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.
Commercial Vegetable Production
Plan Goals
The goal of this program is to strengthen commercial vegetable production in New Mexico by educating clientele in best practices for increasing production and processing efficiency.
- Owner
- Stephanie Walker
- Related Plans
-
Commercial Vegetable Production (Doña Ana County)
Impact Reports
Vegetable Program:
Chile is the best known vegetable crop produced in Doña Ana County, NM. In 2010; 25,750 tons of chilies were produced on 2,900 acres of irrigated crop land, with revenues of over $16 million dollars for Doña Ana County according to the USDA-NASS 2010 Agricultural Statistics. Therefore, the agents’ main focus for the vegetable industry has been in chile peppers.
The agents' objectives for this year were to better understand production problems that farmers are facing, (i.e. phytophthora root rot, nematodes, bacterial leaf spot, green chile harvesting), and to help provide research based information to farmers on these problems.
This past year the agent worked with the NMSU vegetable specialist, Dr. Stephanie Walker and the NMSU pepper specialist, Dr. Paul Bosland, on several chile projects including; the 2011 Chile Conference held February in Las Cruces, NM where the agent acted as a moderator and conducted the annual Salsa Tasting Contest; the Chile Mechanization Workshops, held semi-monthly, and the annual chile meeting held this year in Pearce, AZ. The agent also worked with; KRWG-TV on the filming of Chile in New Mexico for the PBS series ‘Road Trip’ an agricultural based series touring various agricultural crops produced in New Mexico, aired Spring 2011 'Red Chile Salsa'; and the Hatch Chile Festival, September 2011.
The agents' personal contact with producers has earned him their trust and has resulted in his being brought closer into the chile industry than in previous years. By working through these venues the agent has been able to establish himself as a knowledgeable ally willing to help bridge knowledge from NMSU to/from the chile industry.
The second best known vegetable crop in Doña Ana County are onions. Onions are mainly a winter/spring planting crop with harvesting from May until August. In 2010 Doña Ana County produced 1,950 Cwt on 3,300 acres of irrigated land worth an estimated $53,430,000 dollars. The agents' objectives for onions were to familiarize himself with this crop which is generally grown as a rotation crop with chile. Therefore, onion and chile producers are usually one and the same. The agent worked with the vegetable specialist Dr. Stephanie Walker to plan an onion field day in 2011. An Onion Field Day was held on July 20, 2011, and the agent acted as moderator for this event. There were around 40 researchers, students, farmers and Master Gardeners present for this event. Demonstration plots allowed attendees to view varieties and their resistance to onion thrips and diseases. The agent was able to meet and greet onion producers and seed distributors to better acquaint himself with the industry.
Chile is the best known vegetable crop produced in Doña Ana County, NM. In 2010; 25,750 tons of chilies were produced on 2,900 acres of irrigated crop land, with revenues of over $16 million dollars for Doña Ana County according to the USDA-NASS 2010 Agricultural Statistics. Therefore, the agents’ main focus for the vegetable industry has been in chile peppers.
The agents' objectives for this year were to better understand production problems that farmers are facing, (i.e. phytophthora root rot, nematodes, bacterial leaf spot, green chile harvesting), and to help provide research based information to farmers on these problems.
This past year the agent worked with the NMSU vegetable specialist, Dr. Stephanie Walker and the NMSU pepper specialist, Dr. Paul Bosland, on several chile projects including; the 2011 Chile Conference held February in Las Cruces, NM where the agent acted as a moderator and conducted the annual Salsa Tasting Contest; the Chile Mechanization Workshops, held semi-monthly, and the annual chile meeting held this year in Pearce, AZ. The agent also worked with; KRWG-TV on the filming of Chile in New Mexico for the PBS series ‘Road Trip’ an agricultural based series touring various agricultural crops produced in New Mexico, aired Spring 2011 'Red Chile Salsa'; and the Hatch Chile Festival, September 2011.
The agents' personal contact with producers has earned him their trust and has resulted in his being brought closer into the chile industry than in previous years. By working through these venues the agent has been able to establish himself as a knowledgeable ally willing to help bridge knowledge from NMSU to/from the chile industry.
The second best known vegetable crop in Doña Ana County are onions. Onions are mainly a winter/spring planting crop with harvesting from May until August. In 2010 Doña Ana County produced 1,950 Cwt on 3,300 acres of irrigated land worth an estimated $53,430,000 dollars. The agents' objectives for onions were to familiarize himself with this crop which is generally grown as a rotation crop with chile. Therefore, onion and chile producers are usually one and the same. The agent worked with the vegetable specialist Dr. Stephanie Walker to plan an onion field day in 2011. An Onion Field Day was held on July 20, 2011, and the agent acted as moderator for this event. There were around 40 researchers, students, farmers and Master Gardeners present for this event. Demonstration plots allowed attendees to view varieties and their resistance to onion thrips and diseases. The agent was able to meet and greet onion producers and seed distributors to better acquaint himself with the industry.
