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Show USDA uill finance adobe homes affluent who occupy adobe homes costing $100,000 and upwards. With FmHA's recent adoption adop-tion of national guidelines for financing solar heating systems for rural housing and community facilities, the use of adobe completes a package ideal for the needs of a large number of Americans, Ameri-cans, he said. i Adobe dwellings, for cen turies the efficient and durable dur-able homes for Indians and Hispanics in the Southwest as well as for the more af- i fluent who have opted for stylish adobe construction in recent years, are back in favor with the U. S. Department Depart-ment of Agriculture's rural housing programs. Assistant Secretary for Rural Development Alex P. Mercure, a native NewMexi-can, NewMexi-can, says that Farmers Home Adm inist ration (FmHA) at his request, is developing develop-ing "relatively simple guidelines guide-lines for financing of homes built with adobe." "Adobe is efficient both in winter and summer and its durability certainly has been demonstrated. For example, the popular Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is adobe and has been standing since 1609. And there are more dramatic drama-tic examples than that, "says Mr. Mercure, head of FmHA. The adobe brick is made from mud (clay), straw and m iscellaneous materials, often manure, used bythe individual in-dividual builder , and is sun dried. Mr. Mercure says adobe is a cost-effective building material for the low income family, "which may chose a self-help process to satisfy satis-fy a desire for home ownership," owner-ship," as well as the more |