USDA Announces Rural Economic Development Funding

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of recipients for grants and loans to help spur economic development and create or save jobs in six states.

The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program (REDLG) program continues to bring economic opportunity to rural communities. In South Carolina, Piedmont Technical College (PTC) needed funding to connect the McCormick County center to a unique fiber optic interactive network called the Piedmont Educational Network (PEN) and to relocate the PTC McCormick County Center to a larger facility. In 2010, RD provided a $500,000 Rural Economic Development Loan to West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc., which, in turn, made a loan to PTC to relocate and renovate its McCormick County Center. The PTC McCormick County Center moved from a 2,200-square-foot log cabin to a much-larger, newly renovated facility. The new classrooms allow students to participate in classes locally, rather than commuting. PTC is able to offer an expanded program with much-needed broadband access for students and the public.