Hidalgo County FSA staff (front row):  Gracie Pena, Maricruz Cantu, Socorro Rodriguez, Cris Longoria, (back row): Terry Wolfe, Arnulfo Lerma, Mari Hernandez, Franco Trevino, Debbie Burns, Mary Cantu, Marty Garcia, Bee Perez.

The Hidalgo County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Edinburg, Texas, opened its doors around 1939. The office houses a farm program and farm loan team as well as Benny Cano, district director and is co-located with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Rural Development (RD). Franco Trevino, county executive director and Arnulfo Lerma, farm loan manager oversee a staff of 10 employees.

Continue reading "Local Spotlight: Hidalgo County FSA Provides Top Service Year Round" »

Thomas Roque, Jr., works an 800-acre farm that has been in his family for 95 years. Thomas Roque’s family (l to r) Tiffany Roque, sister; Kathie Roque, mother; Thomas Roque, Sr., father; Sydney Roque, daughter; Anna Darensbourg Roque, wife; Thomas Roque, Jr.; Theresa Roque, aunt. 

When Mike Sullivan met a 30-year-old beginning farmer, he never thought it would launch a relationship that would influence an entire African-American farming community in the Cane River region of Louisiana.

“Sometimes good things can come out of a not-so-good situation,” said Sullivan, farm loan manager in the Natchitoches Farm Service Agency.

That’s what happened the day Thomas Roque, Jr., walked into the Natchitoches FSA County Office. Roque was hoping to get a loan to purchase calves to raise and sell for profit on his family’s 800-acre farm, purchased by his great-great grandparents Emmitte and Cecile in 1916.

But things didn’t work out as easily as he hoped.

Continue reading "Loan Denial Builds Positive Relationship Between Louisiana Black Community and FSA" »

After 34 years of service as a program technician, Laura Ailts will retire on Dec. 2 from the Nobles County FSA office in Minnesota. “A lot of things have changed over the years, but things that don’t change are the farmers,” said Ailts, who has worked with three generations of family farmers. Although she has a few part-time jobs lined up after retirement, she plans to spend most of her time working on her golf swing. Read more (Daily Globe).

A historic gathering of former Secretaries of Agriculture will occur at the 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum. Secretary Tom Vilsack will moderate a plenary panel of former Secretaries of Agriculture invited to speak on “Agriculture: Visions of the Future.”  At least six of the last eight Secretaries will participate on the panel, which will be held Feb. 23-24, 2012, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va. Learn more or register today (USDA Blog).

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for December 2011. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.125, which is unchanged from November 2011, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans dispersed during December is 1.125 percent, unchanged from last month. Interest rates for Farm Storage Facility Loans and discount rates for the Tobacco Transition Payment Program also are available. Read more.