Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.
Impact Report
| For plan | Commercial Vegetable Production (Doña Ana County) |
| Date | October 30, 2009, 6:48 pm |
| For Objective | Short-term Show short-term objectives |
| Impact Report | Dona Ana County is one of the major agricultural areas of New Mexico. With its mild climate, crops can be produced year round. Vegetable production includes chile, onion, lettuce, cabbage, and corn as its primary crops. Chile is still the number one vegetable crop grown in Dona Ana County, with onions a very close second. The agent made 122 agricultural visits this past year, with more than 1/3rd directed solely at vegetable crops. The primary two vegetable crops dealt with this past year were chile and onions. The agent participated in many events and conferences including the Western Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education, ‘Integrated Pest Management’ workshop, NM Organic Commodity Commission, ‘Managing the Transition to Organic Production’, NM Chile Conference, Organic Farming Conference, 4-H County and District Contests, Chile Mechanization Workshops, SW Hispanic Small Farmers and Ranchers Conference, and the Hatch Chile Festival. By participating in these events the agent was able to provide, distribute, or present information on various vegetable crops to his clientele. These large events are also designed to provide a venue for information distribution to farmers, and the public. Through these events the agent recorded over 23,000 attendees. These attendees bring knowledge learned at these conferences, back to their communities, and possibly share it with their neighbors. The agent worked through the Chile Mechanization Working Group, to better understand the chile industry and the development of a green chile harvester. The green chile harvester is critical for farmers and the chile industry in order to compete with increasing costs and international trade. The agent was instrumental in helping to establish both school and community vegetable gardens in his county. School gardens were established at: Conlee Elementary School, Las Cruces; Vado Elementary School, Vado; and Hatch Elementary School, Hatch. Community gardens were established at: Community of Hope, Fairlight Gardens, Las Cruces; Las Esperanzas Mesquite District Community Garden, Las Cruces; Chaparral Community Garden, Chaparral; Vado Community Garden, Vado; and Anthony Community Garden, Anthony. The agent participated in other events that brought the agent in direct contact with small farm producers, these include: the Southern NM State Fair, the Sierra County Fair, the County and District 4-H contests, and educational demonstrations through the school systems. |