Agriculture

Farmers and ranchers play a critical role in New Mexico’s economy. As a $4 billion industry, our farmers help drive the economy and have shaped our state’s history, as many growers in New Mexico come from families that have cultivated land for generations. However, many challenges today such as water shortage and wildfire have made farming difficult.

I am strong proponent and cosponsor of Senate’s bipartisan farm bill, which aims to help our farmers and ranchers who face difficult times because of the severe drought affecting the country. The bill reforms a number of the existing subsidies for crops, and eliminates the direct subsidy payments that farmers don’t need, providing a saving of about $5 billion per year. It reauthorizes federal funding for important programs including, soil and water conservation, rural economic development, disaster assistance, renewable energy, and food and nutrition programs.

Latest

  • Luján, Udall, Heinrich, and Lujan Grisham Fight For New Mexico’s Farmers And Ranchers Impacted By Natural Disasters

    Today, Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) sent a letter to the New Mexico State Farm Service Agency's office about the proposed 2018 County Expected Yield/T-Yield for Rio Arriba County. The lawmakers expressed concern that the process to determine the T-Yield value is inconsistent with previous years and would have a negative impact on farmers and ranchers. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Secure Provisions Making Acequias and Land Grants Eligible for Grants and Technical Assistance

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that they secured a provision in the 2018 Farm Bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 87-13, to make acequias and land grant-mercedes eligible for grants and technical assistance from conservation and environmental programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to increase agricultural water efficiency and further conservation of soil, water, and other natural resources. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Secure Major Wins for NM Farmers, Ranchers, Dairies, and Tribes in Farm Bill

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined their colleagues in the Senate to pass the final 2018 Farm Bill – major legislation that will send needed assistance to New Mexico farmers and ranchers, and support every county in the state by protecting the farm safety net and basic social services, while also making strategic investments in broadband access, clean drinking water, rural development, telemedicine, and more. The Farm Bill, which serves as the federal government's primary tool to provide agricultural funding and set food policy for the next five years, passed the Senate by a vote of 87-13. The bill must now be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and be signed into law by the president.  Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Announce USDA Grants to Support Acequia Associations & Traditional Communities, Hispanic Farmers and Ranchers, and Tribal Communities

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced three grants totaling nearly $525,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to benefit New Mexico's traditional communities and acequia associations, Hispanic farmers and ranchers, and tribal agricultural communities in the state. The grants were made through the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, which Udall and Heinrich have long supported to help socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and foresters in New Mexico and across the country who have historically experienced limited access to USDA loans, grants, training, and technical assistance. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Secure Vital Drought Provisions for NM in Water Infrastructure Bill

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined the full Senate in voting 99-1 to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a bill that authorizes Army Corps of Engineers water projects nationwide and includes core provisions of Udall and Heinrich's New Mexico Drought Preparedness Act, among other New Mexico benefits.  Last month, the House voted to unanimously approve the water infrastructure bill. The bill now goes to the president’s desk to be signed into law.  Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Announce $1.1 Million Grant For NMSU Sustainable Agriculture Research

    U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced that New Mexico State University (NMSU) Agriculture Extension Program has received a $1.18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The Resilient Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate award will fund research into the best strategies for arid land farmers and ranchers in the Southern Great Plains in Union County, New Mexico, Las Animas, Colorado, and Cimarron County, Oklahoma to adapt to times of drought. Read More

  • The State Of Rural Communities: A Report

    Recently, the Joint Economic Committee Democrats released a report that evaluated that state of the economy in rural communities, and proposed policies that could help them. Donna Resendez examines this report, with the help of a JEC press conference featuring Senator Martin Heinrich. Read More

  • N.M. Democrats Introduce Bill To Help Farmers In Underserved Communities

    Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Michelle Lujan Grisham and Ben Ray Lujánintroduced bicameral legislation to improve access to assistance for certain groups of farmers. The Assist Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Act of 2018 would reauthorize, strengthen, and improve the Outreach to Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program at the Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Read More