Members of the USDA Minority Farmer Advisory Committee will meet today and tomorrow to finalize recommendations to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on increasing minority participation in USDA programs and services. The committee — which was authorized under the 2008 Farm Bill — supports USDA by finding ways the department can serve minority and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The meeting will be held in New Mexico and will be open to the public for comment on Nov. 3. Learn more.

The USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices, released interest rates for November 2011. The borrowing rate-based charge is 0.125, which is unchanged from October 2011, while the 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans dispersed during November 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.

by Brad Pfaff, executive director, Wisconsin Farm Service Agency 

Earlier this month, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack laid out his priorities for the upcoming farm bill. This bill is about a whole lot more than farming: it’s about supporting the jobs of the future, it’s about keeping pace with the changing needs of agriculture and rural America, and it’s about providing a food supply for the nation. Read more (LaCrosse Tribune).

The latest edition of the MIDAS Press newsletter is now available online. This issue of the quarterly publication spotlights Carolyn Cooksie, executive sponsor of MIDAS, and highlights her perspective on the challenges of change. Additional insights into the business transformation that MIDAS will bring also are also provided by members of the MIDAS project team. The topic surrounding change is timely given the approaching completion of blueprinting, a significant project milestone.  Additional articles include recaps of the demo cross-country tour and MIDAS’ involvement at the NASCOE convention. Read the MIDAS Press.

A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress this month will aim to build the next generation of farmers. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011 addresses many of the challenges facing younger farmers, including limited access to land and markets, the high cost of land and a lack of support networks. “We have to make sure America’s next generation of family farmers have the support they need to continue providing a safe, abundant food supply, said Rep. Tim Walz, (D-Minn), a cosponsor of the bill. Read more (The Columbus Telegram).

New Mexico State Executive Director Salomon Ramirez, whose sudden death on Oct. 22, 2011, was a shock to family, friends, coworkers and the entire FSA family, will be laid to rest tomorrow in New Mexico.

“Salomon was a true friend and I very much valued his advice and counsel,” said FSA Administrator Bruce Nelson. “He was thought of very highly by everyone he worked with in the Farm Service Agency and USDA. His passing is a loss not only for New Mexico, but for the entire nation.”

Ramirez served more than 35 years at USDA, most recently being appointed by the Obama administration as the New Mexico State Executive Director. Prior to that he was director of FSA’s Production, Emergencies and Compliance Division and served as deputy administrator for Farm Programs.

A native of Rociada, N.M., Ramirez was passionate about helping farmers and enjoyed spending weekends on his family’s ranch where they raised cattle and produced hay. He also was a devoted fan of the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas A&M Aggies.

Ramirez is survived by his wife of 34 years, Rosalie Ramirez, daughter Amanda Chavez, son Ryan Ramirez, granddaughter Elana, his mother Angie Ramirez, and many other nieces, nephews, cousins and other family members.

The funeral will be held Thurs., Oct. 27 at Santa Maria del la Paz Catholic Church, 11 College Dr., Santa Fe, N.M., at 10 a.m. A rosary will be recited on Wed., Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at the church. Friends and colleagues can visit a website dedicated to Ramirez’s life and legacy.

Condolences for the Ramirez family can be sent to:

The Ramirez Family
c/o NM FSA State Office
6200 Jefferson NE, Ste. 211
Albuquerque, NM 87109

USDA has decided to cut 12 statistical and commodity reports and reduce the frequency of four other reports in response to budgetary constraints. According to Joe Prusacki with the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the cuts include annual farm number reports, land and farm, livestock operations, bees and honey, and several others. (USDA Radio Newsline) Listen to more.

A $742,526 grant by USDA will provide training to beginning farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma. The yearlong courses consist of business and whole farm planning along with two tracks in horticulture and livestock. (NewsOK).

Crop subsidies in the form of direct payments may be on the chopping block after the debt supercommittee received a recommendation from the Congressional Agriculture Committees to cut $23 billion from farm spending over the next 10 years. But all is not lost. What’s being taken away could be replaced in the form of a crop insurance subsidy. Learn more (NPR).