Rural

For the people living on Smith Island, the water matters. But it’s about more than the beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay from the picturesque island ten miles from the mainland. The multi-generational residents depend on the surrounding Chesapeake Bay for their livelihoods. For many, crabbing, oystering, and ecotourism are what puts dollars in their bank accounts, and food on their tables.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum. I was excited to participate in a panel session that reviewed the past 100 years of agricultural trade in the United States and acknowledge the forces that have shaped its evolution during the past century.

Rural communities are the backbone of American life, providing fuel, food and fiber. As a partner, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) understands how critical rural America is to providing the everyday essentials our country depends on. As a result, we invest accordingly.

This October USDA is celebrating National Cooperative Month, an observance that recognizes the cooperative model, its many influential uses, and how cooperatives benefit their members in numerous ways. There are at least 30,000 cooperatives in the United States providing more than $700 billion to the economy. This year’s theme is Owning Our Identity, a reference to the principles and values that distinguish cooperatives from other business forms.

When Linda Leaks organized tenants in low-income District of Columbia neighborhoods to fight eviction, she helped them gain more than home ownership. In combatting gentrification and the community displacement of the ‘80s and ‘90s, she empowered people to recognize the collective power of the cooperative business model.

In recognition of Homeownership Month this June, USDA Rural Development (RD) New York’s State Office had the privilege of celebrating the newest homeowner on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. Randa Martin and her four children welcomed the RD team and staff from the Akwesasne Housing Authority to their newly constructed home in Hogansburg, N.Y., a community on St. Regis Mohawk tribal land. RD presented the family with a red maple tree, planted together with Martin’s sons in memory of their late father, Richard Lebehn.

Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off National Homeownership Month. As part of this nationwide celebration, USDA is highlighting programs that help people in rural and Tribal areas buy, build and repair affordable homes and to pay their rent in America’s smallest towns and communities.

Water has always shaped where we plant our communities and how they grow. If you farm, fish, or live in rural America, you know that healthy waterways are vital to ensuring that communities, large or small, can continue to thrive.

I recently traveled to Torrey, New York to break ground on the town’s first-ever water district. This project has been more than 20 years in the making and it will improve the health and lives of people living in rural parts of the state. It will also improve the water quality and conservation efforts on the Chesapeake Bay watershed.