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WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2011– At the end of the Obama Administration’s week-long focus on the rural economy and the White House Rural Council, Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack announced today another federally funded project for the nation’s rural communities.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16--The Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy to deliver $510 million in the next three years for the production of bio-based jet and diesel fuel.

ATKINSON, Ill., Aug. 17– Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced grants for more than 900 agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations. In all, USDA is distributing more than $11.6 mil

DES MOINES, Aug. 15- In honor of its 100th anniversary, the Iowa State Fair butter cow is now duplicated out of more motley material—thousands of cans of farmer-produced food. “Together We CAN!” is an exhibit hosted by the Iowa Food & Family Project (Iowa FFP) at the 2011 Iowa State Fair. Celebr

NASHVILLE, Aug. 15- The first Land & Wildlife Expo in Nashville, Tennessee served as an opportunity to reach thousands of landowners with conservation and land management practices, said Dave White, chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

WASHINGTON, August 15, 2011—USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon discussed the reforms to school meals through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 today. As part of these reforms, students will receive one more cup per day of fruits and vegetables as well as more whole grains.

OMAHA, Aug. 15- Extreme weather and rising input costs cut Tenth District farm incomes in the second quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s quarterly Survey of Agricultural Credit Conditions.

The DOE last week released an update to its 2005 Billion Ton Study that says biomass feedstock remain sufficient to meet near- and long-term bioenergy goals.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced $17 million more toward emergency aid in the Horn of Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) today. Of that amount, $12 million is designed to specifically help the people of Somalia.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12- The White House Rural Council released its “Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America” report today. The report, which highlights positive impacts from President Obama’s rural programs, arrives just before he begins his Midwest bus tour to Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.