He grew up on an Indiana dairy farm and now is leading efforts to strengthen rural communities in the state.

Steve Howell, 62, has spent nearly two months as the new state director for USDA Rural Development in Indiana.

“I’ve really enjoyed it so far,” he said.

Howell said one of his main focuses is informing leaders in rural communities about his office and the funding it has to help finance projects that make them stronger.

“We’re going to have a robust outreach program to make folks aware,” he said.

His new position seems like a dream job for Howell, who has made a career out of explaining to farmers in “plain English” confusing new government laws and policies he had to work hard to understand first.

He’s also been able to provide more insight on farming to government decision makers.

“That’s what I really enjoy about it. Being that interpreter, so to speak, between those two worlds,” he said.

Howell was formerly senior director of industry affairs at the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Growers Association.

He had been with the corn and soybean checkoff organizations since 2016.

Previously, he was director of community affairs for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and deputy district director for late Congressman Mark Souder.

His primary job for the congressman was handling issues related to agriculture, veterans, the military, environment and energy. 

Howell was appointed by President Donald Trump after applying for the position formerly held by Terry Goodin, who served during the Biden-Harris administration.

He said he knew the position was open when several of his peers approached and encouraged him to toss his name into the hat.

“It really is an honor to serve and I think it’s an exciting time to serve in this capacity,” he said.

Howell said he expects the Trump administration, in its dealings with USDA, to focus heavily on “rural prosperity,” not just survival.

He said rural communities in Indiana, despite broadband extensions and other successes in recent years, are still struggling from things like population decline, not enough higher paying jobs and hospitals closing.

“We always say that rural Indiana is a great place to live, work and raise a family, but let’s be honest with each other. We got some challenges,” he said.

Howell said his office has funding to help farm communities with things ranging from water and sewer upgrades to affordable housing.

He feels the dollars work best when leaders in a rural community know what they need, and want to achieve positive results in areas like job creation and attracting new residents.

“It’s really working alongside the forward-thinking community leaders who realize they need to make improvements and we’re available to assist,” he said.

Howell was raised on a dairy farm with about 80 cows in Jay County in the eastern part of the state.

He went on to receive college degrees in political science and public administration before landing his first job as a field representative with Indiana Farm Bureau.

After serving the congressman, Howell did some contract work for the Upper Wabash River Basin Commission before moving on to IDEM, where his main focus was on community and legislative affairs and outreach to the business and the agriculture communities.

He and his wife of 43 years, Debbie, have three grown children, including a son, who works at the family farm, along with 10 grandchildren.

Howell said his father stopped milking cows about 20 years ago. The farm now raises corn, soybeans, wheat and hay along with a few head of cattle on about 1,200 acres.

Howell said other challenges rural Indiana still faces included broadband coverage still not being where it needs to be and schools grappling with lower enrollments.

The financial assistance from his office is in the form of grants and low interest loans.

“We can’t fund everything that comes through out office but there are a number of dollars available each year for the various programs we have,” he said.