US EDA Grant Awarded to Six Counties to Help Local Farmers

Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 1:26 PM

By City of Batesville, news release

The grant will enable six counties in the I-74 Corridor to examine the agricultural output in their regions.

Shutterstock photo.

(Batesville, Ind.) - The Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation is pleased to announce that the US Economic Development Administration (US EDA) has awarded a $100,097 grant to assist four regions in Indiana in creating a strategy to leverage each region’s agricultural assets. The grant will fund the implementation of the Rural Economic Development Model (REDM): a first-of-its-kind process developed in Indiana to assist rural communities in creating new economic development opportunities for Indiana’s farmers.

The US EDA grant will enable six counties in the I-74 Corridor, comprised of Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Ripley, Rush and Shelby Counties, to examine the agricultural output in their regions to identify opportunities for creating new markets, applications, or processing facilities that can enhance the local value of the agricultural output. This will create new markets and income for local farmers, generate more local jobs connected to agriculture, and capture a greater source of revenue for the region’s communities.

The Rural Economic Development model was created as a collaboration between the Indiana Economic Development Association (IEDA), Indiana State Department of Agriculture and the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) with support from the Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

“As a region, we are focused on leveraging our region’s agricultural assets with the hope of creating new markets, generating more local ag-related job opportunities, and enhancing the revenue of our local farmers,” said Economic Development Director Sarah Lamping.

The Rural Economic Development Model employs a proprietary technology developed by PCRD that enables counties and regions to examine the agricultural output unique to their locale and then engages a local planning team composed of local economic development officials, farmers, and other local stakeholders to create and implement a plan to leverage local agricultural outputs, expand existing agribusinesses and attract new economic opportunities.

The 24-month process kicked off in the fourth quarter of 2021 and will be completed in July of 2023.

More from Local News

Events

Oldenburg Academy Receives Generous Grant to Support Launch of Robotics Team

A countywide VEX VRC High School robotics team is composed of students from Ripley County.

Aurora Elementary Teacher Hopes to Win America's Favorite Teacher Competition

In order to win, Lori Friedhoff needs your votes.

Batesville Location Selected for EV Charging Station

INDOT has announced the first electric vehicle infrastructure awards for the Charging the Crossroads program.

Local Sports Report - March 28, 2024

Report missing high school sports scores to news@eaglecountryonline.com.

Local Sports Report - March 28, 2024

Report missing high school sports scorers and stats to news@eaglecountryonline.com.

On Air

Your Hometown Radio Station playing
Jackson Dean - Don't Come Lookin'

Dustin Lynch Hell of a Night 3:25
Dylan Scott My Girl 3:22
Megan Moroney I'm Not Pretty 3:19
Willie Nelson My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys 3:16