Weldon Freeman (202) 690-1384

Dane Henshall (202) 260-0996

**USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS LOANS AND
GRANTS**

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2008 -- USDA Rural Development Under Secretary
Thomas C. Dorr today invited applications for four programs to support
businesses and small minority producers in rural areas.

"These programs are vital to rural economies because they promote
entrepreneurship and help local businesses get access to capital,
technical assistance and new markets for their products and services,"
Dorr said. "Helping rural businesses succeed is a fundamental part of
USDA Rural Development's mission."

The four programs under which applications are being accepted are:

-   Rural Economic Development Loans

-   Rural Business Opportunity Grants

-   Rural Cooperative Development Grants

-   Small Minority Producer Grants

The Rural Economic Development Loan program provides zero-interest loans
to Rural Development utility program borrowers, which in turn re-lend
the money at zero interest to local entities to promote economic
development and job creation projects. The Rural Business Opportunity
Grant Program finances training and technical assistance for business
development.

Small Minority Producer Grants are provided to cooperatives or
associations of cooperatives with at least 75 percent minority
representation among their membership and/or governing board. The Rural
Cooperative Development Grant Program helps rural residents form new
cooperative businesses and improve the operations of existing
cooperatives.

+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| **Program**                                     | **Application      |
|                                                 | Deadline**         |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| Rural Economic Development Loans                | March 31, 2008^1^  |
|                                                 |                    |
|                                                 | June 30, 2008^2^   |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| Rural Business Opportunity Grants               | March 31, 2008     |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| Rural Cooperative Development Grants            | April 8, 2008      |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| Small Minority Producer Grants                  | April 8, 2008      |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+

1 Deadline for 3^rd^ Quarter Applications

2 Deadline for 4^th^ Quarter Applications

-more-

-2-

For further details about eligibility rules and application procedures
for Rural Cooperative Development and Small Minority Producer grants,
see the February 8, 2008, *Federal Register*. For further details about
the Rural Economic Development Loan and Rural Business Opportunity Grant
programs, see the February 5, 2008, *Federal Register*.

For additional information in Nebraska, contact the USDA Rural
Development State Office at (402) 437-5551 or contact your local office
by visiting [www.rurdev.usda.gov/ne](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ne).

USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and
improve the quality of life for rural residents. Rural Development has
invested nearly \$91 billion since 2001 for equity and technical
assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business
development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. More
than 1.7 million jobs have been created or saved through these
investments. Further information on rural programs is available at a
local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA\'s web site at
[http://www.rurdev.usda.gov](http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/) .

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