NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MSC 3189, P.O Box 30005 - Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003-8005 Office of the Director/Secretary Dr. I. Miley Gonzalez, Director/Secretary
MEDIA ADVISORY	Fax: (575) 646-8120

New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) will administer financial assistance to eligible aquaculture producers in New Mexico who produced an aquaculture species for which 2008 feed costs represented at least 25 percent of the producer’s total input costs for the aquaculture operation, as certified by the producer.  New Mexico was allocated $5,837 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and will be administered following basic USDA-CCC and ARRA guidelines.

Administrative Program Process

The one-month application period has been extended to October 30, 2009, during which eligible aquaculture producers must complete an application that includes self-certification of species, aquaculture feed purchases (NMDA tonnage report filed by feed registrant or an affidavit from the feed manufacturer stating tonnage purchased) and feed price data for the year 2008. NMDA has chosen the direct cash payment method of assisting eligible aquaculture producers.

For further information and to download application packets, please visit http://www.nmda.nmsu.edu/  or call Tim Darden at (575) 646-3107.

 
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