Building North Dakota

State Director Jasper Schneider
Greetings,

 

The recent roundtable, Partnering for a Better Rural America, was held in Wahpeton to coincide with Richland County celebrating several milestones:

  • 125th year that Richland County was organized;
  • 100th year since the Richland County Courthouse was dedicated;
  • 100th year since the passage of the Smith-Lever Act, which established a system of cooperative extension services connected with the land-grant universities;
  • and the 40th year since the Richland County Law Enforcement Center was dedicated.

The roundtable provided a chance to reflect and look towards the future. Community members from around the area shared stories of innovation, hard work and success. Evident throughout the discussions was that there is great opportunity in North Dakota and working together we can capitalize on it. 

 

The core of Rural Development's success is in our partnerships. We work with private business, local governments, non-profits, tribal nations and lending institutions. We also partner with utility companies to provide rural areas with essential services. Most of the state is located in an region served by an electric or telecom cooperative or a rural water district. These organizations in the state have had the vision, foresight and leadership to build-out their networks to support both industry and population growth. By having this infrastructure in place, regions and communities can flourish. 

 

We will continue to partner and expand our relationships with utility companies, the private business sector, regional development authorities, and non-profit entities to develop support mechanisms to expand and create business. By collaborating regionally we can meet the diverse needs in the state.

  

       - Jasper

 
  
Partnering for a Better
Rural America
 

   

  

A USDA roundtable was recently held in Wahpeton. Guests included Senator Hoeven and Senator Heitkamp. A group of about 100 people gathered for a conversation on how partnerships can help foster innovation, improve quality of life and expand economic opportunities.

 

Several community members shared success stories and challenges of living and working in a rural area. Issues such as education, energy and health were all brought up. You may watch video of the meeting at:

http://youtu.be/h9vMrqdwtyw 

 

Wolf Pup Daycare

 

Watford City

  

Grand opening of Wolf Pup Daycare. Photo by McKenzie County Farmer.

Wolf Pup Daycare celebrated its grand opening in Watford City. The growth in jobs and population, largely due to oil development, has created a need for more child care services. To help address this need, the new daycare center will accommodate nearly 200 children, ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age. In addition, the entire upper floor will be dedicated to preschool classrooms. The center plans to hire at least 40 full-time employees and will have longer hours to better serve those who work shifts in the oil patch.  

 

USDA Rural Development partnered with Reservation Telephone Cooperative to provide Wolf Run Village a $2 million loan to help construct the $4.7 million daycare facility. To learn more about the project, read the Mckenzie County Farmer article. 

  

 

Cooperative Food Hub  

 

North Dakota

  

Local FoodsMorning Joy Farm in Mercer received a grant to organize a producer cooperative and launch the first food hub to market local grower products in North Dakota. By forming a cooperative, small to mid-size growers can reach new markets and sell to more than just the individual consumer.

 

Morning Joy Farm, along with other local food producers, will use the $62,325 USDA grant to organize a grower's cooperative. The cooperative members will then create a food hub to facilitate multi-channel marketing of their specialty crops, proteins, and value-added food products.

 

The North Dakota Rural Rehab Company will provide a matching grant for the project. Common Enterprise Development Corporation will also offer technical assistance to complete the grant's objectives within a two-year timeframe. To learn more about the project, read the Bismarck Tribune article.

 

The funding is provided through USDA's Value-Added Producer Grant program, which aims to help agricultural producers increase their income by expanding market opportunities and developing new products. 

 

USDA Helps Connect Rural North Dakota

 

Broadband

  

USDA announced loans to expand and improve broadband service in rural parts of North Dakota. Providing a high-speed connection to the Internet improves access to educational and health care services. It also creates new business and job opportunities.

 

The loans are being funded through USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to finance projects that build-out broadband networks. The funding will strengthen rural economies, which are vital to building a more prosperous America.

 

Griggs County Telephone Company: $4.7 million loan to deploy fiber-to-the-home in Binford and Cooperstown. Griggs also will upgrade its four exchanges. The project will provide expanded voice, video and data services to 682 subscribers.

 

The Red River Rural Telephone Association: $8.5 million loan to construct 145 miles of buried fiber optic cable in Abercrombie, Colfax, Fairmount, Great Bend, Hankinson, Lidgerwood, Mooreton and Wyndmere in North Dakota; and in Barnesville and Rollag in Minnesota. Burying the cable will complete Red River's fiber-to-the-home network. The upgraded system will meet current and future requirements for voice, video and high-speed data services to subscribers.


Announcements

 

Single Family Housing Property Eligibility Changes 

 

The Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) makes areas with population up to 35,000 and rural in character eligible for USDA Rural Housing Programs, with certain provisions. Due to the 2010 Census data, North Dakota has reviewed and re-designed urban boundary lines. These changes relate to the cities of Bismarck, Mandan, Fargo, West Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot.

 

Stakeholders are advised that the new property eligibility lines will take effect on October 1, 2014. To view the boundary map, visit the Income and Property Eligibility website at http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do. Select "Single Family Housing" under the Property Eligibility menu. Then either zoom in on an area or simply enter an address to check eligibility.  

 

The public has 30 days to offer feedback on these changes. Comments must be submitted by September 30th to [email protected] or call 701.530.2037.

 

 

Underwriting System Notification for Single Family Guaranteed Loans

 

Based on feedback we've received from many of our stakeholders, a notice will soon be published in the Federal Register deferring the scheduled implementation of the new regulation, 7 CFR 3555. 

 

The rule, which previously was going to become effective on September 1, 2014, will now go into effect on December 1, 2014. The change in effective date will allow stakeholders in the mortgage industry to better incorporate procedure changes and receive more extensive training. 

 

The interim final rule, published December 9, 2013, will replace the existing rule, 7 CFR 1980, Part D, when it becomes effective on December 1, 2014.

 

The Agency will continue to work with mortgage industry participants during this period.  More information and training, including a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions (FAQs), will be provided on the USDA Lender Interactive Network Connection (LINC) website:  

 

Questions regarding this extension or deferment in effective date may be directed to the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Division at 202.720.1452.


Upcoming Events 
 
  Deadlines & Events
 Website     Contact Us     News    NOFAs     Forms   Progress Report

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410 Or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). "USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer."

Facebook
Twitter 
YouTube
Flickr
Blogger
Click To Sign Up
Copyright © 2011 USDA Rural Development. All Rights Reserved.