Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman placed an official statement in the Congressional Record honoring Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Salomon Ramirez, who died on October 22.  Bingaman recommended Ramirez for the U.S. Department of Agriculture post; President Obama appointed him to it in 2009.

The statement follows:

Salomon E. Ramirez, New Mexico State Executive Director of USDA's Farm Service Agency, died October 22nd at his family's ranch in Rociada, New Mexico.  He was fifty-six years old.  Salomon came from a ranching family in San Miguel County and devoted his life to serving agriculture in New Mexico and the nation.

He was born in Las Vegas, N.M., attended Robertson High School, and graduated with a degree in Agriculture from New Mexico State University.  His passion for agriculture and a desire to help farmers and ranchers in New Mexico led him to a career at the US Department of Agriculture, including positions at both the Farm Service Agency and the U.S. Forest Service.  Because of his knowledge and experience, he spent time at USDA's headquarters in Washington helping to write a new Farm Bill and implement national farm policy.

Salomon Ramirez was a model public servant.  He worked at USDA for over 30 years and was a tireless advocate for my state's farmers and ranchers.  No one knew more about farm programs or understood how they could best be implemented to support the producers in my state.  My staff and I frequently sought his counsel and valued his always astute advice.   I was honored to recommend him to be the State Executive Director of the New Mexico Farm Service Agency and was pleased when President Obama appointed him to the position in 2009.

No state had a more capable or caring manager for its farm programs than New Mexico.   He was a true friend of agriculture and everyone who depends on agriculture from producers to consumers—in fact, all of us.  He and will be greatly missed.