Increasing economic

opportunity

Message from 

the State

Director

USDA Rural Development offers citizens and

communities in rural Louisiana financial opportunities to

improve their quality of life and increase economic

opportunity. Through our loan and grant programs,

individuals and communities are gaining access to

quality drinking water and environmentally-safe waste

water systems, new homes, better health care facilities,

safer streets, quality multi-family housing, new business

opportunities, and much, much more.

As a result of President Bush’s vision for rural America

and the support of Louisiana’s Congressional

delegation, USDA Rural Development invested over

$396 million in Louisiana’s rural areas during 2005.

These dollars ensured Louisiana’s rural citizens a

chance at homeownership, an opportunity for

affordable rental housing, access to jobs, and the

power to build stronger communities.

As we were ending a very successful year, Hurricanes

Katrina and Rita dealt a lethal blow to many rural areas

of Louisiana. As a result, citizens and communities are

facing challenges they never thought possible. We

anticipate many years of rebuilding ahead for the

hurricane-impacted areas. USDA Rural Development

is working hand-in-hand with the Louisiana Recovery

Authority, communities, and individuals to help rebuild

Louisiana—stronger and better.

I look forward to serving the citizens of rural Louisiana

in 2006.

MICHAEL B. TAYLOR

State Director

Louisiana

Dynamic Industries, Inc.

New Iberia, Louisiana

Dynamic Industries, Inc., is

principally engaged in fabricating

offshore production platforms and

providing maintenance services

for oil and gas exploration and

production companies. Dynamic

also provides a number of other

services to the oil and gas

industry, including pipeline

fabrication, plant maintenance,

plant repairs and upgrades, used

jacket storage and refurbishment,

and a variety of plant

management services.

USDA Rural Development issued

a Loan Note Guarantee in 1999,

for $3.5 million to fund a topside

fabrication facility at the Port of

Iberia located in New Iberia,

Louisiana. A subsequent 

$8 million Loan Note Guarantee

was issued in 2004. Dynamic

Industries, Inc., utilized the

subsequent guaranteed loan

funds to purchase equipment,

provide permanent working

capital to support purchase of an

existing business, and

consolidate existing real estate

and equipment loans, including

refinancing the previous USDA

Rural Development guaranteed

loan.

In seven short years, Dynamic

Industries has become one of the

largest privately-held companies

in Acadiana with over 1,500

employees. 

USDA Rural Development

United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development

Homeownership Opportunities

Affordable Rental Housing

Job Creation/Economic Development

Community Infrastructure/Essential Facilities

Building communities from the ground up!

Dynamic Industries owner Michel “Mike” Moreno with employee Joseph Clay in front of

refurbished oil platform.
Improving

quality of life

United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development

A State in Crisis

Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall

in Louisiana. Hurricane Rita followed on 

September 24, 2005. These two terrible storms left a

path of destruction through Louisiana that resulted in

lost homes, businesses, jobs––even lost communities.

USDA Rural Development immediately responded to

these two devastating storms by: (1) establishing

special hurricane provisions for borrowers and

applicants, (2) mobilizing resources to place evacuees

in USDA Rural Development-financed housing, 

(3) working with impacted communities to identify

immediate and long-term needs, and 

(4) coordinating with other federal, state, and local

agencies to develop a holistic plan to rebuild

Louisiana’s hurricane-impacted communities.

USDA Rural Development developed a nationwide

inventory of multi-family housing apartment vacancies

and Real Estate Owned properties, and over 30,000

housing units were identified throughout the United

States. During the weeks that followed Hurricane

Katrina and Hurricane Rita, USDA Rural Development

staff visited with over 15,000 evacuees in Louisiana

and placed over 1,100 families in housing units in

Louisiana.

Contempo Apartments

Hammond, Louisiana

USDA Rural Development maintains a portfolio in

Louisiana of 409 multi-family housing properties,

consisting of 12,651 units (apartments). Many of

these properties are over 20 years old, and face

significant physical needs. 

