USDA Acting Administrator John Padalino (second from left) along with panel of judges at Great American Water Taste Test. Photo courtesy of the National Rural Water Association. Used with permission.

And the winner … the city of Prairie du Sac in southern Wisconsin for having the best tasting water in rural America.  Earlier this week, at the National Rural Water Association’s Water Rally, Prairie du Sac won the coveted gold medal as part of the Great American Water Taste Test.

USDA Rural Utilities Service Acting Administrator John Padalino served on the judging panel. Padalino administers USDA water and environmental programs. Read more »

Rural Business and Cooperative Programs Acting Administrator, John Paladino (center), tours Salm Partners, LLC, a sausage manufacturer, in Denmark, WI, with Chris Salm, (left) owner, and Stan Gruszynski (right), Wisconsin Rural Development State Director. Salm Partners, LLC partners with a number of local and regional producers and suppliers.

Today, the diversity of businesses found in our rural communities closely mirrors that of metropolitan areas; coming in all shapes and sizes, small and large; start-up and existing, entrepreneurial and franchised; corporations, companies and partnerships. Both rural and metropolitan, businesses provide jobs, access to goods and services, and open doors to new opportunities for regional development and growth. Read more »

Since 1997, Prairieland Economic Development Commission in Slayton, Minnesota, has been partnering with USDA Rural Development and local lenders to grow the economy and create jobs in southwestern Minnesota.

Prairieland has financed over 60 rural businesses and helped create hundreds of jobs using funds provided through four Intermediary Relending Program (IRP) awards from Rural Development. Prairieland’s main service area covers southwestern Minnesota and portions of northwest Iowa and eastern South Dakota.

John Padalino, the acting administrator of Rural Development’s business and cooperative programs, visited Worthington, Minn., on May 22 to see firsthand the impact Prairieland’s IRP investments are making in the community. Read more »

National Rural Water Association Deputy CEO Sam Wade (center) responds to a question, during the Rural Development session on “Why Every American Should Care About the Future of Rural Water,” at the 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum, “Moving Agriculture Forward, Growing, Innovating and Celebrating 150 Years” held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Virginia, on Friday, February 24, 2012. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

As rural Americans look for new ways to compete globally in the areas of renewable energy production, business expansion and job creation, one factor that is often taken for granted is the availability of a ready supply of water.  In much of America, with the exception of parts of the West, water has often been thought of as accessible as the air.  Those attitudes are changing. Read more »

Written by Jane Grant, Public Information Officer

The spirit of the first Earth Day, 40 years ago, continued this year in Finley as North Dakota Rural Development State Director Jasper Schneider joined Rural Utilities Representative John Padalino, Finley Mayor Larry Amundson, local leaders, and Finley school children and the community to celebrate the announcement of a water and environmental project totaling $1.7 million.

“USDA Rural Development is proud to be a partner in this project helping the city of Finley build and upgrade essential infrastructure demonstrating President Obama’s continued efforts to improve the quality of life for rural residents,” State Director Schneider said.

Manholes, sewer mains and sewer lines will be replaced, improving water quality for Finley residents.

The school children played a major role in celebrating Earth Day starting with Boy Scouts presenting  the colors and the students leading the Pledge of Allegiance.  They shared their ideas and rapped a song about how each person can play a role in creating a cleaner, healthier planet.  To demonstrate their commitment to the planet, the students walked back to school picking up trash along the way.

An American Linden tree was planted in Centennial Park, to serve as a reminder of Earth Day 2010.

North Dakota Rural Development State Director Jasper Schneider (left) shovels during a tree planting ceremony celebrating Earth Day 2010, in Finley, ND. Assisting are Finley Mayor Larry Amundson (center) and Special Assistant for Rural Utilities John Padalino (right).