WASHINGTON, Sept.2, 2008 – Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Margo M. McKay, in partnership with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), is sponsoring a tour of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The tour will take place September 9-11, 2008, and will include sites in New Mexico and Arizona.

The purpose of the 2008 Southwest Learning and Listening Tour is to facilitate a deeper understanding of the diverse clientele and conditions in which programs are delivered by USDA to TCUs and Tribal Governments in New Mexico and Arizona, as well as to strengthen relationships by meeting these Land-Grant Systems and other stakeholders within their own environments. An intended outcome will be to better serve the diverse needs of its Southwestern constituents and increase the understanding of USDA's programs and services within the scope of the 2008 Farm Bill; particularly, the new Farm Bill's effect within Indian Country and its traditionally underserved farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

TCU initiatives are supported through the joint USDA/AIHEC Leadership Group, an advisory group comprised of 1994 TCU Presidents and USDA Mission Area decision makers, and co-chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Annabelle Romero. This group helps facilitate collaboration between USDA and 1994 Land-Grant Institutions through a Memorandum of Understanding that was updated and signed by Secretary Ed Schafer on February 6, 2008. The USDA/1994 Program, located in the Office of Outreach and Diversity within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, is responsible for coordinating the tour, developing 1994 initiatives, and building this partnership.

This tour will kick-off at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute on September 9, 2008 with an introduction to the complex and complementary relationships between American Indian and Hispanic communities' farming practices along the Rio Grande valley, which will be followed by presentation of this school's agriculture programs. The USDA/AIHEC Leadership Group will visit the Navajo Technical College in Crownpoint, New Mexico on September 10 and Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona on September 11.

Two highlights of the tour will be a Farm Bill Briefing at both the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute on Sept. 9 and with the Navajo Nation at its Tribal Headquarters in Window Rock, Arizona on Sept. 10, 2008. Representatives from each USDA Mission Area will be on hand to provide a report describing how the 2008 Farm Bill affects Indian tribes and the services available to them, including its impact on the well-being of small, beginning, socially disadvantaged, limited resource, and minority farmers, ranchers, and landowners. These updates, chartered with the tribes in New Mexico and with the Navajo Nation, will assist USDA in strengthening its relationships with Indian tribes nationwide by serving as a model.

For further information on the Southwest Tour, contact the Office of the USDA/1994 Program, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250, Mail Stop 9473, telephone (202) 720-7265.