Business Digest: Curtis named to USDA post

Local businessman and rancher Blake Curtis was appointed as the new state director for USDA Rural Development, according to a USDA release.

Curtis, a former state legislator and current regent for New Mexico State University, began his role on Tuesday. His role is to oversee rural development programs to achieve prosperity for rural areas of the state.

“Blake Curtis brings a wealth of experience to his new position, and I welcome him to the Rural Development team,” USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Bette Brand said in the release. “He will work tirelessly to strengthen the economies of New Mexico’s rural communities.”

Curtis is a fourth-generation New Mexican, who still owns family homesteads in the Forest area and operates his range with the oldest registered Angus herd in the state. He most recently served as senior vice president at Curtis and Curtis, Inc. He and his wife Terri have been married 43 years and have two sons and six grandchildren.

Business Digest is compiled by the staff of The News. Contact Editor Kevin Wilson at 575-763-3431, ext. 320, or by email:

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