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Hispanic Farmers Fight To Sue USDA
NPR ^ | Oct. 12, 2009 | Wade Goodwyn

Posted on 10/12/2009 2:35:35 PM PDT by La Enchiladita

In Texas and across the Southwest, Hispanic farmers have been fighting the Agriculture Department for close to a decade.

The farmers say the department's Farm Services Agency discriminated against them — denying or delaying loans, and refusing to investigate when they cried foul.

The government settled a similar complaint brought by African-American farmers for $1 billion. And while the claims of discrimination and other factors are almost identical, the Hispanic farmers have gotten nothing.

..."I would go and apply, and it would take about two to three weeks," says Obregon. "Then they would turn me down, say it was a high risk crop or different reasons. But it was always, 'No.' Then I would appeal, and it would take 90 to 120 days, and by then my planting season was over."

Instead of getting his loan in the spring, Obregon says his money would come in November. He would use the late arriving loan to get his family through the winter, and then he'd apply earlier the next year.

But Obregon learned it didn't matter how early he applied. While his white neighbors got their loans in February and planted and raised crops, Obregon seethed and his debt mounted. By 1990, he owed the government $150,000, and the USDA moved to foreclose on his farm. He says it was the same with nearly every Hispanic farmer in the county.

"They were either foreclosed, or they'd take their lands, put them up for auction, and Anglos bought them because they had the finances and they had the way to buy them," he says.

(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: aliens; farmers; hispanic; usda
If the black farmers got $1 billion, imagine what the Hispanic farmers will get. Who will sue next: lesbian farmers, disabled farmers....???
1 posted on 10/12/2009 2:35:35 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
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To: La Enchiladita

Tran-sexual and “gender-challenged” farmers...its obvious, blatant racism./s


2 posted on 10/12/2009 2:40:49 PM PDT by Mister Muggles
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To: La Enchiladita

maybe the reason they got turned down for their loans is that they were bad credit risks....same as the black farmers.


3 posted on 10/12/2009 3:03:00 PM PDT by STONEWALLS
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To: La Enchiladita

And when we (white farmers) get turned down there’s no chance of a lawsuit. Some friends of ours cannot get a loan from FSA (USDA) no matter what they provide. I suggested they have teir young daughter apply - she’s got a better shot.


4 posted on 10/12/2009 3:23:31 PM PDT by small farm girl
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To: La Enchiladita

Thinking out loud, a lot of these farmers might be Acecia farmers. As such, they hold fairly senior water rights out West. If they stop using their allotted water, then they lose their water rights to the next one in line.

Assuming the next one in line is a metro area, like LA or Albuquerque, then this would a long term way of getting water to these areas. On the other hand, this water could go towards conservation areas, for say fish, that the EPA, or whoever, wants protected.

Again, this is just conjecture, but you never know.


5 posted on 10/12/2009 3:33:33 PM PDT by ABQHispConservative (A Blue Dog Democrat is an oxyMoron!)
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To: ABQHispConservative

Why aren’t we building more desalinization plants, water towers, water purification centers, then infrastructure? There is always going to be more than enough, surely the whales won’t miss much.


6 posted on 10/12/2009 4:40:55 PM PDT by Niuhuru (The Internet is the digital AIDS; adapting and successfully destroying the MSM host.)
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To: Niuhuru

I’m sure there is such infrastructure along the Rio Grande and the Colorado river. The thing is, a lot of states in the West depend on river run-off for their water needs. As for desalinization plants, I’m sure the transportation cost, even after purification, is high enough to be prohibitive. Which I guess makes it a perfect government project.


7 posted on 10/12/2009 5:02:09 PM PDT by ABQHispConservative (A Blue Dog Democrat is an oxyMoron!)
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To: La Enchiladita
I didn't know you could farm Hispanics.

I thought they just free-ranged in the wild.


Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

8 posted on 10/12/2009 5:11:21 PM PDT by The Comedian (Evil can only succeed if good men don't point at it and laugh.)
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To: La Enchiladita
.."I would go and apply, and it would take about two to three weeks," says Obregon. "Then they would turn me down, say it was a high risk crop or different reasons. But it was always, 'No.' Then I would appeal, and it would take 90 to 120 days, and by then my planting season was over."

Why would you want to farm in a way that requires loans from the government to be able to continue? It's not a good idea. Answer(?)- it puts the risk on the taxpayer. The taxpayer gets caught holding the bag when the farmer defaults on the loan? No wonder Dad never made any money on the farm. He absorbed all the risk.

Maybe I can sue for risk reparations.

9 posted on 10/12/2009 7:39:45 PM PDT by Western Phil
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To: The Comedian

Go back to Clown Posse. Oh wait, it doesn’t exist anymore.


10 posted on 10/13/2009 10:43:59 AM PDT by La Enchiladita (GO DODGERS!!! ALL THE WAY!!!)
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To: SwinneySwitch

You and your list might have some insight on this.


11 posted on 10/13/2009 10:45:06 AM PDT by La Enchiladita (GO DODGERS!!! ALL THE WAY!!!)
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To: small farm girl; STONEWALLS

Must you make this into a race issue?/sarc

Why can’t the hispanics take their lumps? I thought it was part of machismo to take your lot in life like a man. Did these people fail at farming? It looks to me like they have survived very well. What more can a person want? It is supposed to be the way of this country to succeed or fail by your merits, but not when the culture of grievance pervades everything. Whitey will pay for the weaknesses of non-whites.


12 posted on 10/13/2009 10:51:13 AM PDT by La Enchiladita (GO DODGERS!!! ALL THE WAY!!!)
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To: La Enchiladita

Kemp Davis for NPR

Modesta Salazar stands in front of what's left of the farm
in Pearsall, Texas, that her father bought in 1952.

13 posted on 10/13/2009 11:17:14 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch (Mexico - beyond your expectations!)
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To: La Enchiladita; GOPsterinMA; woerm; bert; altura; bunster; waterhill; FlyingEagle; Playa Pete; ...

Pearsall ping!

If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.


14 posted on 10/13/2009 11:20:43 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch (Mexico - beyond your expectations!)
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To: La Enchiladita

Reminds me of how Lloyd Bentsen’s father got rich.


15 posted on 10/13/2009 11:25:48 AM PDT by La Lydia
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To: Western Phil

That’s right. Farming is risky business, period. No way around it unless you make reality into a grievance. Bunch of crybabies.


16 posted on 10/13/2009 11:38:24 AM PDT by La Enchiladita (GO DODGERS!!! ALL THE WAY!!!)
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To: SwinneySwitch

Looks like Modesta was eating the money intended for maintenance.


17 posted on 10/13/2009 12:04:17 PM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government)
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To: La Enchiladita
Go back to Clown Posse. Oh wait, it doesn’t exist anymore.

I think you're lost. You want GratisRepublico.com, the Hispanic website for Hispanic Hispanics. They use smaller words, in Spanish, and they don't require any ID to log in.


Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

18 posted on 10/13/2009 12:05:48 PM PDT by The Comedian (Evil can only succeed if good men don't point at it and laugh.)
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To: The Comedian

I think you want ‘Phonics for the Unfunny’ dot com.


19 posted on 10/13/2009 12:09:06 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (GO DODGERS!!! ALL THE WAY!!!)
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To: SwinneySwitch

You sure that isn’t a ringer from Dilley?


20 posted on 10/13/2009 1:28:15 PM PDT by norton
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