logo
Weather page
GET THE APP
ePaper
google_play
app_store
  • Login
  • E-Edition
  • News
  • Sports
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • All Listings
    • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contests
  • Lifestyle/Entertainment
  • Games
    • News
      • Local News
      • PA State News
      • Nation/World
    • Sports
      • Local
      • College Sports
      • State
      • National
    • Obituaries
    • Opinion
      • News
        • Local News
        • PA State News
        • Nation/World
      • Sports
        • Local
        • College Sports
        • State
        • National
      • Obituaries
      • Opinion
    logo
    • Classifieds
      • Place an Ad
      • All Listings
      • Jobs
    • E-Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Login
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • All Listings
        • Jobs
      • E-Edition
      • Subscribe
      • Login
    Home Opinion Investing in rural Pa.
    Investing in rural Pa.
    Opinion, Сolumns
    ROB MORGAN  
    March 8, 2022

    Investing in rural Pa.

    I was appointed state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development for the Commonwealth in October 2021. Thus far, the highlight was seeing St. Luke’s Hospital-Carbon Campus in Carbon County open its doors in November.

    During the tour of the trauma-4 facility, I was told that the hospital would treat about 50,000 emergency care patients a year. To me, that is lives saved in a rural area that prior may not have been possible.

    Last week, President Biden used his first State of the Union address to talk about where our country has been and where we are going. Coming out of a pandemic this brings more emphasis on healthcare projects such as the hospital in Carbon County. USDA Rural Development was able to invest $98.5 million into the project from our Community Facilities direct loan program. The hospital will repay this loan over the next 30 years principal and interest to the U.S. Treasury.

    Thanks goes to the doctors, nurses, paramedics and business partners that made this project possible. Not only will this project save lives, but it can be an economic driver for the region by providing a level of health care that makes the community more attractive to potential businesses looking to relocate. It is projects like this that add value to their communities that make me happy to come to work every day to serve my fellow rural Pennsylvanians.

    The president mentioned a lot we can be proud of and even more to look forward to, especially in rural America.

    The country has faced deep challenges over the past year — and we face even more moving forward. The people of rural America know this better than anyone.

    But rural communities are resilient, and as the success of rural America goes, so goes the rest of the country. In fiscal year 2021, Rural Development in Pennsylvania invested more than $864 million in rural communities.

    That’s why the progress we have made in the Commonwealth over the past year is a good sign for everyone. By investing in water infrastructure and housing, rural business opportunities and the American food supply chain, USDA is helping communities build a foundation for sustained economic growth.

    Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, we’re answering the president’s call to create more resilient, diverse and secure supply chains. Promoting competition in the processing sector will lead to fairer prices for farmers, greater value for workers and more affordable and healthier food produced closer to home for families.

    These investments create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. They help the economy grow from the bottom up and the middle out like the president talked about. And they contribute to a circular economy where the resources and wealth we build in rural Pennsylvania stay right here in Pennsylvania.

    And this is just the beginning. In the State of the Union, President Biden committed to build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes so every child and every American has clean water to drink at home and at school and provide affordable high-speed internet for every American — in every urban, suburban, rural and tribal community.

    The Biden-Harris administration’s plan for the economy is already producing historic wins, and there’s room for everyone to participate, no matter their ZIP code.

    That’s why we’re optimistic that our best days lie ahead.

    By giving everyone a fair shot and providing equitable access to federal resources, we can do our part to carry out the President’s economic vision. That means making more things here at home, strengthening our supply chains and lowering costs for working families. It means giving people opportunities to make a good living without having to leave the communities they know and love.

    For a lot of us, that means staying right here in rural Pennsylvania.

    (Rob Morgan is the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development state director in Pennsylvania.)

    Tags:

    agriculture biden commerce community country economics finance industry loan pennsylvania politics state of the union supply chain