Encouraging Adoption of Best Production Practices for New Mexico Vegetable Growers (Oct. 1, 2009 - Dec. 31, 2010):
NM Chile Conference (February 2, 2010). Served as co-chair. Played a major role in setting the agenda and coordinating the speakers for this event.
International Pepper Conference (September 12-14, 2010).This event is held every two years in different cities in the USA or Mexico and is attended by chile researchers throughout the world. Attendees from 15 countries were present at this year’s conference. I served as co-chair, which included primary responsibility for setting up tours of processing facilities and growers operations, as well as coordinating machinery demonstrations.
-Planted, maintained and harvested green chile, jalapeno, and red chile variety trials with seed and funding provided by several seed companies.
Onion Field Day (July 21, 2010). Coordinated the Onion Field Day in cooperation with Chris Cramer at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center. The event showcased current research and breeding efforts in the onion crop.
Furthering Mechanization of New Mexico’s Commercial Vegetable Crops:
Coordinated the chile breeding program for improved mechanical harvest efficiency for red chile and paprika, green chile, and cayenne peppers. Breeding material evaluated at Leyendecker included segregating lines, observational lines, and advanced replicated trials.
-Red chile and paprika: Evaluated replicated trials of advance breeding material.
-Green chile: Evaluated selected plants from segregating populations for yield and fruit and plant attributes. Collected seed from selections either through cuttings, caging or digging up plants prior to frost.
Chaired and Coordinated the Chile Mechanization Working Group. Training, brainstorming and informational meetings were conducted regularly for and among chile researchers, breeders, growers, industry reps, and agricultural engineers. The group’s main goal is to coordinate efforts and plan research towards improved mechanization and production of chile in the southwest.
Conducted a cayenne pepper mechanical harvest demonstration. October 20, 2010. The test was conducted at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center to gauge the potential of cayenne pepper harvest using the Yung-Etgar (Israeli) picking head. Interested individuals, including cayenne processors, growers, engineers, breeders and crop physiologists and communications specialists, were invited and attended the demonstration.
Encouraging Sustainable Agriculture Practices for New Mexico’s Vegetable Crops.
Conducted the sixth annual WSARE workshop in, “Innovations in Sustainability: Techniques for New Mexico Agriculture”. This event was held in Socorro, NM, in cooperation with Tom Dean, on December 8, 2009. The program addressed primary training needs expressed by agricultural professionals and included direct marketed beef, soil health, irrigation designs, seed programs, and organic production protocols. CENTRA was employed so that individuals could participate via the internet. CEU and CCA credits were provided for participants.
Conducted the seventh annual WSARE workshop in, “Innovations in Sustainability: Techniques for New Mexico Agriculture”. This event was held in Clovis, NM, in cooperation with Stan Jones, on December 7, 2010. The program was developed to address primary concerns expressed by eastern NM clientele. Topics included water use efficiency & outlook, dairy production, biofuels, noxious weeds, and nitrogen fixation in legumes. Speakers were enlisted from the State Engineers’ Office, the NMDA, NRCS, and NMSU.
Served as the western SARE Professional Development Coordinator for New Mexico. Provided information and guidance in grant writing to researchers and producers throughout the state in their quest to receive funding for various projects. Brought together and chaired the NM WSARE Advisory Committee that consisted of Extension Agents: Tom Dominguez, W. Dee Wear; NRCS: Linda Scheffe; NMDA: Jim Wanstall; Small Farms Task Force: Patrick Torres; Small Farms Institute: Jeanine Castillo; and grower representative: Don Bustos.
NM Chile Conference (February 2, 2010). Served as co-chair. Played a major role in setting the agenda and coordinating the speakers for this event.
International Pepper Conference (September 12-14, 2010).This event is held every two years in different cities in the USA or Mexico and is attended by chile researchers throughout the world. Attendees from 15 countries were present at this year’s conference. I served as co-chair, which included primary responsibility for setting up tours of processing facilities and growers operations, as well as coordinating machinery demonstrations.
-Planted, maintained and harvested green chile, jalapeno, and red chile variety trials with seed and funding provided by several seed companies.
Onion Field Day (July 21, 2010). Coordinated the Onion Field Day in cooperation with Chris Cramer at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center. The event showcased current research and breeding efforts in the onion crop.
Furthering Mechanization of New Mexico’s Commercial Vegetable Crops:
Coordinated the chile breeding program for improved mechanical harvest efficiency for red chile and paprika, green chile, and cayenne peppers. Breeding material evaluated at Leyendecker included segregating lines, observational lines, and advanced replicated trials.
-Red chile and paprika: Evaluated replicated trials of advance breeding material.
