Dear friends of Rural Development,

It's always a pleasure to see communities in our state move forward, often with projects made possible by USDA Rural Development loans, grants or loan guarantees. Every project, and every move forward, started with a local champion or a group of movers and shakers in the area who took the lead on dreaming, designing and funding efforts that they knew would improve the quality of life and increase economic opportunities for their neighbors.

You'll read about a few such projects in this newsletter-bigger, newer, more improved health care facilities in Bowman; expanded veterinary care for livestock and companion animals in Hettinger, and in an energy efficient building; and, in Belcourt, a grant to help tribal members better handle what's thrown away, and, better yet, recycle more of what was destined for a landfill. You can probably think of projects like that for your hometown. Do more than think about it, act on it and give us a call at 701-530-2037! We are happy to visit and share in the vision you have for the place you call home.

Finally, those of you in agriculture know that commodity prices are not what they once were. We are currently accepting applications in our Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program to help you change those commodities into higher value food products. If that interests you, and you want to find out more, please do give us a call.

All the best,
Ryan

IN THIS ISSUE...

Seeking Applications

Vet Clinic in Hettinger

Bowman Hospital

Turtle Mountain Project

CALENDAR...

May 12: Bio Industry Summit in Fargo.

May 16-18: Rural Health Conference in Grand Forks.

June 12-14: NDBA/SDBA Annual Convention in Bismarck.

June 26: Grand Opening of the Richardton Health Center.

Seeking Applications

Value-Added Producer Grants: USDA Rural Development announced that funding is available to farmers, ranchers, businesses and food entrepreneurs to develop new product lines and expand markets through USDA's Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. More information on how to apply is on page 20607 of the April 8 Federal Register. The deadline to submit paper applications is July 1, 2016. Electronic applications submitted through grants.gov are due June 24, 2016. Read news release.

Home Loans: Rural Development has financing available for home loans to rural North Dakota residents. The Single Family Housing Direct Loan program offers 100 percent financing with no down payment and recently the interest rate was lowered to 3 percent. The program primarily aims at helping less-than-moderate income borrowers seeking to purchase modestly priced homes. Qualification for a USDA home loan is based on household income and eligible properties must be located in an area with a population of 35,000 or less. A borrower may use the loan to purchase an existing dwelling or for new home construction and payment assistance is available to help make buying a home more affordable.

New Veterinary Clinic Opens in Hettinger

The West River Veterinary Clinic (WRVC) just opened the doors on theirnew 12,000-square-foot facility. To meet the modern needs of veterinary service, it includes a pharmacy, laboratory, isolation area, equine surgery room and an outdoor pen for treatment.The full-service, mixed animal practice offers preventative care, medical treatment, individual animal and herd consultation, surgery, grooming, boarding, retail sales, cremation and 24-hour emergency service.

Serving a region of 20,000 people, the WRVC has grown by 15 percent each year for the last three years. To build upon the growth, it became essential to construct a new, modern clinic. USDA Rural Development was able to assist by partnering with Slope Electric Co-op to provide a $2 million Rural Economic Development Loan. To provide some cost-savings, WRVC also received a grant from USDA to install a geothermal-enhanced heating and cooling system to supplement their electric utility source.

Hospital under construction in Bowman

A new hospital/clinic is being connected to the existing long-term care facility in Bowman. Combining all services in one central location will allow Southwest Healthcare Services utilize staff more efficiently and reduce overhead expenses. Almost doubling in size from the current facility, the new building will provide the space to expand the clinic area and increase the number of emergency rooms.

Estimated to cost about $25 million, the community stepped up and showed its support for the project by raising $3.7 million. USDA is also providing a $15 million loan. Construction should be complete in the spring of 2017.

Celebrating Earth Day on the Turtle Mountain Reservation

In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, USDA Rural Development announced a $1.3 million grant to improve the Turtle Mountain Solid Waste Management Program and to expand access to their recycling program.

The grant will be used to build a 5,000-square-foot building for equipment maintenance and storage as well as purchase equipment for recycling efforts. Read more.

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