USDA News:

ALBUQUERQUE — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director Patricia Dominguez for Rural Development is asking all New Mexicans to join her in saying ‘thank you’ to every rural small business in the state:

“This week we celebrate all rural entrepreneurs where we honor all rural business owners who make our lives better by providing us with many products that we use every day. We are honoring America’s rural entrepreneurs because they’re so critical to the success of our nation’s economy.”

In New Mexico we see entrepreneurs providing various types of products and services. Because tourism is such a big part of our state’s economy, we have numerous rural businesses welcoming visitors from around the world to the Land of Enchantment.

One such entrepreneurial business is the Burnt Well Guest Ranch in Roswell. The cattle ranching business expanded its business to provide the “Ranching Experience” to people from around the world. Those visiting the ranch learn firsthand what it’s like to be a cowboy. From rounding up cattle to branding, fencing, and animal maintenance.

USDA Rural Development helped the Burnt Well Guest Ranch to be more profitable by providing the financing to install a solar power system. The solar array offsets the cost of electricity the ranch uses which makes the business more profitable. To learn more about the Burnt Well Guest Ranch click here.

The Burnt Well Guest Ranch is one of the many businesses USDA Rural Development has helped over the years in New Mexico. Today, to make it easier to help the small business owner succeed USDA has created a resource guide to help people in rural America start and grow businesses. The goal is to create good-paying jobs in rural communities and strengthen America’s economy.

The guide features information on how rural entrepreneurs can use USDA and other Federal programs to access financing and other assistance to help start and expand their businesses.

Tools to help rural entrepreneurs:

• expand their access to capital to create small business incubators.
• create value-added agricultural products.
• access high-speed internet to connect their businesses to national and global markets.
• cut energy costs.
• access health care resources to enhance the quality of life for their employees.
• access workforce development and training opportunities to improve their skills, products, and services, and more.

To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov, or contact the nearest USDA Rural Development state office.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America.

To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.