Each year, USDA Rural Development invests

funds to revitalize multi-family housing

complexes. During 2005, Livingston

Management, Inc., completed a $1.1 million 

rehabilitation of Contempo Apartments in

Hammond, Louisiana. This renovation was

funded by a USDA Rural Development Section

515 Rural Rental Housing Loan. 

As a result of this USDA Rural Development

funding, the quality of life for residents of

Contempo Apartments has improved

significantly—new paint, new siding, new

kitchens, new bathrooms, new carpet—new

everything! Pride has been restored to the

neighborhood, and families are enjoying

attractive, decent, safe, and affordable housing.

2005 Investment in Louisiana

Single Family Housing Programs $144,247,421

Multi-Family Housing Programs $23,942,260

Business and Cooperative Programs $28,721,000

Community Programs $199,156,070

Total Investment $396,066,751

Congressman Bobby Jindal joined State Director Mike Taylor to celebrate renovation of Contempo Apartments in Hammond, Louisiana. 

Featured left to right: Robert Whittington, Mike Taylor, Yvonne Emerson, Congressman Jindal, Mayor Mayson Foster of Hammond, 

Claude “Bud” Smack of Regions Bank, Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess, Dottie Whittington, Doyle Whittington, Ryan Whittington, 

and Justin Crossie of Senator David Vitter’s office. The Whittington Family owns Comtempo Apartments.
Single Family Housing Programs

Increasing homeownership opportunities in Louisiana

Equity

USDA Rural Development

USDA Rural Development is

helping hundreds of rural

Louisiana residents achieve the

dream of homeownership.

Considered the “best deal in

town,” our homeownership loan

programs have helped 1,413

families purchase a home, seven

families refinance their homes,

and 250 families improve their

homes during 2005.

The Direct Homeownership

Loan Program (Section 502)

provided $28.5 million in loans in

2005 to Louisiana’s lower income

individuals and families. Serving

rural persons whose incomes are

below 80 percent of the median

income, no down payment is

required and interest rates are set

by USDA Rural Development

based on family income.

The Guarantee Loan Program

(Section 502) provided $113.6

million in guaranteed housing

loans in 2005 to Louisiana’s

moderate income individuals and

families, providing opportunities

for both potential homeowners

and lenders. Interest rates for

guaranteed loans are negotiated

between the lender and the

borrower, and no down payment

is required.

The Home Repair Loan and

Grant Programs (Section 504)

provided $1.8 million in 2005

through loans and grants to help

very low income rural families in

Louisiana repair their homes.

Grant eligibility is restricted to

very low income rural

homeowners age 62 and older

who cannot afford to borrow the

full amount required for

necessary repairs to remove

health and safety hazards.

The Self-Help Housing Program

(Section 523) provided $434,250

to non-profit organizations in

Louisiana to administer programs

to help families build their own

homes. Using this funding, nonprofit organizations select

families, provide economic

counseling, purchase building

materials and tools, and hire

construction supervisors. The

selected families work together to

build their own homes—

performing approximately 65

percent of the labor. The “sweat

equity” provided by the families

brings the total cost of the house

down—making homeownership

more affordable and achievable.

Housing Application Package

Grants were awarded to five nonprofit organizations to promote

USDA Rural Development single

family housing programs in their

communities. The non-profits

solicited homeownership loan

applications, provided home

buyer counseling, and conducted

preliminary credit checks on

applicants. 

Direct Homeownership Loan Program (Section 502)

Very Low Income 180 Loans $16,421,885

Low Income 124 Loans $12,034,810

Total 304 $28,456,695

Guaranteed Loan Program (Section 502)

Loans 134 Loans $1,060,973

Grants 116 Grants $742,406

Total 250 $1,803,379

Home Repair Loan and Grant Programs (Section 504)

Purchase 1,109 Loans $112,943,273

Refinance 7 Loans $607,324

Total 1,116 $113,550,597

Self-Help Housing Program (Section 523)

Technical Assistance 1 Grant $404,250

Pre-development 3 Grants $30,000

Total 4 $434,250

Housing Application Package Grants

Grants 5 Grants $2,500

As a result of USDA Rural Development single family housing programs,

over 1,600 rural families benefited from new housing, refinancing, or

home improvements in Louisiana during 2005.
USDA Rural Development’s multifamily housing loan and loan

guarantee programs make it

possible for families and the

elderly to live in affordable rental

housing in rural areas. 

