Wednesday, Jun 29 2011 4:33PM
USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Victor Vasquez stated his parents moved him from Texas to Oregon for farm work.
In an interview with the Capital Press in Oregon, Victor Vasquez, the son of migrant workers who became deputy under secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development discussed his decision to join the organization.
Vasquez told the newspaper he was born in Texas, but spend most of his life living in Hermiston, Oregon. His family chose to relocate to Hermiston for seasonal farm work.
Regarding his work with the USDA, Vasquez told the paper he joined the organization to help rural communities, such as Hermiston, in need of aid. One way in which he wants to help these communities is through economic development.
"We have to invest in education, in the infrastructure in the community and in the businesses themselves, so they can stay competitive, and maybe that second- or third-tier supplier can become the first-tier supplier, and we can begin to bring that business back from overseas to the United States," he told the Press.
He added it is important for the USDA to work with nonprofit organizations and local and state governments to better rural communities.
Vasquez was named deputy under secretary in May 2009 after 25 previous years in public service.