U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue is led on a tour of Hirakata (Melon) Farms, by Michael Hirakata in Rocky Ford, Colorado, on May 14, 2018.
Hirakata Farms is a fifth generation family business in operation since 1915. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Secretary Perdue is 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, May 17th and include stops in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. This is Secretary Perdue’s fourth “Back to Our Roots” tour since taking office just more than 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.
For photos from the tours, please go to www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/collections/72157689539524440/.
To watch a recap of Secretary Perdue’s first year and the tours, please go to www.usda.gov/year-one.
To stay connected, go to @USDA @USDAgov @SecretarySonny. Original public domain image from Flickr