There are 12,651 multi-family

rental units in 409 multi-family

complexes in Louisiana that are

financed by USDA Rural

Development. Many of the

tenants in these complexes are

single heads of households, and

many are elderly or disabled. 

The Rural Rental Housing

Program enables very low-, low-,

and moderate-income rural

residents to have access to and

enjoy safe, decent, sanitary

shelter. 

Repair and rehabilitation loans

(Section 515) provided $1.2

million to improve 52 units of

housing in one complex in

Louisiana.

The Rental Assistance Program

(Section 521) provided reduced

rents for low-income households

in rural rental housing complexes

financed by USDA Rural

Development. During 2005, $22.5

million in rental assistance was

used to assist 2,520 households

pay rent in USDA Rural

Development-financed complexes

in Louisiana.

Housing Preservation Grants

(Section 533) helped 109 families

in Louisiana make repairs to their

homes with $287,502 in USDA

Rural Development assistance.

Multi-Family Housing Programs

Providing affordable housing in Louisiana’s rural communities

Rural Rental Housing Program (Section 515)

Rehabilitation 52 Units $1,190,815

Rental Assistance Program (Section 521)

Repairs 109 Homes $287,502

Housing Preservation Grants (Section 533)

Family 1,758 Units $13,331,184

Elderly 734 Units $8,978,280

Servicing 28 Units $154,479

Total 2,520 Units $22,463,943

Security

Message from the Secretary

USDA Rural Development

As a result of USDA Rural Development multi-family housing

programs, over 2,500 families benefited from rental assistance, 52

families are enjoying improved housing, and 109 elderly families

made critical home repairs in Louisiana during 2005. 

On May 11, 2005, USDA Rural Development

celebrated 70 years of service to America. Much has

changed since 1935 when the crisis was the

Depression, our mission was agricultural

stabilization, and the cutting edge was rural

electrification. Today, rural America is dynamic and

diversified; the cutting edge is broadband and

renewable energy. Our Rural Development mission

is increasing economic opportunity and improving the

quality of life in rural America. But from 1935

through today, one thing has remained constant:

the commitment of the men and women of USDA

Rural Development to the future of rural

communities. 

That commitment was demonstrated in dramatic

form by the response of Rural Development to the

unprecedented series of hurricanes that slammed

into the Gulf Coast in the late summer and autumn of

2005. Hurricane Katrina –– the most destructive

storm ever to hit the United States in terms of

property damage, though fortunately not in loss of

life –– was followed in rapid succession by Rita and

Wilma. The damage was immense; the loss of life,

heavy. Outside of New Orleans and Biloxi, most of

the devastated areas were rural. Rural Development

personnel –– including many who had lost their own

homes –– worked around the clock to staff recovery

centers and provide shelter. They worked with our

federal, state, local, and nonprofit partners to repair

water, telecommunications, and electrical systems.

By mid November, more than 9,700 evacuees had

been housed in Rural Development-funded units in

42 states. And in the months and years ahead,

Rural Development will play an important role in

rebuilding housing, community facilities, and

infrastructure throughout the disaster area.

This is merely one example, although a dramatic

one, of the vital work Rural Development is doing

each and every day across rural America. Since the

beginning of the Bush Administration, Rural

Development has invested more than $63 billion and

created or saved more than 1.1 million jobs in rural

communities. We have assisted almost a quarter of

a million rural families to achieve the dream of

homeownership and invested almost $5 billion in our

business programs alone. 

The future holds

challenges, but it also

holds great promise.

As you plan for the

future, USDA Rural

Development is here

to support you and

your community. We

are locally based; as

your neighbors, our

employees are rooted

in your communities and share your values and

concerns, just as we have since 1935. We are

proud of Rural Development’s record of achievement

throughout the past 70 years, and we look forward to

working with you to bring increased opportunities to

Louisiana as we work together to build an even

stronger rural America. 

