USDA secretary in Mississippi to discuss rural initiative

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is visiting Mississippi to announce a program geared toward helping rural communities get federal funding to create jobs, build infrastructure and improve their economies. Vilsack and White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice traveled to the Mississippi Delta cities of Clarksdale and Greenwood on Wednesday to discuss the USDA-led Rural Partners Network. The USDA says the new initiative will help groups in rural communities navigate federal programs and access resources and funding to strengthen their long-term economies. Federal staff will be hired and placed in more than 25 rural communities in multiple U.S. states, Tribal Nations and territories.