It is an honor to serve you as the new state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. USDA Rural Development offers many impactful ways to help in the fight for the needs of our rural population.
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to talk about where our country has been and where we are going.
The president mentioned a lot we can be proud of and even more to look forward to, especially in rural America. The country has faced deep challenges over the past year, and the people of rural America know this better than anyone. But rural communities are resilient, and as the success of rural America goes, so goes the rest of the country.
That’s why the progress we have made in rural Delaware over the past year is a good sign for everyone. By investing in water and sewer infrastructure and broadband, rural business opportunities and the American food supply chain, USDA is helping communities build a foundation for sustained economic growth.
Projects such as the Paris Village and London Village septic elimination that is happening right now in our very own Kent County highlight Rural Development’s ability to fund projects that directly impact our communities. These communities have been plagued by failing septic systems but now, with this funding, will be able to connect to the Kent County wastewater system.
Another project is anticipated funding for the Milford police station, to replace the outgrown current location. Bayhealth Hospital has applied for funding for a grant for COVID-19-related health care equipment. The town of Millsboro also has applied for funding for their wastewater-treatment facility to serve their growing population. USDA is also providing needed funds to support infrastructure needs for the Sussex County Lochwood sewer project and town of Blades water project, as well as essential community facility needs, with seating for the Milton Theatre and a police vehicle for the town of Laurel.
USDA grants have also provided funding for solar and energy efficiency for Deerfield Farm, Lullaby Learning Center and other businesses in rural Delaware.
And finally, Fifer Orchards Inc., a rural small business in Camden-Wyoming that was established in 1919, received a $239,000 Rural Energy for America grant for the purchase and installation of solar array to offset the cost of operating the farm business.
Housing assistance to enable Delaware residents to purchase a home is also provided to many in rural Delaware.
Investing in projects that make life better for the people of our state is our ultimate goal and a goal which we will continue to pursue. They provide funding to assist in these costs and enable our communities to afford these needed services, be it health care, wastewater, clean water, public safety, housing assistance or rural business funding, as well as helping address climate change and more. We are also working on value-added producer grants for agribusinesses and meat-and-poultry-processing funding to make our production less concentrated and more sustainable.
These investments create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. They help grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out, like the president talked about. And they contribute to a circular economy, where the resources and wealth we build in rural Delaware stay right here.
And they’re just the beginning. In the State of the Union, President Biden committed to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle-charging stations; to begin to replace poisonous lead pipes, so every child and every American has clean water to drink at home and at school; and to provide affordable high-speed internet for every American — in urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities.
The Biden-Harris administration’s plan for the economy is already producing historic wins, and there’s room for everyone to participate, no matter their ZIP code.
That’s why we’re optimistic that our best days lie ahead.
By giving everyone a fair shot and providing equitable access to federal resources, we can do our part to carry out the president’s economic vision. That means making more things here at home, strengthening our supply chains and lowering costs for working families. It means giving people opportunities to make a good living without having to leave the communities they know and love.
For a lot of us, that means staying right here in rural Delaware.
David Baker is state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development for Delaware and Maryland. For information and assistance, contact 302-857-3581 or david.baker3@usda.gov.