MIKE JOHANNS

Secretary

United States Department of Agriculture
Through our business and

cooperative programs, USDA

Rural Development is helping to

build and expand Louisiana’s

workforce. During 2005, 796

jobs were created and/or saved

by $28.7 million in USDA Rural

Development business program

funding. This funding assisted

rural communities to achieve

economic development and job

creation goals.

Business and Industry

Guaranteed Loans (B&I)

provided incentives for banks

and lenders to promote

establishment of businesses in

rural communities. During 2005,

over $27.7 million in business

loans were guaranteed by USDA

Rural Development in Louisiana.

Rural Business Enterprise

Grants (RBEG) totaling

$445,000 were awarded to

private non-profits and a public

body in Louisiana to finance and 

facilitate small and emerging

businesses in rural areas during

2005.

A Rural Economic

Development Loan (REDL)

provided $418,200 in funding to

an electric cooperative to enable

the cooperative to provide a loan

to an existing small business for

equipment and expansion during

2005.

The Renewable Energy

Systems and Energy Efficiency

Improvement Grant Program

(Section 9006) provided $49,950

to a Louisiana agricultural

producer to make energy

efficiency improvements to a

poultry operation during 2005.

A Value-Added Producer Grant

(VAPG) was awarded to an

agricultural producer group in

2005 to conduct a feasibility

study for locating a small-scale

soybean extrusion processing

facility in Louisiana.

Southern University and A&M

College received $100,000 in

business program funding during

2005 to provide outreach and

technical assistance to

entrepreneurs, businesses, and

cooperatives in four rural

parishes. 

Business and Cooperative Programs

Creating jobs and strengthening the economy in Louisiana

Business and Cooperative Programs

Business and Industry

Guaranteed Loan 7 Loans $27,690,500

Rural Business Enterprise

Grant 4 Grants $445,000

Rural Economic

Development Loan 1 Loan $418,200

Section 9006 1 Grant $49,950

Value-Added Producer

Grant 1 Grant $17,350

1890 Cooperative

Agreement 1 Grant $100,000

Total 15 Projects $28,721,000

Opportunity

Message from the Under Secretary

USDA Rural Development

As a result of USDA Rural

Development business and

cooperative programs, over

790 jobs were created 

and/or saved in Louisiana

during 2005.

The face of rural America continues to change, and

USDA Rural Development is changing with it. No

longer the “lender of last resort,” we are rural

America’s investment bank, a venture capital entity

that creates jobs, promotes business development,

and provides community facilities and affordable

housing. Our goal is to build viable and sustainable

rural communities. 

In each of the last five years, the Bush

Administration has invested about $13 billion in rural

America. Rural Development has provided housing,

water and sewer funds, hundreds of millions of

dollars in business loan guarantees,

telecommunications and electricity loans and grants.

Public safety buildings, rescue equipment, libraries,

town halls and access to broadband have all been

made possible through the efforts of Rural

Development. 

One of the biggest challenges facing our nation is

the need for renewable energy. In our ongoing effort

to promote development of new energy sources,

USDA Rural Development in 2005 funded 154

renewable energy grants and two renewable energy

loans totaling $32.3 million. Additionally, through the

Value Added Producer Grant program, Rural

Development provided $2.8 million for 30 more

energy related projects.

From wood fired generating plants to wind turbines,

biofuel production, and anaerobic digesters, USDA

Rural Development is financing new sources of

renewable energy while offering farmers and

ranchers a potential new source of income. 

At Rural Development we are working to ensure that

all Americans have access to the technological

revolution sweeping the nation. Imagine that in

2005, Rural Development made a loan to an isolated

area in Michigan that will provide 309 residential

customers, 18 businesses, and 290 gas well

subscribers with telecommunications services for the

first time and imagine that the isolated town of

Hughes, Alaska will become an Internet “hot spot”

thanks to new service funded through a Rural

Development grant.

What makes all this

happen are the USDA

Rural Development

employees. The

incredible job our

employees did to

provide aid to the

victims of Hurricanes

Katrina, Rita, and

Wilma was amazing.

Working with our

federal, state and local partners, Rural Development

found housing for thousands of evacuees, staffed

over 80 recovery centers, handled thousands of calls

and met face to face with thousands of victims. I’m

proud of the job our employees do every day.

