After serving 25 years on the Blue Earth County Board of Commissioners and eight years as rural development state director under President Obama, my passion for getting to know and represent the needs of rural communities continues to grow. Armed with this knowledge and drive, I look forward to helping build back a better rural America under President Biden’s leadership.
President Biden used his first State of the Union address to talk about where our country has been and where we are going. The president mentioned a lot we can be proud of and even more to look forward to, especially in rural America.The country has faced deep challenges over the past year, and the people of rural America know this better than anyone. But rural communities are resilient, and as the success of rural America goes, so goes the rest of the country.
That’s why the progress we have made in rural Minnesota over the past year is a good sign for everyone. By investing in water infrastructure and broadband, rural business opportunities and the American food supply chain, USDA is helping communities build a foundation for sustained economic growth.
For example, the city of Freeport is working to improve water, sewer, and storm water infrastructure with help from a $2.7 million loan through USDA’s Water & Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. These efforts will reduce health and safety concerns caused by infiltration and improve the water quality for 632 community members.
A great example of how we’re helping to support Minnesota’s food supply chain is by investing in agricultural producers and small businesses like Minnesota Family Farms Cooperative. The Coop recently received an $18,700 Value-Added Producer Grant to expand sales of their pork products.
Additionally, through programs like the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, we’re answering the President’s call to create more resilient, diverse and secure supply chains. Promoting competition in the processing sector will lead to fairer prices for farmers, greater value for workers, and more affordable and healthier food produced closer to home for families.
And they’re just the beginning. In the State of the Union, President Biden committed to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes so every child and every American has clean water to drink at home and at school, provide affordable high-speed internet for every American; urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s plan for the economy is already producing historic wins, and there’s room for everyone to participate, no matter their zip code.
That’s why we’re optimistic that our best days lie ahead.
By giving everyone a fair shot and providing equitable access to federal resources, we can do our part to carry out the President’s economic vision. That means making more things here at home, strengthening our supply chains and lowering costs for working families. It means giving people opportunities to make a good living without having to leave the communities they know and love.
For a lot of us, that means staying right here in rural Minnesota.
Colleen Landkamer is the Minnesota state director of Rural Development for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
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