U.S. Department of Agriculture launches AskUSDA Contact Center Program
Upcoming Events
Related News

Key Takeaways
On November 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the official launch of the AskUSDA Contact Center program – a centralized hub for phone, chat and web inquiries. AskUSDA also contains thousands of answers to frequently asked questions for USDA programs that serve a variety of audiences. This new portal will help streamline and improve USDA’s customer service process for recipients of nutrition services, disaster aid or federal grants and loans.
USDA provides many critical programs and services that counties – particularly rural counties – rely on. While there are many funding opportunities for rural counties through USDA loan and grant programs, the application process for these funds can be challenging to navigate. Earlier this year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA announced their COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide which contains information about programs and funding opportunities for rural counties to help address the public health crisis. AskUSDA will help county officials better understand these new resources and navigate the application process more efficiently.
The public can contact AskUSDA by phone at (833) ONE-USDA between 9:00 am-5:30 pm EST on weekdays. The website is available 24/7 and live chat agents are available 10:00 am-6:00 pm EST on weekdays. Inquiries can also be sent via email at any time to askusda@usda.gov.

Attachments
Related News

California county program helps spark student careers
San Diego County created a win-win program to fill open staff vacancies and give college students real-world work experience.

California county, non-profit help launch child-care startups
Adrianna Segura, a Stanislaus County, Calif. mother of two, was licensed to be a home-based child-care provider, but she didn’t know the first thing about starting a business. She knew how to take care of children, but she wasn’t sure how to file taxes, create contracts or what her rate should be.
2025 Rural Innovation Summit brings together rural development leaders at NACo headquarters
On April 10, NACo hosted the 2025 Rural Innovation Summit at its Washington, D.C. headquarters, convening more than 60 rural development leaders, practitioners, policymakers and advocates for a day of in-depth policy dialogue, partnership building and federal advocacy.