Kalee Olson News Today

(Lyons) -- Rural, small business advocates are pushing for continued federal funding geared towards microloans and technical assistance.

By Elizabeth Ouzts for Energy News Network.Broadcast version by Shanteya Hudson for North Carolina News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration As the first frost visits the mountains of western North Carolina, thousands of households are bracing themselves. Thinly insulated manufactured homes will provide little barrier to the cold. Gaps around doorways will invite it in. ...

West Virginia House delegates passed a bill this week that would allow raw milk products from farmers to be sold directly to consumers. Maria Moles, owner of Meadow Branch Farms in Clay County, and a member of the West Virginia Alliance for Raw Milk who has been milking cows for more than a decade, said the bill will make it easier for small farmers to get their raw dairy products to consumers. "We need the legislators to listen to the farmers. " ...

A Georgia group is using some U.S. Department of Agriculture Housing Preservation Grant funding to help people stay in and better afford their homes, while also saving energy. Its one of more than 200 projects transforming rural housing, infrastructure and economic conditions with federal funds. ...

(KMAland) -- Dozens of Microenterprise Development Organizations from 28 states, including Nebraskas Center for Rural Affairs, have signed a letter urging Congress to support the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Act.

The program was designed to help rural entrepreneurs and small businesses, many of whom might otherwise struggle to obtain loans and technical assistance.

Dozens of Microenterprise Development Organizations from 28 states, including Nebraskas Center for Rural Affairs, have signed a letter urging Congress to support the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Act. Kalee Olson, senior policy associate at the center, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture program has been included in the Farm Bill since 2008. ...

Folks in Uehling are planning a sweet melodrama in hopes of raising scholarship funds.

Individual farmers and ranchers, as well as agricultural businesses and producer groups, may apply for the grants.

For agricultural producers and rural business owners interested in making the shift to renewable energy, the time is now to apply for the Rural Energy