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The South Dakota Rural Development Business and Cooperative Services team is excited to announce our new Rural Business newsletter. USDA Rural Development appreciates our partners and all the hard work you put in to making rural South Dakota the best it can be. We know that working together, we can make an even bigger impact on our communities, so we are pleased to improve our communication via newsletters. We will be sending a quarterly newsletter to our partners to keep you in the loop with our programs, regulations, deadlines, etc.
If you haven't registered through our website, please be sure to sign up to receive future newsletters and additional information.
If you have any questions, requests or materials you would like to share in our quarterly newsletter please contact Cayla Hilbrands at cayla.hilbrands@sd.usda.gov or (605)352-1137.
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Wind is an inexhaustible energy source, so why not use it to reduce or even eliminate your energy costs? |
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Replacing existing lighting with energy efficient LED lights can cut energy usage by 75% and last 25 times longer! |
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Cut our grain dryer costs by replacing your current dryer with a more efficient dryer. Watch your savings add up! |
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Out with the old, costly freezers and coolers; in with the new, energy efficient units. The energy savings are just the beginning! You can also find more space for your products and a sleeker look for your shoppers to enjoy. |
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Solar power provides reduced operating costs, little to no maintenance, a good return on investment, and a positive image
for your business or operation! |
For more information about our REAP loan and grant program contact Jolene Pravecek, Energy Coordinator, at (605) 665-2662 ext. 116 or jolene.pravecek@sd.usda.gov. You can also visit the Rural Energy for America Program website.
As of July 31, 2016, all USDA Rural Development borrowers were asked to comply with LEP re-quirements by completing the 4-Factor Analysis, developing the LAP, and implementing the LAP in your programs and services. If you have not sent in a your “Affirmation of Receipt,“ a copy of your 4-Factor Analysis, and LAP plan, please submit to your local USDA Rural Development contact as soon as possible. The borrowers will be reviewed for compliance during their triennial Compliance Reviews.
What’s the big deal?!
LEP is a National Origin issue covered by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and is part of the requirements associat-ed with your RD funded program. Specifically, the Assurance Agreement (RD 400-4) attached to your project assures compliance with Title VI (42 U.S.C. 2000d), 7 CFR Part 15 and 7 CFR Part 1901.202.
Executive Order 13166, ‘Improving Access to services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency’ requires the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) to ensure services provided by RD recipients comply with the require-ments to examine the services provided, identify any need for services to those with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and develop and implement a system to provide such services to enable persons with LEP have meaningful access to RD funded programs.
View the USDA Rural Development LEP Implementation Strategy for Assisted Programs.
When borrowers accept Agency loan and grant funds, they agree to operate in accordance with program objectives and comply with program require-ments established by the Agency. To ensure that borrowers meet these re-sponsibilities, the Agency monitors bor-rower performance and takes action as needed to see that borrowers fulfill their responsibilities.
The types of monitoring used:
- Desk Reviews
- Quarterly, monthly, semi-annual, and annual financial reports;
- Annual or semi-annual project performance reports;
- End of the year jobs created or saved reporting;
- End of the year businesses assisted reporting; and
- Proposed budget reviews.
On-Site Reviews
Field Visits may include but not limited to:
- Ultimate Recipient Visits
- Ultimate Recipient file reviews
- Publicity/Outreach efforts
- Bank Statements (revolving loan funds only)
- Request for current Board Members list (IRP)
- Proof of applicable insurances
Triennial Compliance Reviews, which may include but not limited to:
- List of participants/beneficiaries since last review, including gender, race, and ethnicity;
- Request of written materials used, ie., ads, pamphlets, fliers, manuals;
- Verifying that required posters are displayed; and
- Request to review your LAP Plan.
Agency monitoring objectives are to:
- Ensure the project is managed in accordance with the goals and objectives of the Rural Business and Cooperative program;
- Preserve the value of the project;
- Ensure that the project is main-tained in accordance with Agency requirements for providing services that are decent, safe, accessible, and affordable;
- Ensure that the project is operated at actual, necessary, and reasona-ble costs;
- Detect waste, fraud, and abuse; and
- Verify compliance with accessibility requirements.
 We have such a long list of USDA Rural Development revolving loan funds out there that its hard to keep them straight! Use our South Dakota Revolving Loan Fund Map & Directory to view a consolidated list of all of our revolving loan funds available by county.
Here's how....
- Click to open our link http://www.rd.usda.gov/files/SD_RLF_Information_2015.pdf;
- Scroll down to the South Dakota Map;
- Click the county you are interested in; and
- View the Organizations, Programs, Contact Information, and Counties Served for the county you clicked on.
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Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, November 24, 2016
Christmas Day - Monday, December 26, 2016
New Year's Day - Monday, January 2, 2017
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Monday, January 16, 2017
Inauguration Day - Friday, January 20, 2017
George Washington's Birthday - Monday, February 20, 2017
*Observation dates indicate days that agency offices will be closed. They may be different than actual holiday dates.
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