Udall, Heinrich Announce More Than $550,000 to Strengthen Markets for New Mexico Produce

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced $550,750 in grants to strengthen markets for New Mexico produce by providing tools and resources to help agricultural producers successfully enhance their competitiveness and expand their operations.

The funding is being awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Specialty Block Grant Program, and grants will be administered through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. The grants are authorized through the 2014 Farm Bill, which Udall and Heinrich strongly supported.

The New Mexico Department of Agriculture will receive funding to support nine projects to expand markets for specialty crops including chile, organic apples and onions; to address food safety research needs; and to expand access to fruits and vegetables throughout the state. Funded projects include measures to enhance exposure and awareness of New Mexico specialty crop foods, expand sales of specialty crops to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in low-income communities, provide military veterans with training to learn to grow specialty crops, and increase opportunities for the development of sustainable nurseries in Native communities.

"From chile to organic apples, New Mexico's fruit and vegetable crops support local growers and their families and boost the economy in communities throughout our state," Udall said. "This funding will help to enhance the scale and competitiveness of the markets for New Mexico's unique crops by providing producers with resources to improve their operations and sell their products to new consumers, and I will keep pushing for continued investments to help farmers throughout our state to expand their operations."

"Our fruits and vegetables industry contributes $500 million to New Mexico's economy, and these funds will help our farmers improve their production and make them more competitive both locally and across the country," Heinrich said. "New Mexico has a proud history of agriculture, and these investments will give our farmers the support they need to keep the industry strong and produce the foods that are so important to our way of life."

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