Help America's Farmers Grow Communities Support Local Firefighters during Fire Prevention Month

Monsanto Fund-sponsored program gives back to Iowa fire departments

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Oct. 7, 2012) - Rural communities have a fire death rate twice the national average, according to the U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association.  Firefighters in these communities are also often less likely to have the necessary firefighting equipment and training. To help combat these challenges, the Monsanto Fund is investing in rural fire departments and helping to keep farming communities safer through America's Farmers Grow Communities^SM.

Grow Communities gives eligible farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite local nonprofit organization. Last year, the largest percentage of Grow Communities funding was directed to local fire departments. The Monsanto Fund invested a total of $612,500 in 245 rural fire departments across the country.

Mark Schoening, Oak Township fire chief in Mills County, Iowa, knows firsthand how impactful being selected as the winning recipient for Grow Communities for the county can be.

"This donation allowed us to buy six air tanks, which gives us triple the amount of time we can be fighting fires indoors," Schoening said.

For the third consecutive year, Grow Communities is gearing up to distribute $2,500 donations in 1,271 eligible counties across the country. Now through Nov. 30, 2012, farmers can apply online at www.growcommunities.com or call 1-877-267-3332 to apply by phone. To date, more than $7 million has been invested in rural America through Grow Communities.

"Supporting rural America is our priority," said Deborah Patterson, Monsanto Fund president. "We understand that the safety of these rural communities depends so much on the strength of its local fire department. We are proud and honored to give back to firefighters, and I am delighted to see so many farmers directing donations this way."

New this year, community members can suggest a fire department or other nonprofit organization that is in need of funding on the Grow Communities website. Farmers can review "planted ideas" and consider them in their application. To submit a nonprofit project idea that needs funding in your community, visit www.growcommunities.com by Nov. 30.

As a result of the worst drought in 50 years, more than 700 of the 1,271 Grow Communities counties have been declared natural disaster areas by the USDA. Winning farmers from these counties will have the opportunity to direct an additional $2,500 donation to a second nonprofit of their choosing to assist with community needs that have surfaced due to the drought. The Monsanto Fund will select one winner at random from each of the eligible counties and announce winning farmers and recipient nonprofits in January 2013.

America's Farmers Grow Communities highlights the important contributions farmers make every day to our society and helps them positively impact their communities. This program is part of the Monsanto Fund's overall effort to support rural America.
For more information about this program and to view the official rules, visit www.growcommunities.com.

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SIDEBAR

26 Iowa fire departments received  a total of $65,000 from America's Farmers Grow Communities in 2012, including:

·         Griswold (Cass County)

·         Tipton (Cedar County)

·         Quimby (Cherokee County)

·         Woodburn (Clarke County)

·         Webb (Clay County)

·         Welton (Clinton County)

·         Weldon (Decatur County)

·         Terrill (Dickinson County)

·         Worthington (Dubuque County)

·         Rockford (Floyd County)

·         Stratford (Hamilton County)

·         Holstein (Ida County)

·         Packwood (Jefferson County)

·         Olin (Jones County)

·         Des Moines Township (Lee County)

·         Martelle (Linn County)

·         Melbourne (Marshall County)

·         St. Ansgar Rescue (Mitchell County)

·         Sanborn (O'Brien County)

·         May City (Osceola County)

·         Deep River (Poweshiek County)

·         Eldridge (Scott County)

·         Panama (Shelby County)

·         Cambridge (Story County)

·         Gladbrook (Tama County)

·         Sharpsburg (Taylor County)

About the Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org

Improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities is one of my top priorities.  In 2011, at a disability employment summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Business Leadership Network, I challenged the employer representatives in the room to work to increase the size of the disability workforce from under five million to six million by 2015.  This goal was quickly endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Employment is one of the most pressing issues facing the disability community today.  While the recent recession has had a negative impact on most Americans, it has hit Americans with disabilities particularly hard.  And while employment numbers are rising overall, people with disabilities have been slow to see the benefits of our nation's economic recovery.  Moreover, workers with disabilities left the labor force during the recent recession at a rate five times the rate for workers without disabilities.

This October, as we observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month, it is time to celebrate the very real progress we have made in opening doors of opportunity thanks to laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.  But it is also time to acknowledge that when a majority of people with disabilities are not employed, we still have a long way to go to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans.  Individuals with disabilities represent one of the largest untapped pools of skills and talents in our country.

In July, as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, I released a report urging Congress, the Administration, the business community, and society at large to make the issue of disability employment a national priority.  I hope that this report encourages bipartisan leadership in the public and private sectors that will bring more Americans with disabilities into competitive employment, where they can earn a good living and contribute to the economy.

This month, as we recognize that people with disabilities - like all people - have unique abilities, talents, and aptitudes, I encourage you to think about this year's theme:  "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?"

We must continue to expand opportunities for people with disabilities to make their mark on the world, and help employers learn the benefits of hiring these workers.  Learn more about how to celebrate Disability Employment Awareness Month by visiting the Department of Labor's website: http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/.

A PDF version of the column is available by clicking here.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2012 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced funding to modernize and improve the efficiency of rural electric generation and transmission systems. The announcement was made on the Secretary's behalf by Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager.