-Green chile: Evaluated selected plants from segregating populations for yield and fruit and plant attributes. Collected seed from selections either through cuttings, caging or digging up plants prior to frost.
Chaired and Coordinated the Chile Mechanization Working Group. Training, brainstorming and informational meetings were conducted regularly for and among chile researchers, breeders, growers, industry reps, and agricultural engineers. The group’s main goal is to coordinate efforts and plan research towards improved mechanization and production of chile in the southwest.
Conducted a cayenne pepper mechanical harvest demonstration. October 20, 2010. The test was conducted at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center to gauge the potential of cayenne pepper harvest using the Yung-Etgar (Israeli) picking head. Interested individuals, including cayenne processors, growers, engineers, breeders and crop physiologists and communications specialists, were invited and attended the demonstration.
Encouraging Sustainable Agriculture Practices for New Mexico’s Vegetable Crops.
Conducted the sixth annual WSARE workshop in, “Innovations in Sustainability: Techniques for New Mexico Agriculture”. This event was held in Socorro, NM, in cooperation with Tom Dean, on December 8, 2009. The program addressed primary training needs expressed by agricultural professionals and included direct marketed beef, soil health, irrigation designs, seed programs, and organic production protocols. CENTRA was employed so that individuals could participate via the internet. CEU and CCA credits were provided for participants.
Conducted the seventh annual WSARE workshop in, “Innovations in Sustainability: Techniques for New Mexico Agriculture”. This event was held in Clovis, NM, in cooperation with Stan Jones, on December 7, 2010. The program was developed to address primary concerns expressed by eastern NM clientele. Topics included water use efficiency & outlook, dairy production, biofuels, noxious weeds, and nitrogen fixation in legumes. Speakers were enlisted from the State Engineers’ Office, the NMDA, NRCS, and NMSU.
Served as the western SARE Professional Development Coordinator for New Mexico. Provided information and guidance in grant writing to researchers and producers throughout the state in their quest to receive funding for various projects. Brought together and chaired the NM WSARE Advisory Committee that consisted of Extension Agents: Tom Dominguez, W. Dee Wear; NRCS: Linda Scheffe; NMDA: Jim Wanstall; Small Farms Task Force: Patrick Torres; Small Farms Institute: Jeanine Castillo; and grower representative: Don Bustos.
Vegetable Program:
Chile is the largest vegetable crop produced in Doña Ana County, NM. In 2008; 20,600 tons of chilies were produced on 3,200 acres of irrigated crop land, with revenues of $14.5 million dollars for Doña Ana County according to the USDA-NASS 2008 Agricultural Statistics. Therefore, my main focus for the vegetable industry has been in chile peppers.
My objectives for this year were to better understand production problems that farmers are facing, (i.e. phytophthora root rot, nematodes, bacterial leaf spot, green chile harvesting), and to help provide research based information to farmers on these problems.
This past year I worked with the NMSU vegetable specialist, Dr. Stephanie Walker and the NMSU pepper specialist, Dr. Paul Bosland, on several chile projects including; the 2010 Chile Conference held February in Las Cruces; the Chile Mechanization Workshops, semi-monthly; and the International Pepper Conference, September 2010. I also worked with; KRWG-TV on the filming of Chile in New Mexico for the PBS series ‘Road Trip’ an agricultural based series touring various agricultural crops produced in New Mexico; and the Hatch Chile Festival, September 2010.
My personal contact with producers has earned me their trust and has resulted in me being brought closer into the chile industry than in previous years. By working through these venues I have been able to establish myself as a knowledgeable ally willing to help bridge knowledge from NMSU to/from the chile industry.
The second major vegetable crop in Doña Ana County is onion. Onions are mainly a winter/spring crop with harvesting from May until August. In 2008 Doña Ana County produced 1,976 Cwt on 3,500 acres of irrigated land.
My objectives for onions were to familiarize myself with this crop which is generally grown as a rotation crop with chile. Therefore, onion and chile producers are usually one and the same. I took the time to visit the Skyline Packing Warehouse in Hatch, NM to visit with producers, educate myself on onion harvesting, and have a chance to tour the facility in May 2010. An Onion Field Day was held in August 2010, demonstration plots allowed attendees to view varieties and their resistance to onion thrips and diseases. I was able to meet and greet onion producers and seed distributors to better acquaint myself with the industry.
Chile is the largest vegetable crop produced in Doña Ana County, NM. In 2008; 20,600 tons of chilies were produced on 3,200 acres of irrigated crop land, with revenues of $14.5 million dollars for Doña Ana County according to the USDA-NASS 2008 Agricultural Statistics. Therefore, my main focus for the vegetable industry has been in chile peppers.
My objectives for this year were to better understand production problems that farmers are facing, (i.e. phytophthora root rot, nematodes, bacterial leaf spot, green chile harvesting), and to help provide research based information to farmers on these problems.