They’re highly skilled, dedicated, and truly

“Committed to the Future of Rural Communities.” 

THOMAS C. DORR

Under Secretary for Rural Development

United States Department of Agriculture
Community Programs

Improving the quality of life in rural Louisiana 

Progress

USDA Rural Development

As a result of USDA Rural

Development community

programs, 33 critical water and

waste projects and 46

community facilities projects

were funded in Louisiana

during 2005. Eighty-six rural

communities in Louisiana

benefited from 

over $89.5 million in funding.

Expanding populations in rural

areas dictate the need for new,

improved, or expanded water

and/or waste water systems.

USDA Rural Development helps

communities address these needs

by providing loan and grant

funding to construct, improve, or

expand these essential systems. 

The Water and Waste Disposal

Direct Loans, Loan Guarantees,

and Grants Programs provided

over $40.9 million in loans, loan

guarantees, and grants to build,

expand, or repair water or waste

systems in Louisiana during 2005.

A Solid Waste Management

Grant provided a grass-roots

Louisiana non-profit organization

$99,600 to fund a multi-parish

solid waste recycling program

during 2005.

Through Rural Broadband

Access Grants and a Rural

Broadband Access Loan USDA

Rural Development invested $6.2

million to connect essential

community facilities in rural towns

and communities where no

broadband services currently

exist.

USDA Rural Development also

provides financial assistance for

essential community facilities such

health care, schools, libraries,

child care, assisted living, police

stations, fire stations, public

buildings, and transportation. 

More than $42.2 million in

Community Facilities Loans,

Guarantees, and Grants

provided rural communities in

Louisiana essential public facilities

such as schools, hospitals, police

stations, fire stations, town halls,

community centers, assisted-care

facilities, Emergency 911 access,

and much more during 2005.

Electric Loans and Guarantees

provided over $109.6 million to

nonprofit and cooperative

associations, public bodies, and

other utilities to finance

construction of facilities for

distribution of electric power in

rural areas of Louisiana during

2005. 

Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loans, Guarantees, and Grants

Loans 27 Loans $26,314,200

Grants 27 Grants $14,642,631

Total 54 $40,956,831

Solid Waste Management Grant

Loans 1 $4,995,000

Grants 2 $1,200,727

Total 3 $6,195,727

Rural Broadband Access Loans and Grants

Grant 1 Grant $99,600

Community Facilities Direct Loans, Guarantees, and Grants

Loans 14 Loans $28,387,610

Guarantees 4 Guarantees $11,799,220

Grants 36 Grants $2,019,082

Total 54 $42,205,912

Electric Program Loans and Loan Guarantees

Loans 2 $105,698,000

Guarantees 1 $4,000,000

Total 3 $109,698,000
Contact Us

Area I

Monroe Area Office

2410 Old Sterlington Road, Suite C

Monroe, Louisiana 71203

Telephone: (318) 343-4467

Parishes Served:

Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, East Carroll,

Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse,

Ouachita, Richland, Tensas, Union, and West Carroll

Area II

Natchitoches Area Office

6949 Louisiana Highway 1 Bypass, Suite 103

Natchitoches, Louisiana 71457

Telephone: (318) 352-7100

Parishes Served:

Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, Grant,

Natchitoches, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Vernon,

Webster, and Winn

Area III

Lafayette Area Office

Whitney National Bank Building

905 Jefferson Street, Suite 320

Lafayette, Louisiana 70501-7913

Telephone: (337) 262-6601

Parishes Served:

Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron,

Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry,

St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion

Area IV

Amite Area Office

805 West Oak Street, Room 3

Amite, Louisiana 70422

Telephone: (985) 748-8751

Parishes Served:

Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East

Feliciana, Jefferson, Iberville, Lafourche, Livingston,

Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, 

St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, 

St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington,

West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana

Visit our webpage at:

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/la/

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all 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 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, audiotape, etc.) should contact

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

To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office 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.

State Office

3727 Government Street

Alexandria, Louisiana 71302

Telephone: (318) 473-7921

Fax: (318) 473-7829