During a visit to Burlington, the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $2.3 million in grants and loans intended to create jobs in rural Vermont.
Krysta Harden said Friday that 13 organizations will share the USDA funding. She says it will help small businesses, farmers and forestry enterprises buy essential equipment, gain access to affordable capital and seek expert advice on how to grow and create jobs.
Among the grants are $102,000 to Green Mountain Farm-to-School in Newport to increase marketing and distribution opportunities to schools for agricultural-related businesses; $97,000 to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to study the use of gas produced by manure digesters to power farm equipment; and $1 million for a loan program for small businesses in northern Vermont.
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