    The Bradford Era

    Local & Social
    Latest news for you
    Pa. charter school CEOs earn more money than superintendents and oversee fewer students
    PA State News
    Pa. charter school CEOs earn more money than superintendents and oversee fewer students
    By OLIVER MORRISON  pennlive.com 
    June 15, 2025
    HARRISBURG (TNS) — Brad Hatch grew up near Altoona and started his career as a teacher in the local school district, working his way up to assistant p...
    Read More...
    Pa. is supposed to ‘immediately’ suspend teachers charged with serious crimes. That doesn’t always happen.
    PA State News
    Pa. is supposed to ‘immediately’ suspend teachers charged with serious crimes. That doesn’t always happen.
    June 14, 2025
    PHILADELPHIA (TNS)— For months after he was arrested in March 2024 on charges of masturbating in a Montgomery County cemetery, Matthew Gagat continued...
    Read More...
    No Kings rally in Veterans Square
    Local News, Nation & World
    No Kings rally in Veterans Square
    By SAVANNAH BARR s.barr@bradfordera.com 
    June 14, 2025
    Veterans Square was packed Saturday afternoon as residents came together to express their discontent with the current administration during the local ...
    Read More...
    {"newsletter-daily-headlines":"Daily Headlines", "newsletters":"Newsletters", "to-print":"To print", "bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Advocates, lawmakers push to limit solitary confinement in Pa. prisons
    Advocates, lawmakers push to limit solitary confinement in Pa. prisons
    June 14, 2025
    HARRISBURG (TNS) — Reform advocates are making another push to limit the use of solitary confinement in Pennsylvania prisons and jails, a long-running...
    Read More...
    {"bradfordera-website":"Website"}
    Varischetti Game to Showcase Local Players June 27
    Local Sports
    Varischetti Game to Showcase Local Players June 27
    Jo Wankel 
    June 14, 2025
    BROCKWAY - The 10th Annual Frank Varischetti All-Star Football game is slated for the end of the month, and several area players were recognized for t...
    Read More...
    State tourism officials: In 2026, Pa. will be the ‘epicenter of the sports world’
    Local Sports, Sports
    State tourism officials: In 2026, Pa. will be the ‘epicenter of the sports world’
    Jo Wankel 
    June 14, 2025
    (TNS) —As golfers teed off during opening day of this year's 125th U.S. Open Championship, state officials inside of a tent overlooking the course's 1...
    Read More...
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    This Week's Ads
    Current e-Edition
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Already a subscriber? Click the image to view the latest e-edition.
    Don't have a subscription? Click here to see our subscription options.
    Mobile App

    Download Now

    The Bradford Era mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the Bradford Era on your mobile device just as it appears in print.

    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Trending Recipes

    Help Our Community

    Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You!

    Get in touch with The Bradford Era
    Submit Content
    • Submit News
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Place Wedding Announcement
      • Submit News
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Place Wedding Announcement
    Advertise
    • Place Birth Announcement
    • Place Anniversary Announcement
    • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
      • Place Birth Announcement
      • Place Anniversary Announcement
      • Place Obituary Call (814) 368-3173
    Subscribe
    • Start a Subscription
    • e-Edition
    • Contact Us
      • Start a Subscription
      • e-Edition
      • Contact Us
    CMG | Community Media Group
    Illinois
    • Hancock Journal-Pilot
    • Iroquois Times-Republic
    • Journal-Republican
    • The News-Gazette
      • Hancock Journal-Pilot
      • Iroquois Times-Republic
      • Journal-Republican
      • The News-Gazette
    Indiana
    • Fountain Co. Neighbor
    • Herald Journal
    • KV Post News
    • Newton Co. Enterprise
    • Rensselaer Republican
    • Review-Republican
      • Fountain Co. Neighbor
      • Herald Journal
      • KV Post News
      • Newton Co. Enterprise
      • Rensselaer Republican
      • Review-Republican
    Iowa
    • Atlantic News Telegraph
    • Audubon Advocate-Journal
    • Barr’s Post Card News
    • Burlington Hawk Eye
    • Collector’s Journal
    • Fayette County Union
    • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
    • Independence Bulletin-Journal
    • Keokuk Daily Gate City
    • Oelwein Daily Register
    • Vinton Newspapers
    • Waverly Newspapers
      • Atlantic News Telegraph
      • Audubon Advocate-Journal
      • Barr’s Post Card News
      • Burlington Hawk Eye
      • Collector’s Journal
      • Fayette County Union
      • Ft. Madison Daily Democrat
      • Independence Bulletin-Journal
      • Keokuk Daily Gate City
      • Oelwein Daily Register
      • Vinton Newspapers
      • Waverly Newspapers
    Michigan
    • Iosco County News-Herald
    • Ludington Daily News
    • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
    • Oscoda Press
    • White Lake Beacon
      • Iosco County News-Herald
      • Ludington Daily News
      • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
      • Oscoda Press
      • White Lake Beacon
    New York
    • Finger Lakes Times
    • Olean Times Herald
    • Salamanca Press
      • Finger Lakes Times
      • Olean Times Herald
      • Salamanca Press
    Pennsylvania
    • Bradford Era
    • Clearfield Progress
    • Courier Express
    • Free Press Courier
    • Jeffersonian Democrat
    • Leader Vindicator
    • Potter Leader-Enterprise
    • The Wellsboro Gazette
      • Bradford Era
      • Clearfield Progress
      • Courier Express
      • Free Press Courier
      • Jeffersonian Democrat
      • Leader Vindicator
      • Potter Leader-Enterprise
      • The Wellsboro Gazette
    © Copyright The Bradford Era 43 Main St, Bradford, PA  | Terms of Use  | Privacy Policy
    Powered by TECNAVIA