In a new opinion piece for The Hill, Dr. Karama Neal, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service, closes out National Co-op Month with a reminder that cooperatives are the “backbone” of rural America, providing critical goods and services “that people in the U.S. rely on to thrive.”
“When I visit rural communities across this country, I see how USDA Rural Development is partnering with co-ops to foster economic growth by supporting local businesses, affordable home ownership, clean affordable energy, and keeping good-paying jobs in hometown communities,” Neal writes.
“USDA supports these important goals by partnering with rural electric cooperatives to install smart grid technologies; working with telecommunications cooperatives to connect people to high-speed internet; and working through credit unions to provide access to capital for homeownership, business development, and many other projects.”