storm drainage facilities. Eligibility is limited to communities of 10,000 or less in population. Rural Development approved a loan of $8.2 million for the Village of Maurice. The Delta Regional Authority provided additional funding to support this project. The wastewater collection system and treatment facility were constructed in 1977 to treat the sewerage flow of a population of 660 people. In 1993, the system was upgraded, and a sewerage pump station was added in 2011. Due to recent growth, Maurice is under a moratorium for new construction, as their existing system cannot support additional customers. RD recently financed the South Wastewater Treatment Facility to support future growth for the entire community. Our diverse portfolio also offers broadband loans and grants to help improve e-connectivity across rural areas to support education, telemedicine, health, safety and commercial activities in rural areas. Rural Development also invests in affordable homeownership to ensure individuals from all backgrounds and income categories can achieve the dream of owning a home. I have seen firsthand the challenges that the people of Louisiana are dealing with --- especially in our rural communities. I encourage you to take a closer look at your community to determine your needs and how we can work together. Over the next several months, I will be conducting roundtable discussions to address challenges in rural communities. Your input is extremely valuable. If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact me at carrie.castille@la.usda.gov or (318) 473.7921.
Louisiana Women in Agriculture Conference 2018 The 8th Annual Louisiana Women in Agriculture Conference was held in Alexandria. USDA Rural Development (RD) State Director Dr. Carrie Castille welcomed conference attendees to Alexandria. RD staff was available to network and outreach RD programs and services. Agriculture is one of the largest revenue providers in Louisiana, bringing in about $11 billion in state revenue a year. There are roughly 26,000 farms owned in Louisiana. Of those farms, 3,500 are owned and operated by women. Compared nationally, 2.1 million farms are owned and operated in America and 14% are run by women. The event featured two keynote speakers and break-out sessions to learn about organically certified farms, optimizing forest land, and staying true to you in business, among other topics.
Over 300 small farmers attended the 8th Annual Louisiana Small Farmer Conference at Southern University. Rural Development staff was on-hand for the ribbon-cutting for the new Mobile Education and Technology Center and to exhibit and outreach RD’s programs and services. RD State Director, Dr. Castille participated in a USDA panel dialog with other federal agencies to expand awareness of USDA programs to students and conference attendees. USDA is committed to helping agricultural producers and businesses involved in food production succeed. Through an array of programs, Rural Development provides loan guarantees, grants, and technical assistance to keep farmers profitable and create jobs. This includes processing plants, business development, homeownership, and community services in rural areas. To enhance food opportunities in urban and rural communities, low-interest loans are available through the Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan program that offers loan guarantees to producers in developing infrastructure to process, distribute, and market locally or regionally-produced food. Contact the Business Department (318) 473-7960