™ Volume 72, No. 8
New Mexico Ag True Tour
® September 2015
by Dalene Hodnett, Director of Communications
It’s that wonderful time of the year when the smell of roasting chile delights your senses, but do you know where that chile comes from, or how it gets from the farm to your fork? Participants were invited to discover the trail of chile, milk and wine on the New Mexico Ag True Tour hosted by the Young Farmer and Rancher Committee of the New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau. “We were excited about this opportunity to put a face on New Mexico agriculture,” says Danielle Lowry, chair of the Young Farmer and Rancher Committee. “Attendees came away with a deeper understanding of how farmers and ranchers care for their animals and the land, how they are conserving precious resources such as water, and the techniques they use to ensure food safety.”
Nearly a hundred farmers, ranchers, legislators, industry representatives and NMF&LB members joined the New Mexico Ag True Tour. Organized by the YF&R Committee, participants toured a winery, chile farm and dairy. Here Paula Sichler in the orange Snake Ranch Farm Store shirt explains their use of drip irrigation on 170 acres of chile, melons and corn. Agriculture has a centuries-old heritage in New Mexico since the first peoples used the “Three Sisters” method to grow corn, beans and squash. It’s also a $4.26 billion industry in our state, supporting thousands of jobs and providing millions of tax dollars. Out of New Mexico’s 2,085,287 people - 695,104 of them live in rural New Mexico where agriculture is the lifeblood. In addition to jobs, tax revenue and food, our state’s farms and ranches provide open space, beautiful vistas and habitat for 75% of our state’s wildlife. Chad Smith, CEO of New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, the umbrella organization of the YF&R Committee, notes that “When only 2% of the nation produces food for the other 98% it creates a huge disconnect. People are curious about how their food is produced and this tour allowed them to ask questions of actual food producers.” The tour started with a visit to Pasando Tiempo Winery in Corrales. Owner Chris Carpenter explained how different grape varietals performed better in our climate and the winery’s soil. Participants enjoyed tasting several different wines and they learned that New Mexico is the oldest wine producing region in the nation. The next day started at HAW Farms, a 2,500-head dairy farm with 700 acres of corn silage. Luke Woelber stressed the dairy’s emphasis on cow care and comfort and highlighted their renewable energy program utilizing solar panels. Next up was a tour of Chris and Paula Sichler’s Snake Ranch Farm consisting of 650 acres near San Antonio where they grow hay crops, grain corn, melons, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers and their state-renowned chile. Chris is a fifth generation New Mexico farmer and Steven is the sixth generation. The family has been farming in the Middle Rio Grande Valley since 1872. Today, Snake Ranch is a very progressive farming operation using modern agricultural techniques to conserve soil and water. The farm land has been laser leveled and is serviced by cement lined ditches. In 2007 Snake Ranch began to move to drip irrigation on its row crops and today has over 170 acres in drip irrigation. The tour then progressed to the Snake Ranch Farm Store in Los Lunas which is managed by their son Steven. Cont. on page 14 see “Tour” September 2015
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