WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2007 - Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner announced today that USDA is awarding more than $5 million to institutions and organizations who conduct training, outreach and technical assistance to assure increased opportunities for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

"Producers who participate in these projects tend to increase their farm or ranch income, continue farming or ranching longer, navigate through the loan process more rapidly, and they are less likely to go out of business," said Conner. "This program reaches out to producers who might not traditionally come to us and encourages diverse participation in the full range of USDA programs."

The grants are administered by USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) as part of the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (OASDFR) program, also referred to as the 2501 program. A socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher is one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice without regard to their individual qualities.

OASDFR is an annually run competitive grants program and eligible recipients include institutions of higher education and community-based non-profit organizations that provide capacity-building training and assistance to local farmers and ranchers.

OASDFR grants have had many positive local and regional impacts, as program participants form production and marketing cooperatives, participate in local policy-making, improve environmental quality and improve profitability and sustainability.

Fiscal Year 2007 awards include:

• Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, CA, $297,708
• Alabama A & M University, AL, $300,000
• Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation, AR, $241,434
• Coastal Enterprises, Inc., ME, $300,000
• Council on the Environment, Inc., NY, $65,530
• Developing Innovations in Navajo Education, Inc., AZ, $ 295,910
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives, GA, $299,723
• Fort Berthold Community College, ND, $104,743
• Fort Peck Community College, MT, $300,000
• Kentucky State University, KY, $300,000
• Langston University, OK, $300,000
• Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, MS $265,000
• North Carolina A&T University, NC , $205,000
• Operation Spring Plant, NC, $273,143
• Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, LA, $298,260
• Tuskegee University, AL, $300,000
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, AR, $300,000
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore, MD, $300,000
• University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, $298,749
• University of New Mexico, NM, $300,000
• Virginia State University, VA, $300,000

CSREES advances knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities by supporting research, education, and extension programs in the Land-Grant University System and other partner organizations. For more information, visit www.csrees.usda.gov.