A value-added, sustainable agriculture for New Mexico
Where do I see the future of agriculture in New Mexico? We start from a very traditional system here in New Mexico. This is a wonderful thing. People from around the world visit our agricultural landscapes – our snow-fed acequias, desert ranchlands; chile, alfalfa and diverse vegetable fields; and pecan orchards. This beauty connects us with our heritage.
We also have limitations in New Mexico. Everything we do depends on water, and most of our state’s water goes toward agriculture. We need creativity and sustainability in water use.
We also have challenges with processing capacity: most New Mexico-raised livestock goes out of state for processing, and we buy it back after processing.
What we do have is a great opportunity: value-added sustainable agriculture.
Value-added is an opportunity to keep more of New Mexicans’ money in New Mexico. In 2022, nationwide, less than 15 cents of each dollar spent on food went to the farmers and ranchers who produced it, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. Value-added is our initiative to grow New Mexico’s economy by enhancing our capacity in the rest of the food industry.
Our new facilities in the College of ACES provide an unprecedented boost to this sector. These facilities and accompanying expertise will support direct-to-consumer marketing of beef, wine evaluation, new dairy products, pecan and chile byproduct utilization, and more. They will provide outlets for agricultural byproducts. All of this is part of finding creative ways to keep more of our agricultural food chain in New Mexico, all the way from producer to consumer.
Value-added means keeping economic opportunity in New Mexico, transforming raw products into finished products here in our state.
What do we have in New Mexico that makes us unique? Our people, cultures, location, and land resources. New Mexico State University is the land-grant university with the largest land holdings in the nation. We are the land-grant university located closest to a border in an agricultural community. Our area of influence extends beyond the border with Mexico.
Innovative farmers, ranchers, and agricultural researchers bring new technologies and new practices into use every day. These creative entrepreneurs are building on our traditional strengths while incorporating digital agriculture, sustainable practices, and value-added products.
Many of these innovations come from the work of talented and creative faculty at New Mexico State University, including new ACES faculty in meat science, food science, and dairy and those affiliated with the Center for Excellence in Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems (CESFAS). These faculty advise New Mexico producers, mentor students, attract funding from federal programs and industry, train labor force and develop patents.
Our faculty are delivering outstanding work in the application of digital methods for cattle management, fencing, and drone technologies.
ACES faculty, in collaboration with faculty in the College of Engineering, are developing robotics that could ameliorate labor shortages that we are experiencing in agriculture, as well as manage large databases generated with sensing equipment and other data-gathering components, such as our ZiaMet weather station network around the state.
We are also looking towards increased online learning offerings from the College of ACES, critical to training the labor force in New Mexico as well as to create new markets for our traditional programs leading to bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and PhDs. With the development of digital learning through NMSU Global, we can attract more students from New Mexico and across borders and around the world, students that in turn will learn about New Mexico’s culture and agriculture opening potential new markets worldwide.
What is the future of agriculture in New Mexico? We need to continue to grow and produce agricultural products, traditional and non-traditional, to bring health and enjoyment to consumers, profitability to each farmer or rancher, and to grow businesses in New Mexico at every step of the agricultural food chain.
Our college is working hard to develop innovations in four areas: water conservation and utilization; development of value-added and sustainable agriculture; development of digital agriculture that will benefit ranchers, farmers, and all New Mexicans; and delivery of online education and labor force training. The move toward a value-added agriculture is not easy and does not happen overnight; it requires investment, creativity, entrepreneurship, and a dynamic system in the state.
Saturday, April 6th, join us for our ACES Open House to learn more about initiatives in each of these areas.
Look for our Spring issue of ACES magazine to read about what we have been doing in the past year, how our programs and innovations can benefit you today, and where we want to go!
Rolando Flores Galarza is the dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University. He can be reached at acesdean@nmsu.edu.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: A value-added, sustainable agriculture for New Mexico