"USDA and the Obama administration continue to make key investments in rural electric cooperatives that will modernize service and improve reliability for rural businesses and residential customers," Tonsager said. "Today's announcement also includes funding that will enable rural electric cooperatives and utilities to adopt smart grid technologies in their operation as part of the ongoing efforts to modernize rural America's electric grid."

Secretary Vilsack announced in August that USDA had met its goal to finance $250 million in smart grid technologies in fiscal year 2012. Today's announcement includes additional support of $134 million in smart grid technologies.

The following is a list of rural utilities that will receive USDA funding, which is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan agreement.

Alabama

• South Alabama Electric Cooperative: $17,800,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 144 miles of distribution line and make other system improvements. The loan guarantee includes $125,000 in smart grid projects.

Arkansas (Funding also covers communities in Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.)

• Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation: $245,000,000. Funds will be used to acquire Hot Spring Generating Facility, a 660 MW natural gas-fired, combined-cycle electric generating plant.

California

• Kirkwood Meadows Public Utility District: $50,000,000. Funds will be used to build or improve 40 miles of distribution and transmission line and make other system improvements. The loan guarantee includes $200,000 in smart grid projects.

Colorado

• Eagle Valley Clean Energy, LLC: $40,000,000. Funds will be used to partially finance a renewable generating plant with a capacity of 11.5 MW. The plant will utilize wood biomass for fuel.

Hawaii

• Green Energy Team, LLC: $72,883,000. Funds will be used to partially finance a renewable generating plant with a capacity of 7.5 MW. The plant will utilize wood biomass for fuel.

Iowa

• Southern Iowa Electric Cooperative, Inc.: $10,000,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 106 miles of distribution line and make other system improvements. The loan guarantee includes $135,000 in smart grid projects and $2,043,387 for storm damage projects.

Maryland

• SMECO Solar, LLC: $14,565,000. Funds will be used to finance the construction of the Herbert Farm Solar Project, a 5.5 MW renewable solar-powered generating facility.
• Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc.: $87,160,000. Funds will be used to build 37 miles of transmission line and make other system improvements.

Minnesota and Iowa

• Federated Rural Electric Association: $6,700,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 76 miles of distribution line and make other system improvements. The loan guarantee includes $1,542,000 in smart grid projects.

Mississippi

• South Mississippi Electric Power Association: $480,000,000. Funds will be used to finance a 15 percent share of the Kemper County Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle project.
• South Mississippi Electric Power Association: $90,863,000. Funds will be used to build seven miles of transmission line and four new substations and make communications upgrades. The loan amount includes $67,228,000 in smart grid projects.

Missouri and Oklahoma

• KAMO Electric Cooperative, Inc: $154,600,000. Funds will be used to finance 116 miles of new transmission line, two substations and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $32,120,980 in smart grid projects.

Nebraska

• KBR Rural Public Power District: $13,314,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 129 miles of distribution line and nine miles of transmission line, and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $791,475 in smart grid projects.

New Mexico

• Otero County Electric Cooperative, Inc: $30,886,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 200 miles of distribution line and 10 miles of transmission line, and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $345,000 in smart grid projects.
• Central Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc: $44,973,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 589 miles of distribution line and 30 miles of transmission line, and make other system improvements.

New York

• Delaware County Electric Cooperative, Inc: $5,000,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 53 miles of distribution line, two substations and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $50,660 in smart grid projects.

North Dakota and Minnesota

• Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc: $308,700,000. Funds will be used to build 260 miles of transmission line. The loan amount includes $2,800,000 in smart grid projects.

North Dakota and Montana

• Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative: $54,000,000, Funds will be used to build and improve 520 miles of distribution line and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $659,800 in smart grid projects.

Ohio

• Firelands Electric Cooperative, Inc.: $4,800,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 43 miles of distribution line, and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $1,122,000 in smart grid projects.
• Midwest Electric Cooperative, Inc.: $9,000,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 115 miles of distribution line, and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $288,900 in smart grid projects.

Texas

• San Patrico Electric Cooperative, Inc: $16,853,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 202 miles of distribution line, and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $2,157,754 in smart grid projects.

Texas and Louisiana

• East Texas Electric Cooperative, Inc.: $151,000,000. Funds will be used to finance a 50 MW renewable generating plant. The plant will use wood biomass for fuel.

Washington

• Orcas Power and Light Cooperative: $38,402,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 109 miles of distribution line, and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $24,296,000 in smart grid projects.

Wyoming and Nebraska

• Wyrulec Company: $4,887,000. Funds will be used to build and improve 85 miles of distribution line, and make other system improvements. The loan amount includes $155,700 in smart grid projects.

The $1.95 billion in loan guarantees announced today are provided by USDA Rural Development's Rural Utilities Service. The funding helps electric utilities upgrade, expand, maintain and replace rural America's electric infrastructure. The agency also funds energy conservation and renewable energy projects.

For information on other Rural Development's projects, please visit the agency's new interactive web map at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/RDSuccessStories.html. The map features program funding and success stories for fiscal years 2009-2011.

President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way - strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA's investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values. President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are committed to a smarter use of Federal resources to foster sustainable economic prosperity and ensure the government is a strong partner for businesses, entrepreneurs and working families in rural communities.

USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. Rural Development has an active portfolio of more than $172 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).