David Haynes sits down once again with Gary McDowell, former U.P. legislator, U.P. resident, and current director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD).

In this episode, Gary discusses the newly-created Office of Rural Development, which was established this past January by Governor Gretchen Whitmer via Executive Directive 2022-01 and is organized within MDARD.

The Office of Rural Development’s responsibilities include collaborating with stakeholders on rural economic development, collaborating to facilitate rural affordable housing development, collaborating to facilitate expansion of high-speed internet in rural communities, and address ramifications of population and demographic trends in rural Michigan, among other duties.

You can learn more about the Office of Rural Development at https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/about/divisions/mdard-executive-office/office-of-rural-development.