Local and Regional Foods are a small but vitally important part of agriculture sales in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local and Regional Food Systems Resource Guide is intended to help stakeholders navigate USDA...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development and U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) launched a joint resource guide to help community organizations access USDA and EDA resources to build strategies to boost economic...

U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the Department is increasing the maximum loan amount to $400,000 under the Intermediary Relending Program. This change is in accordance with provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018...

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition begins this guide with a general overview of the USDA’s structure, followed by descriptions and details of 15 grants and programs that are relevant to local and regional food systems development. Each...

The 2013 USDA Rural Development Progress Report highlights how investments have helped rural communities and entrepreneurs finance homes, business expansions, and economic development over the past year.

This reference is a helpful tool to locate basic information regarding USDA programs in California. Each program is accompanied with such information as who may borrow, terms and limits, prohibited uses and user fees.

Colorado Lending Source, the state's small business financing expert, created the Colorado Main Street Loans fact sheet to market the loan program. This fact sheet covers loan structure, use of funds, eligibility, loan size, interest rate, terms,...

Dan Beasley discusses the United States Department of Agriculture, through the Office of Rural Development, programs to assist rural businesses. Beasley also discusses a few noteworthy programs that may be of assistance to reshored manufacturers.

This chart from the Maryland Dept. of Business & Economic Development provides basic information for every loan-related program offered in the state.

This resource created by Urban Capital Solutions lists several federal, state, and private RLF capitalization sources with links to their specific programs. Examples of agencies listed include the EPA, HUD, USDA and the MacArthur Foundation.

Rural communities require access to capital and financial resources for new infrastructure, investment, growth and sustainability. However, the challenges facing rural communities are often far removed from urban and suburban needs. Rural...

The USDA Rural Information Center provides information services for rural communities, officials, organizations and citizens.