NEBRASKA

2008 

PROGRESS 

REPORT

INCREASING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 

AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE 

FOR ALL RURAL AMERICANS.

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ne www.rurdev.usda.gov/ne

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in 

all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, 

age, disability and, where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, 

or because of all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public 

assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program 

information (Braille, large print, audiotapes, etc.) should contact USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

To fi le a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Offi ce of Civil 

Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington D.C. 20250-9410 or call 

(800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer and lender.

Fiscal Year 2008 proved to be a 

banner year for USDA Rural 

Development Nebraska. Investments in our rural communities 

increased by 80 percent the 

past year, approaching the $200 

million milestone!

—Scot Blehm, State Director

A SUCCESS

STORY

PRAIRIE HILL LEARNING CENTER 

GROWS GREEN 

Rural Roca is home to 

the Prairie Hill Learning 

Center, a Montessori school 

that was operating out of a 

25-year-old building located 

on a 12-acre parcel of land. 

This Center reached their 

limit of 28 elementary students and lacked the necessary 

space to accommodate the needs of its existing students and 

the communities’ demand for such education. Many students 

left the school while others were denied enrollment due to 

the space limitations. Recognizing their challenges on space 

and demand, along with their desire to teach the benefi ts 

of energy alternatives to students, Prairie Hills sought their 

fi nancing options to expand and “go green.” 

USDA Rural Development assisted Prairie Hill Learning 

Center with a $488,000 community facility direct loan 

that was leveraged with $149,700 from Prairie Hill. These 

funds constructed the 2,940-square-foot green building and 

refi nanced $179,000 of existing debt incurred when Prairie 

Hill acquired its existing facilities; $100,000 went toward 

electric wind-generation equipment.

Prairie Hill Learning Center’s “gone green” facility, nestled 

adjacent to the existing Prairie Hill building, features solar 

day lighting and heating; photovoltaic panels; wind energy 

generation; rainwater collected from the roof; a “cool roof ” 

energy-saving construction, including straw bales; and an 

energy-effi cient heat pump system. 

Prairie Hill’s green Learning Center can accommodate 

50 students, features two connecting classrooms for upper 

and lower-elementary children, a shared science and food 

preparation area, community room, restrooms and also 

a storm shelter.

Rural Roca is home to 

the Prairie Hill Learning 

Center, a Montessori school 

that was operating out of a 

25-year-old building located 

on a 12-acre parcel of land. 

This Center reached their 

limit of 28 elementary students and lacked the necessary 

$195 MILLION INVESTED IN RURAL NEBRASKA

34206 USDA_NE Progress Report.indd 1 1/13/09 3:46:04 PM
DIRECTORY

INFORMATION

STATE OFFICE INFORMATION

USDA Rural Development State Offi ce 

Room 308 Federal Building

100 Centennial Mall North 

Lincoln, Nebraska 68508

Toll Free: (800) 670-6553 Phone: (402) 437-5551

TDY: (402) 437-5093 Fax: (402) 437-5408

www.rurdev.usda.gov/ne

AREA OFFICE INFORMATION

$195 MILLION INVESTED IN 

RURAL NEBRASKA

USDA Rural Development celebrates a banner 2008 

in Nebraska with $195 million invested in projects that 

assisted rural Nebraskans in areas of housing, business 

and community development, telecommunications and 

electricity. USDA Rural Development delivers loans, loan 

guarantees and grants that assist in sustaining and building rural communities for this generation and the next. 

Business Programs: $19 Million

Business and Industry Loan Guarantees – $14.5 Million

Energy Effi ciency – $2.2 Million 

Renewable Energy – $100,000 

Rural Business & Economic Development – $1.8 Million

Value Added – $123,000 

Rural Cooperative Development – $200,000

Community Programs: $33 Million

Community Facilities – $10.9 Million

Rural Community Development – $124,000

Water and Environmental – $22.4 Million

Housing Programs: $69 Million

Homeownership – $64 Million

Home Repair – $746,000

Rural Rental Housing – $1 Million

Rural Rental Housing Repair – $20,000

Rural Rental Housing Assistance – $3 Million

Telecommunications Programs: $51 Million

Broadband – $48.7 Million

Distance Learning and Telemedicine – $2.3 Million

Digital Public Television – $259,000

Electric Programs: $23 Million

Electric – $23 Million

NEBRASKA AREA OFFICE LOCATIONS

Kearney Area Offi ce

Norfolk Area Offi ce

Lincoln Area Offi ce

Scottsbluff Area Offi ce

North Platte Sub-Area Offi ce

Ainsworth Sub-Area Offi ce

RURAL NEBRASKA

 LETTER FROM

OUR OFFICIAL

USDA Rural Development again made 

remarkable strides in fi scal year 2008. 

We worked across this great state to 

identify communities, entrepreneurs 

and lenders who are excited to take the 

initiative in charting a course toward a 

better future for generations to come. 

Through our efforts to streamline 

our structure and more effi ciently serve our customers, we 

delivered $194.8 million, an increase of nearly 80 percent!

Paramount to our success is the realization that we cannot 

remain a provider of traditional programs via traditional 

delivery methods. We are not in the business of funding the 

obvious, but rather the business of funding the future. Our 

staff responded to these challenges with much success. This 

annual report is a testament that we believe in our mission 

statement of “Investing in Rural Nebraska Communities...

One Relationship at a Time.” Our dedicated employees 

hope to continue to provide the highest level of service and 

professionalism to our customers. We continue to seek strong 

partnerships to leverage returns on the tax payer dollars we are 

entrusted to invest. In doing so, we will continue to make rural 

communities the heart and soul of America. 

I have been privileged to serve as State Director of USDA 

Rural Development. I grew up in a small Nebraska 

community and will forever be extremely proud of my rural 

upbringing. It has been exceptionally rewarding to be part of 

an agency that is dedicated to preserving our rural way of life 

by providing opportunities that change lives. The best days in 

rural communities across Nebraska are yet to come if we can 

continue to experience the success and growth seen over the 

last several years. We stand committed to working with you to 

ensure this happens.

SCOT BLEHM

STATE DIRECTOR

DIRECTORY

INFORMATION

$195 MILLION INVESTED IN 

RURAL NEBRASKA

$195 MILLION INVESTED IN NEBRASKA AREA OFFICE LOCATIONS

RURAL NEBRASKA

2008

INVESTMENTS

Kearney Area Offi ce

(308) 237-3118 

Ainsworth Sub-Area Offi ce

(402) 387-2242 

Lincoln Area Offi ce 

(402) 423-9683

Norfolk Area Offi ce 

(402) 371-5350 

Scottsbluff Area Offi ce 

(308) 632-2195

North Platte Sub-Area Offi ce 

(308) 534-2360

Rural Telecommunications 

Programs 

(402) 543-2129

Rural Electric Programs 

(515) 332-4411

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