WESLACO – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez announced $347,580 in federal funds for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Wednesday.

The funds will be to help small rural businesses across South Texas increase economic development.

The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development grant program.

The program is designed to help businesses that have fewer than 50 new works and gross less than $1 million in revenue in rural areas.

A total of $174,856 was awarded as part of the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant.

Specifically, funding will help to increase the capacity of small-scale Latina agricultural producers to improve understanding of new direct-marketing strategies to increase farm income, adopt innovative technologies and embrace high-demand native crops.

A total of $199,724 was awarded as part of the Rural Cooperative Development Grant.

These funds will support the work of the Texas Rural Cooperative Center, which since 2002 has addressed economic conditions of rural Texas by assisting with the startup, expansion, and operational improvement of rural businesses, cooperatives and mutually-owned businesses.

This 2019 project will boost rural South Texas through the creation and expansion of rural businesses, private sector financing, and use of innovative technologies.