USDA Pushes Contracts for Rural Southwest Border Businesses The Department of Agriculture is working to steer federal contracts to small businesses in economically depressed rural areas along the Mexican border. The Southwest Border Region Initiative targets communities in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. “The Agriculture Department is the primary agency concerned with the interests and well-being of rural America,” said Joe Ware, who directs the program in the department’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. A key element of the initiative is establishing mentor-protégé relationships between rural businesses and experienced federal contractors. Because there are no appropriated funds for the initiative, the OSDBU is working with USDA’s existing network of community organizations. The department’s Rural Development Agency and its Agricultural Extension Service have offices in most rural communities. “We want to identify federal contract opportunities that can be appropriately steered toward small businesses in rural America,” Ware said. A primary target is information technology contracts. Prime contractors are being urged to subcontract some IT work to rural firms, taking advantage of lower overhead and labor costs. “Unlike the stereotype, there are a lot of educated folks out there,” Ware said. The department is running a similar program, BRAVO, for “Bringing Rural America Venture Opportunities,” that targets tribal businesses and is expanding to some communities in the Southeast. Ware emphasized that the initiatives are long-term efforts to develop competitive businesses and create job opportunities in rural areas.