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The event, hosted by the New Mexico Coalition to Enhance Working Lands (NMCEWL) in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, featured comments from four of New Mexico’s congressional offices, the Governor’s Office, and Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte.
Source: The New Mexico Coalition to Enhance Working Lands (NMCEWL, nmcewl.org)
Photo: Courtesy NM Department of Agriculture
Quotes from local farmers, ranchers… and those who support them.
Brett Lockmiller, fourth-generation farmer (Curry County) working with the Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy:
“We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for a partnership that works.”
“Without timely funding, this whole effort falls apart—and it sends the wrong message to producers considering making the same commitment.”
Mary Ben, Bidii Baby Foods (Shiprock/Navajo Nation):
“We sell 80% of our products through the New Mexico Grown program—when that was dismantled, it didn’t just impact our business, it impacted how we feed our own community.”
“Some private foundations have stepped up with 0% interest loans to help farmers cover USDA delays. That’s a model that needs support.”
Mark Torres, rancher and vice president of the Valle Vidal grazing association (Northern NM):
“We’re lucky to have a good relationship with our range staff—but the Forest Service told us this year: ‘If you want something done, you’ll have to do it yourself.’”
Ben Etcheverry, President of the New Mexico Chile Growers Association (Deming):
“It’s not a lack of labor—it’s the instability. People are afraid to come to work. That’s what’s disrupting our operations.”
“We need faster communication from agencies. We can’t make decisions when we don’t know what’s coming next.”
Don Shriver, small rancher (Rio Arriba County):
“We had a restoration project ready to go with the BLM and NRCS—then everything froze. Our young NRCS officer took a buyout. It’s heartbreaking.”
Anna Morán, co-owner of Telesfor Farm & NYFC policy staff (Albuquerque):
“I am a co-owner and a co-operator of Telesfor farm and I wear many different hats. I’m a young and beginning farmer, and I just recently transitioned onto this land. Farming doesn’t always pay the bills, and so to fund my farming operation and to make it possible to farm with other young people I work with the National Young Farmers Coalition on our policy team. I’m worried that a challenging environment to farm in has just gotten a lot harder. Beginning farmers have already spent money that they’re not being reimbursed for from the USDA. I’m seeing farmers stopping their operations because the funds that they were already granted and promised, or funds that they were expecting are no longer coming in. This means farms are failing before they even fully get off the ground.”
Zach Withers, Polk’s Folly Farm butcher shop and farm operator (Bernalillo County):
“Near and dear to my heart right now is Double Up Food Bucks. We run a local food store in a butcher shop where we do all of our processing. The way that we get food to people in our community who can’t afford to pay the full price of local food is through programs like Double Up and EBT. The attacks on the nutrition programs really pissed me off.
I’d also like to ask for support for more local meat processing. So at the federal level there’s a bill being run by Bernie Sanders to address issues related to small, mobile, modular, inspected meat processing, which would be a huge win for our business.”
Eugene Pickett, soil health advocate and Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor (Valencia County):
“Funding freezes and additional executive actions have widespread impacts on producers, conservation, delivery and local economies. NRCS termination, staffing shortages and office closures will have long-term impacts on the quality and timeliness of conservation programs, administration, technical assistance, and overall service to our country, producers and communities. We must act to protect partnerships for voluntary local, locally led conservation.”
Pam Roy, Farm to Table & NM Food and Ag Policy Council:
“We were frozen in January. We’re just now being told to move invoices forward—but everything still feels uncertain.”
“We’ll keep fighting to keep this work going at the state level. We’re in this together.”
Cecilia Rosacker Baca, farmer and Executive Director at Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust (Socorro):
“If these NRCS conservation easements don’t go through, farmers in the Middle Rio Grande will sell their water rights—and we’ll all feel the consequences.”
Rick Martinez, Acequia Commissioner (Los Ojos):
“FEMA told us our paperwork was complete—then said it wasn’t. We need clear, consistent information to move forward.”
Melanie Kirby, beekeeper and pollinator conservationist:
“Without pollination, you don’t have food for humans, livestock, or wildlife. And we’re cutting pollinator research and conservation programs at the exact moment we need them most.”
New Mexico Farmers and Ranchers Call for Action in Statewide Virtual Town Hall on Federal Cuts and Policy Shifts
Santa Fe, NM — Over 175 farmers, ranchers, and land stewards from across New Mexico gathered on the evening of May 6 for a virtual town hall to voice growing concern over stalled federal programs, delayed USDA payments, and the erosion of vital conservation and infrastructure support in the state. The event, hosted by the New Mexico Coalition to Enhance Working Lands (NMCEWL) in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, featured comments from four of New Mexico’s congressional offices, the Governor’s Office, and Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte.
Participants from tribal lands, acequia systems, urban farms, large specialty crop farms, and traditional ranches shared how USDA program freezes, tariffs, immigration policy, federal office closures, and the loss of key agency staff are threatening not only livelihoods but years of progress in land restoration, water conservation, rural economic development, and local food access. Several farmers and ranchers who spoke also serve in the New Mexico State Legislature.
“This is not about special treatment,” said Brett Lockmiller, a fourth-generation farmer in Curry County and participant with the Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy. “We made the commitment to transition to dryland farming to protect the Ogallala aquifer and support the Cannon Air Force Base mission. But without functioning conservation programs and timely funding, that commitment—and our operation—are at risk.”
Mary Ben, co-founder of Bidii Baby Foods, added, “Our business depends on the New Mexico Grown program to feed our own community. We also mentor young Indigenous farmers—but with USDA funding on hold, we’re losing momentum at a time when this support is needed most.”
Producers raised concerns about widespread disruptions caused by federal funding freezes, delayed USDA payments, and terminated grants—leaving many without operating capital and forcing some to halt conservation projects or suspend operations altogether. Across agencies like NRCS, FEMA, and the Forest Service, staffing reductions and early retirements have resulted in the loss of critical technical assistance, institutional knowledge, and local capacity for conservation planning, infrastructure repair, and grazing management. Participants emphasized that failing water infrastructure—particularly acequias and dams—requires immediate investment and coordination, not only for irrigation but also for long-term ecosystem function and community resilience.
Farmers also called attention to labor shortages driven by fear and instability near the border, the mounting uncertainty caused by shifting international tariffs, and the erosion of support for local food system programs like Double Up Food Bucks and LFPA. Many warned that if producers cannot make a living, they will be forced to sell their water rights—placing entire communities and watersheds at risk. Others noted that the loss of research funding, including efforts to breed improved chile varieties and protect pollinators, threatens the sector’s ability to adapt to climate and market shifts. Finally, participants emphasized that agricultural communities need mental health services, especially as stress levels rise amid ongoing disruption. While solutions exist, producers agreed that coordinated action from federal and state partners is essential.
Representatives from New Mexico’s congressional delegation acknowledged the significance of the challenges farms and ranches in the state are facing and pledged to take the stories and solutions shared back to Washington. State officials echoed the need for collaboration and emphasized that agriculture, food access, and conservation are critical to the health of our economy, communities, and watersheds.
