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USDA and SBA Join Forces to Help Businesses in Rural America

Secretary Perdue and Administrator McMahon sign a Memorandum of Understanding between USDA & SBA to promote stronger businesses and agricultural economies.

(Washington, D.C., April 4, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Administrator Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Administration (SBA), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the SBA to promote stronger businesses and agricultural economies in rural America. The two signed the MOU in Lima, Ohio, where Secretary Perdue was joined by Administrator McMahon for a portion of Perdue’s third “Back to Our Roots” RV tour.

Under the newly-signed MOU, USDA and SBA will enhance collaboration and coordination in areas of mutual interest. Specifically, such collaboration is intended to improve investment opportunities in rural areas, identify ways to increase the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Job Act of 2017, improve innovation for rural technical assistance providers, and aid rural businesses in providing tools to export products around the world, among other goals.

“Most family farms operate as small businesses, so the collaboration of USDA and SBA makes all the sense in the world,” Secretary Perdue said. “Rural America and our small Main Street businesses must know that the Trump Administration aims to increase prosperity across all economic sectors. I’m grateful to be partnering with Administrator McMahon and SBA to best help farmers, ranchers, foresters, and small businesses in rural communities thrive.”

“As small business optimism continues to rise, it is important that we work to create a better economic environment for rural America to thrive,” Administrator McMahon said. “The USDA and SBA are teaming up to develop actions based on the complementary strengths of the two organizations to promote rural development. I look forward to working with Secretary Perdue to strengthen America’s many agricultural small businesses. Together, we are committed to keeping the President’s promise to rebuild our nation.”

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ADVISORY: Secretary Perdue Concludes "Back to Our Roots" RV Tour in Kentucky TOMORROW

(Wilberforce, OH, April 5, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will conclude his third "Back to Our Roots" RV Tour in Kentucky TOMORROW, Friday April 6th with events at Sorghum Farm and Mill to discuss opportunities for veterans in agriculture, a tour of Montgomery County High School’s Agriculture Department including a roundtable discussion with local agriculture leaders, a lunch with the Kentucky Farm Bureau at May’s Lick Mill, and a tour Keeneland Race Track. During the RV tour, the Secretary has heard ideas and concerns from local farmers, agriculture students and researchers, business owners, community leaders, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees.

(You may click HERE or on the GIF above to view pictures from the "Back to Our Roots" RV Tour.)

This is Secretary Perdue’s third “Back to Our Roots” tour since taking office just under a year ago. On his first tour, in August of 2017, Secretary Perdue toured Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. In September of 2017, Secretary Perdue traveled on his second tour to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. This third tour began Monday in Michigan, included stops on Wednesday and Thursday in Ohio, and will conclude tomorrow in Kentucky.

*NOTE: Media interested in covering any of these events must RSVP to press@oc.usda.gov prior to the event.

TOMORROW, Friday, April 6th

Secretary Perdue Visits Sorghum Farm and Mill

WHAT: Secretary Perdue will visit Sorghum Farm and Mill and meet with owner Danny Townsend to discuss opportunities and challenges for veterans in agriculture. After, the Secretary will hold a media availability.

WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, April 6th at 8:30 a.m. EST

WHERE: Sorghum Farm and Mill, 11620 Main Street, Jeffersonville, KY 40337

Secretary Perdue Tours Montgomery County High School

WHAT: Secretary Perdue will tour Montgomery County High School’s Agriculture Department with Mr. Jeffery Arnett, the High School’s Agriculture Director. After the tour, the Secretary will participate in a roundtable discussion with local agriculture leaders. Following the roundtable, the Secretary will hold a media availability.

WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, April 6th at 9:30 a.m. EST

WHERE: Montgomery County High School, 724 Woodford Drive, Mount Sterling, KY 40353

Secretary Perdue Tours Keeneland Race Track

WHAT: Secretary Perdue will tour Keeneland Race Track and have lunch with Keeneland staff. After the lunch, the Secretary will hold a media availability.

WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, April 6th at 12:00 p.m. EST

WHERE: Keeneland Race Track, 4201 Versailles Road, Lexington, KY 40510

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ONE NATION OVERDOSED:

3 Things To Understand About America’s

Opioid Crisis And Pain-Pill Addiction

Each time the American people think the nation’s opioid crisis can’t get any worse – it gets worse.

In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid overdoses, which comes to 116 deaths every day, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, 11.5 million people misused opioids. 

But, in a nation that takes so many prescription medications, perhaps no one should be surprised. And one underlying cause of the opioid crisis could be the way we take care of – or fail to take care of – our bodies.

“There’s a reason why Americans feel that the answer to every health problem is a pill,” says Dr. Raj Gupta (www.drrajgupta.com), founder of Soul Focus Wellness Center and author of Wellness Center Solution: How Physicians Can Transform Their Practices, Their Income and Their Lives. 

“It’s because we don’t really have ‘health care’ in America. We employ a ‘sick-care’ model. We only go to the doctor when we are sick. And then we demand that doctors prescribe something for whatever ails us, and if they don’t we feel like we wasted our time.” 

Antibiotics became so over-prescribed – often used when they weren’t even necessary – that they started to lose their potency. Now, Gupta says, people are doing the same with pills used to combat chronic musculoskeletal pain that results from stress, bad posture, aging bodies, sports injuries, car accidents and other causes.

He says Americans need to step back and understand a few reasons why relying on these powerful pain pills may be the wrong solution for what’s troubling them:

• Pills don’t correct the problem. A pain pill may temporarily take pain away, but it doesn’t fix whatever the underlying cause is. “When the pill wears off, the pain comes back,” Gupta says. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. “I may not know why you are in pain, but I can assure you that it’s not because your body is depleted of Percocet or Oxycodone,” Gupta says. “If you have a pebble in your shoe that irritates you and worsens with each step, the answer is not a pill called ‘Pebble Ease.’  A pill doesn’t remove the irritant.  It covers it up.  Your pain is a physical problem that requires a physical answer.  You must remove the pebble that is irritating you and address the actual problem that is causing the pain.”
• Opioids are addictive, but not always effective. A new study shows that over time opioids don’t provide any more relief for people suffering from chronic pain than other pain relievers that don’t come with so much risk of addiction. In some cases, people using non-opioid drugs such as Tylenol, ibuprofen and lidocaine experienced more pain relief than those who used morphine, Vicodin and oxycodone. “People risk becoming addicted to these pills and yet they may not even be getting the pain relief they’re seeking,” Gupta says.
• You are responsible for your health. True health care consists of doing things that prevent you from getting sick, Gupta says. It involves a balance of proper diet, rest, exercise and a positive mental attitude. “Adopting this lifestyle of preventative healthcare will allow you to lead a prosperous, fulfilling life without the need for drugs and surgery,” he says.

“Our culture has been brainwashed to believe that there is a pill for every problem,” Gupta says. “But the real solution is that we need to move past our ‘sick-care’ model of health care and concentrate on taking better care of ourselves so we don’t feel the need for that pill to begin with.”

About Dr. Raj Gupta

Dr. Raj Gupta (www.drrajgupta.com), who has more than 20 years experience as a chiropractor, is the founder of Soul Focus Wellness Center. He also is author of Wellness Center Solution: How Physicians Can Transform Their Practices, Their Income and Their Lives. He has been featured in US News and World Report Health, Woman’s World Magazine and New York Daily News. He has a doctorate in chiropractic from Life University.