1. NLFRTA
National Latino
Farmers and
Ranchers Trade
Association
Board of Directors
For more information contact:
John Zippert, Chair*
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/
Land Assistance Fund, Epes, AL Rudy Arredondo, President of NLFRTA, Phone: 202 246-0677 Email:
Georgia Good, Vice Chair*
Rural Advancement Fund
hola_5@hotmail.com
Orangeburg, SC
Dorathy Barker, Treasurer* Angela Adrar, Rural Coalition Programs and Communications Director,
Operation Spring Plant, Oxford, NC
Phone: 202 439-7724, Email: angela@ruralco.org
Tirso Moreno, Secretary*
Farmworkers Association of Florida
Apopka, FL For Immediate Release – Statement of National Latino Farmers and Ranchers
Chilo Villarreal, Assistant Trade Association and Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural on USDA’s Updated and
Treasurer* Mexico City, Mexico
Improved Process to Resolve Discrimination Claims of Hispanic and Women
Mily Trevino-Sauceda,
Assistant Secretary*
Farmers
Organización en California de Liderés
Campesinas, Inc., Pomona, CA
January 25, 2012
Darnella Burkett Winston,
Youth Representative*
Mississippi Association of Cooperatives Washington, DC– For months, the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade
Petal, MS
Association and the Rural Coalition have worked directly with Latino producers as
Rudy Arredondo well as community based farming organizations comprised of Latino producers
National Latino Farmers and Ranchers
Trade Association, Washington, DC regarding the USDA’s process to resolve discrimination claims of Hispanic and
Daisy Garrett
Rural Coalition Events Committee Chair
Women Farmers. Although there exists a deep sentiment of disappointment within
Jackson, MS our coalition that the courts denied class certification in both the Garcia and Love
Savi Horne cases, our coalition has worked tirelessly to advocate an acceptable and fair
Land Loss Prevention Project
Durham, NC resolution that assures equality, justice and dignity for Latino and Women producers.
Starry Krueger
We applaud today’s announcement by the USDA.
Rural Development Leadership Network,
New York, NY
Anita Matt, Intertribal Agriculture
Rudy Arredondo, President of the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade
Council, Moiese, MT
Association expressed his deep gratitude to Secretary Vilsack for “demonstrating his
Attaquin Mills, American Indian
Mothers, NC
commitment to equitable treatment of all ethnic stakeholder communities involved in
Maria Moreira
agriculture.” He pledge on behalf of his organization and Rural Coalition and its
Flats Mentor Farm, Lancaster, MA members continue working with USDA “to ensure that what this Secretary
Rhonda Perry
Missouri Rural Crisis Center
accomplishes is institutionalized so we won't have to revisit that ugly discrimination
Columbia, MO
issue” that has ruined the livelihood of so many family farmers and ranchers.
Victor Quintana
At Large, Chihuahua, Mexico
Willard Tillman
“We are encouraged and pleased that the USDA has responded to the concerns of
Oklahoma Black Historical Research Hispanic farmers that their settlement be as equitable as possible, and parallels as
Project Oklahoma City, OK
closely as possible the settlements in the other cases,” said Rural Coalition
Chukou Thao, National Hmong
American Farmer, Fresno, CA Chairperson John Zippert, “We are especially thankful to Secretary Vilsack, the
Carlos Marentes, Chair Emeritus
Attorney General, and President Obama for their action to increase the maximum
Border Agricultural Workers Project recovery level for producers who seek redress under the process to $250,000, in line
El Paso, TX
with the terms the settlements now in force in the Keepseagle and Pigford II
Hubert Sapp, Chair Emeritus
Atlanta, GA
processes.”
Patricia Bellanger, Emeritus
American Indian Movement “We also feel,” continued Zippert, “that President Obama has fulfilled his promise to
Minneapolis, MN
minority farmers by settling all these cases in a meaningful way.” We remain
Marge Townsend, Emeritus
North American Farm Alliance
appreciative of the actions of this administration to secure a just resolution to all of
Windsor, OH the outstanding discrimination lawsuits, and celebrate this most recent breakthrough
John Bloch, Emeritus
Markham Center, Montpelier, VT
involving Latino and Women producers.
Lorette Picciano, Ex-officio
Executive Director Savi Horne, Executive Director of Land Loss Prevention and long time advocate for
*Executive Committee claimants of the Pigford and Keepseagle case, was encouraged that, “Secretary
1029 Vermont Avenue, Suite 601, Washington, DC, 20005
Phone: (202) 628-7160, Website: http://ruralco.org

2. Vilsack and President Obama, have fulfilled their commitment to pursue settlement of all
discrimination lawsuits.” She also noted that as we celebrate these historic redemptive settlements,
“we must continue to work to resolve the statute of limitation barriers that prevent the full resolution
of the program discrimination complaints at USDA and the Title VI complaints at USDA and other
agencies. Let's make use of Agency resources to settle these complainants as well. I have confidence
that only this Obama Administration can do so.”
The Rural Coalition and our members and allies will continue to work with all the farmers and
ranchers we serve until all the outstanding claims are settled for every producer who has been
subjected to unfair treatment.
The Rural Coalition, born of the civil rights and anti-poverty rural movements, has worked for 30 years to assure that
diverse organizations from all regions, racial, and ethnic groups and genders have the opportunity to work in solidarity
on the issues that affect them all. The foundation of this work is strong local, regional and national organizations that
work to assure the representation and involvement of every sector of this diverse fabric of rural peoples.
The National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association organizes farmers, ranchers and farmworkers;
plus provides policy, advocacy and technical assistance.
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1029 Vermont Avenue, Suite 601, Washington, DC, 20005
Phone: (202) 628-7160, Website: http://ruralco.org