5-14 IAN Strikeforce

 A Message of hope from Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says USDA is working hard to strengthen the economy across high poverty areas of rural America. “9out of 10 persistent poverty counties are in rural America and too often these places  have been left behind.  that is why we launched the Strikeforce for rural growth and opportunity initiative. Through Strikeforce we provide intensive care or communities that  suffer high poverty. USDA Staff partner with local organizations and civic leaders in this effort. They provide technical support and assistance in applying for USDA programs. We came to  empower communities to take action And ultimately help them provide more opportunity for their  citizens. We have already partnered with over 400 community based organizations and we are starting to see results. For example, in Strikeforce  areas, farm loan applications were up last year even as the number of applications nationwide was down slightly. USDA  Investment in rural  community facility  projects doubled and we increased the number of children receiving healthy meals under our programs by more than 800,000.”