Leahy, Sanders, Welch: VT Nets $2.3 Million For Rural Development

Press Release

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) Friday announced $2.3 million in funding for rural development in Vermont. The funding, under the new Farm Bill, has been awarded to 13 organizations across the state through 16 grants and loans by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and will be utilized to foster job growth, economic development and community initiatives.

In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: "These investments represent important commitments to growing rural small businesses and renewable energy in Vermont. From funding for farm fresh food in schools to developing renewable on-farm biogas, the USDA continues to show strong support for rural development.

Leahy added, "I'm also pleased that Vermont's REAP Zone status again is making a difference in the Northeast Kingdom."

Leahy, the senior most member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, championed the 2000 creation and 2014 renewal of Vermont's Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Zone in the 2014 Farm Bill, a designation that recognizes the unique social and economic challenges in the rural communities of Caledonia, Essex and Orleans Counties. Vermont's REAP Zone is one of only five in the country, and the designation increases the chances that a grant or loan application from the region is funded. The Northeast Vermont REAP Zone has helped to channel millions of investment dollars to the Northeast Kingdom. Nine organizations receiving awards were selected because of Vermont's Rural Economic Area Partnership Zone.

The announcement was made at the Intervale Community Farm in Burlington, Vt., by United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden. The Intervale Community Farm has benefited from these types of grants that have helped Intervale Community Farm Cooperative Owner Andy Jones to connect with thousands of consumers through direct sales.

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