Senators, Governor welcome Agriculture Undersecretary

SENATORS, GOVERNOR WELCOME AGRICULTURE UNDERSECRETARY Dorr will bring funding for rural development efforts, visit self-help program facilities Boise - Idaho Senators Larry Craig and Mike Crapo, and Governor Dirk Kempthorne, are welcoming the U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture for a visit to Boise and Caldwell on Monday, February 10th. Undersecretary Tom Dorr will present Governor Kempthorne with a $50,000 check symbolic of the federal-state-local efforts of the new Idaho Rural Partnership Program announced last month.Representatives from all three offices will accompany Dorr as he addresses the Renewable Energy Conference at the Boise Centre on the Grove, a part of the annual Idaho Ag Summit. Dorrâ??s remarks at the Conference will begin around 8:30 a.m., and the check ceremony in the Governorâ??s office is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. Part of Dorrâ??s portfolio concerns rural housing issues, and about 1:00 p.m., Dorr will tour local self-help housing projects at Manchester Park on Cromwell Street at Manchester in Southwest Caldwell. "Delivery of this $50,000 check to Idaho demonstrates the commitment by the USDA and President Bush to the goals of the Idaho Rural Partnership," Senator Craig said. "Consolidating financial resources and programs on behalf of rural Idaho will strengthen the state's efforts to focus on economic development in those rural areas.""USDA Rural Development has a vital mission for rural America and the programs that Undersecretary Dorr is responsible for are welcome in Idaho,â?? Senator Crapo said. â??Tough economic times result in tight budgets at all levels of government. This makes our commitment to targeted, common-sense uses of scarce federal resources even more important. This program will provide resources where they are most needed, and help set the stage for the robust growth in rural America that we are anticipating.â??"There must be a partnership between the local communities, the state and federal government and the private sector to improve the economic fortunes of rural Idaho," Governor Kempthorne said. "We recently reorganized the Idaho Rural Partnership to better coordinate those effortson behalf of rural communities across our state. This check is an important step in the process of expanding opportunities for residents and businesses who choose to live in our smaller cities and towns."â??The Idaho Rural Partnership brings together a range of public and private interests and organizations to work together for more efficient and effective programs serving rural Idaho,â?? said Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr. â??This funding is performance-based and focuses on increasing cooperation and coordination of efforts to bring the maximum amount