Sallie Clark 

COLORADO — Over the past month, our team at Colorado USDA Rural Development has been hard at work alongside communities across the state – listening, learning, and delivering on our mission to support rural prosperity.   

It was a privilege to represent Rural Development at the recent National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of our nation. I shared a presentation with members of NACo’s Rural Action Caucus on all the great work that USDA Rural Development does and connected with local officials in attendance. I attended meetings and presentations throughout the conference, including the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Steering Committee and the Disaster Task Force. I also had the opportunity to connect personally with county officials from across the country.   

Recently, I met with County Commissioners from Bent and Weld counties as well as Action Colorado and explored how our RD programs can better serve their needs and the needs of their constituents and members. 

I also visited our Delta and Las Animas field offices and continue to be inspired by the dedication of our staff and the resilience of rural Colorado.  I met with several of our federal partners from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to collaborate and discuss how we can bring resources and expertise to the table and make a difference for Colorado. The more connected we are as federal partners, the better we serve our rural communities.  And let us not forget, our state partners. Colorado Department of Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg and I connected to talk about how our missions align, from investing in agricultural infrastructure to supporting farm families and building rural prosperity.  

In partnership with our team USDA efforts to work together, it was great to participate in a lunch and learn event in Sterling and Logan County, Colorado with Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Jerry Sonnenberg and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Clint Evans. They say more happens in a small town and it couldn’t have been more apparent as approximately 100 attendees gathered at Northeastern Junior College for our combined RD, FSA and NRCS team overview of our respective programs and fielded questions. A special thanks to the community members who took time out of their busy ranching, farming, and business schedules to attend, as well as appreciation to the elected officials and staff who joined us.    

I encourage you all to stay connected with RD here in Colorado, whether through this newsletter, visiting one of local offices, or reaching out to our team to visit you in your community. Because, when America Prospers, rural America prospers. 

Sallie Clark serves as the USDA Rural Development State Director for Colorado.