Date Change -- Southwest American Indian Veterans Farming and Ranching Summit Now Set for Thursday, November 1, 2012

Date Change -- Southwest American Indian Veterans Farming and Ranching Summit Now Set for Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Southwest American Indian Veterans Farming and Ranching Summit has been rescheduled and will be held Thursday, November 1, 2012. The decision to reschedule is in direct response to United States Department of Agriculture’s (“USDA’s”) concerns regarding effects of the worst drought in seven decades on Indian tribes and tribal members.

To address these growing concerns and identify potential issues the USDA has partnered with other federal agencies and departments to host a National Tribal Drought and Disaster Recovery conference call that is scheduled for Tuesday, October 30th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. As such USDA has rescheduled the Southwest American Indian Veterans Farming and Ranching Summit from Tuesday, October 30, 2012, to Thursday November 1, 2012. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

For those Indian tribes and tribal members interested in participating on the National Tribal Drought and Disaster Recovery conference call on Tuesday, Oct. 30th, please use the following call-in number: 1-800-593-8987 Pass Code: 6709219. You can participate from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST.

The following federal agencies and departments have partnered to host the drought recovery call: USDA, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA); and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

With regard to the rescheduled Southwest Veterans Farming and Ranching Summit, we look forward to seeing you on November 1, 2012 from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the Santa Ana Star Conference Center near Albuquerque, N.M. For more information, please contact Avelino J. Calabaza at (505) 980-2919 or (505) 465-2824. Seating is limited; please R.S.V.P. with Toni Stanger at 202-557-6212 or email Toni.Stanger@osec.usda.gov.

The Southwest Veterans Farming and Ranching Summit is sponsored by the Office of Advocacy and Outreach.