DES MOINES: Rural communities that work through regional and strategic partnerships can complement and draw upon the resources of another to create jobs and strengthen economies.
USDA Rural Development’s Stronger Economies Together program helps establish a state resource team that will bring the talents and resources of key state and federal agencies, extension programs, and other organizations together to provide coaching and technical assistance to each of the regional teams, said Bill Menner, director of USDA Rural Development in Iowa.
Residents in the Tri State Area and a region including Henry, Jefferson and Washington counties, will be on the receiving end of a rural economic development effort funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. The two collective Southeast Iowa entities are the state’s first two recipients of the Stronger Economies Together program grant.
