Secretary Perdue Kicks Off Fourth "Back to Our Roots" Tour in New Mexico on MONDAY

ADVISORY: Secretary Perdue Kicks Off Fourth "Back to Our Roots" Tour in New Mexico on MONDAY (Washington, D.C., May 11, 2018) -- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will be in New Mexico on MONDAY, May 14th to visit Santa Fe national forest headquarters, tour the Santa Fe watershed, and participate in a roundtable discussion with Governor Susana Martinez and New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte. Secretary Perdue is embarking on his fourth "Back to Our Roots" tour to hear ideas and concerns from local farmers, ranchers, producers, foresters, agriculture students, business owners, community leaders, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees. The tour will last through Thursday and include stops in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. During different segments of the tour, Secretary Perdue will also be joined by Governor John Hickenlooper (CO) Governor Pete Ricketts (NE), Agriculture Commissioner Don Brown (CO), Agriculture Director Doug Miyamoto (WY), Director of Agriculture Steve Wellman (NE), and American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall. This is Secretary Perdue’s fourth “Back to Our Roots” tour since taking office just over a year ago. On his first tour in August of 2017, Secretary Perdue toured Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. In September of 2017, Secretary Perdue traveled on his second tour to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Most recently, Secretary Perdue visited Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky during his third tour in early April. *NOTE: Media interested in covering any of the following events must RSVP to press@oc.usda.gov prior to the event. MONDAY, May 14th NEW MEXICO Secretary Perdue Visits Santa Fe National Forest Headquarters WHAT: Secretary Perdue will participate in a meet and greet with Santa Fe National Forest employees and cooperators during the annual Forest Management Plan consultation meeting. WHEN: MONDAY, May 14th at 10:15 a.m. MDT WHERE: Santa Fe National Forest Headquarters, 11 Forest Lane, Santa Fe, NM 87508 Secretary Perdue and Governor Martinez Tour Santa Fe Watershed WHAT: Secretary Perdue will meet Governor Martinez for a briefing and tour of the Santa Fe Watershed and forest treatments. WHEN: MONDAY, May 14th at 11:00 a.m. MDT WHERE: Santa Fe Water History Park, 1209 Upper Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Secretary Perdue, Governor Martinez, and Secretary Witte Participate in Roundtable Discussion with New Mexico’s Agriculture Leaders WHAT: Secretary Perdue, Governor Martinez, and Secretary Witte will visit the New Mexico State Capitol for a roundtable discussion with the state’s agriculture leaders. WHEN: MONDAY, May 14th at 12:30 p.m. MDT WHERE: New Mexico State Capitol, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 COLORADO Secretary Perdue Visits Hirakata Farms