The 10th Anniversary Conference will be held September 30 – October 1, 2015 at the Hotel Blue in Albuquerque, NM.
The schedule is as follows:
Wed. Sept. 30 (8 AM – 5 PM) – Conference
Wed. Sept. 30 (6 PM – 11 PM) – Reception and Gala Dinner
Thurs. Oct. 1 (8 AM – 5 PM) – Conference and Closing Ceremony
Join us also immediately afterwards for the Rural Coalition’s Assembly in Taos, NM, October 2-3 with Taos County Economic Development Center in Taos, NM. We also invite you to register for both events at a reduced price. See registration option for either event.
WHO WE ARE
The National Latino Farmers and Rancher’s Trade Association is an alliance of Latino farmers, ranchers and farmworkers from the United States, Mexico, Canada, and beyond working together toward a new society that values unity, hope, people and the earth.
The National Latino Farmer and Ranchers Trade Association in partnership with the Rural Coalition has worked for 10 years on three long-term goals:
- Development and implementation of progressive policies responsive to rural Latino farming and ranching communities.
- Identify, organize, and strategize on policy initiatives that assist with the economic development of Latino rural communities.
- Provide capacity development support to members through identifying policy opportunities, markets, and alliances.
WHO YOUR SUPPORT BENEFITS
The support received this year will assure that the Latino farmer, rancher, farmworker, youth and rural communities we serve are able to work together to overcome economic and political challenges through analyzing NLFRTA history and producing a set of legislative and administrative recommendations to enable our members and partners to be successful. Your support will be used to help us expand participation in this event and bring our grassroots leaders federal partners together to confer on concrete changes to improve equity and inclusion across the food system.
PLANNING FUTURE WORK AND CELEBRATING OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
At the Conference, we will share our decade of progress, including some notable achievements.
The 2012 Census of Agriculture, with most data collected in 2013 and released earlier this year, documents an important success story that our shared work of outreach not only on the Census of Agriculture but also in working directly with Latino Farmers and Ranchers shows significant increases in their connection with USDA.
In 2012, the Census of Agriculture showed a net increase of 11,430 Hispanic principal operators. This reflects a contribution of over 10% toward the Secretary of Agriculture’s goal of 100,000 new farmers.
With respect to all operators (farms and ranchers run by couples or more than one operator), the news from the 2012 Census of Agriculture is even stronger – it reflects an increase of 17,234 Hispanic producers, a contribution of over 17% toward the goal of 100,000 new farmers.
However, as this important sector grew at a greater rate than many other sectors, Congress slashed the funds available to support this sector of agriculture. At the same time, poverty and hunger grew in many of the rural communities that we serve. Economic and food insecurity, especially for our children, is increasing also. Communities are more vulnerable to disasters and to scarcity and degradation of resources. Farmworkers and Food Chain Workers face continued injustices. In response, we will develop our agenda and strategies for the coming year, and share outcomes from our new initiatives to help each other succeed in accessing and sharing the resources we need to do our work.
Our challenges remain as great as ever, so as we gather, we will celebrate our accomplishments. Together we move forward to to strengthen our infrastructure and distribution outlets in our farm and ranch communities.
PLEASE JOIN US
On behalf of the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association, we look forward to your presence. We hope you will join us for this 10th Anniversary Celebration and will support us by partnering with us to accomplish equity and provide opportunities for Latino farmers and ranchers across the food system to our mutual benefit.