News
Hispanic farmers meet in Las Cruces
By Sara Taylor
Aug 27, 2005, 11:04 pm

 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns listens to a question during a public forum at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum on Friday. Sun-News photo by Vladimir Chaloupka

Hispanic farmers from across the country have gathered in Las Cruces for a three-day conference to discuss agricultural issues proposed in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Farmers from various organizations came together under the umbrella of the National Association of Latino/Hispanic Farmers and Ranchers in the first-ever meeting, which concludes today.

“This is the first ... conference bringing all the different Hispanic farmers from across the country together,” said Raul Medrano, media coordinator for the conference held at the Ramada Palms on University Avenue.

Farmers and ranchers had the opportunity to address their concerns directly to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns.

“This is a really good opportunity to hear from people in the Hispanic community who are farmers,” Johanns said, adding that he planned to incorporate some of the proposals he heard into the 2007 Farm Bill.

Johanns is making a series of stops across the United States, talking to farmers about the proposed farm bill, which guides and funds much of the nation’s ag policy.

Earlier in the day, Johanns presented a $7.1 million check to representatives of five southern New Mexico colonias communities to be used to provide for water and wastewater system improvements. The funds are being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Program and will be divided among Anthony, Chaparral, Columbus, Lordsburg and Bayard.

Farm worker Catalino Frias, left, and farmer Bairo Erregin speak about farming issues during Friday’s National Association of Latino/Hispanic Farmers and Ranchers First Annual Conference at the Ramada Palms de Las Cruces. Sun-News photo by Vladimir Chalou

Bairo Erregin, a farmer from Florida, is one such farmer, who has faced difficulties in getting loans and assistance from the USDA because he does not speak English.  Friday morning, Erregin learned his crops had been destroyed by hurricane Katrina. Erregin was in Las Cruces when he heard the news, so he had not yet seen the extent of the damage for himself.  In the past, Erregin has found that it is all but impossible for Spanish-speaking farmers to get assistance from the USDA after these types of disasters.   “(The USDA) refused to see them if they didn’t speak English,” he said through a translator, referring to a crop freeze in 1995.

Some Hispanic farmers believe the difficulty they face in receiving aid is due to discrimination, preventing Hispanic farmers from receiving loans or creating long delays.

But the difficulties in receiving loans may be due to communication barriers, said Saloman Ramirez of the New Mexico USDA.  Because some of these farmers have limited English skills, they may not receive all the information they need on how to apply for a loan and what assistance is available, he said.

“There’s not enough outreach ... They need some support,” said Tirso Moreno of the Farmworkers Association of Florida.
These services should be available in Spanish, he said.

Throughout the conference, farmers had the opportunity to discuss their concerns with other farmers, which may be of the most immediate benefit for them.

“A lot of the ones that came here just came to learn from others, ... share their experiences,” Ramirez said.

Sara Taylor can be reached at staylor@lcsun-news.com