Alice Wootton serves as the volunteer Market Master for Orange County HomeGrown, whose mission is to “promote the small-town neighborly values, the natural forests, the cultural and recreational opportunities, and the healthy family farms that make Orange County, Indiana, an attractive place to live, work, play, raise a family, start a business, or retire.”

Alice knows that their two markets improve the quality of life for residents and also have a huge economic impact for local farmers. “We estimate that the 24 week market season is filling the pockets of our vendors with about $150,000, a lot of money for our citizens. Our county perennially sits in the top three positions of underserved counties in the state,” said Alice.

Read more here…

Content courtesy of Rural Community Building.

On April 27, the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, (an agency within the Executive Office of the President charged with “offering the President objective economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy”), posted a blog report from their office called Strengthening the Rural Economy.

The executive summary says: “Rural areas are home to about 50 million Americans and are an essential part of the overall economy. This report surveys the current state of rural America and describes the Obama Administration’s policies for strengthening the rural economy. Many of these policies are already being implemented through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. But further work remains to ensure the prosperity and vitality of rural America.”

Read highlights of the report here.

Content courtesy of Rural Community Building.