This past year I worked with the NMSU vegetable specialist, Dr. Stephanie Walker and the NMSU pepper specialist, Dr. Paul Bosland, on several chile projects including; the 2010 Chile Conference held February in Las Cruces; the Chile Mechanization Workshops, semi-monthly; and the International Pepper Conference, September 2010. I also worked with; KRWG-TV on the filming of Chile in New Mexico for the PBS series ‘Road Trip’ an agricultural based series touring various agricultural crops produced in New Mexico; and the Hatch Chile Festival, September 2010.
My personal contact with producers has earned me their trust and has resulted in me being brought closer into the chile industry than in previous years. By working through these venues I have been able to establish myself as a knowledgeable ally willing to help bridge knowledge from NMSU to/from the chile industry.
The second major vegetable crop in Doña Ana County is onion. Onions are mainly a winter/spring crop with harvesting from May until August. In 2008 Doña Ana County produced 1,976 Cwt on 3,500 acres of irrigated land.
My objectives for onions were to familiarize myself with this crop which is generally grown as a rotation crop with chile. Therefore, onion and chile producers are usually one and the same. I took the time to visit the Skyline Packing Warehouse in Hatch, NM to visit with producers, educate myself on onion harvesting, and have a chance to tour the facility in May 2010. An Onion Field Day was held in August 2010, demonstration plots allowed attendees to view varieties and their resistance to onion thrips and diseases. I was able to meet and greet onion producers and seed distributors to better acquaint myself with the industry.
-Conducted the fifth annual ‘Sustainable Agriculture Workshop’ in Las Cruces, NM on December 9, 2008 with the cooperation of Jeff Anderson, County Extension Agent and sponsored by WSARE. The program was developed to introduce and enforce concepts in integrated pest management, a key educational need for agricultural professionals as indicated by the 2004 WSARE survey of New Mexico.
-Conducted the Chile Field Day in Pearce, AZ on September 25, 2009. Coordinated the educational program, including speakers from NMSU, Univ. of AZ, and Texas A&M. This event increased awareness of the New Mexican chile industry, and also served to showcase chile field research projects.
-Conducted the NM Chile Conference on Feb 8, 2008. Served as co-chair and assisted in coordination of topics and speakers.
-Chaired and coordinated the Chile Mechanization Working group. This committee is composed of chile breeders, growers, industry reps, and agricultural engineers. The group continues to collaborate and plan research towards the successful mechanization of green, red, and cayenne chile peppers.
-Coordinated the red chile and paprika breeding program. Continued efforts to breed high yielding, highly pigmented chile varieties suitable for machine harvest. This long-term program increases profitability for chile growers in the state by providing higher yield and quality red chile varieties. Machine harvest adaptation will increase competitiveness for growers in the state, and reduce the labor requirements for production.
-Conducted chloropicrin fumigation trials to investigate possible tools for increasing chile yields in the southwest. The project was carried out in cooperation with Mark Uchanski, growers, and with support from the Chile Yield Initiative group in Pearce, AZ and Deming, NM. Trials in Pearce were replicated comparisons of Pic Plus and PicChlor60, both at high and low concentrations along with untreated control plots. The Deming trial was an observational test with a high rate of Tri-Clor EC versus untreated in a drip irrigated field. Worked with the NMDA to obtain an experimental use permit for the Tri-Clor EC (NM-EUP-09-002).
-Coordinated a series of observational trials around the southwest of different mechanical harvesters in green chile to gauge relative efficiency of various machine types. Chile growers and industry representatives were invited to attend the demonstrations. Harvester machines included the Elite Creager-type (Willcox, AZ), the Pik Rite w/ Texas head (Portales, NM), the Yung-Etgar inclined helix (Las Cruces, NM) and the Massey finger-type (Deming, NM).
-Conducted a green chile mechanical harvest trial to determine preferred plant-type and variety for use in mechanical harvest. The test was conducted at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center and was run in cooperation with agricultural engineers at the USDA-ARS Cotton Ginning Laboratory. Five different green chile varieties were evaluated for plant and fruit attributes and relative mechanically harvested yield and quality. Made special arrangements to borrow the Yung-Etgar harvester machine from Shane Franzoy.
-Conducted the Chile Field Day in Pearce, AZ on September 25, 2009. Coordinated the educational program, including speakers from NMSU, Univ. of AZ, and Texas A&M. This event increased awareness of the New Mexican chile industry, and also served to showcase chile field research projects.
-Conducted the NM Chile Conference on Feb 8, 2008. Served as co-chair and assisted in coordination of topics and speakers.
-Chaired and coordinated the Chile Mechanization Working group. This committee is composed of chile breeders, growers, industry reps, and agricultural engineers. The group continues to collaborate and plan research towards the successful mechanization of green, red, and cayenne chile peppers.
-Coordinated the red chile and paprika breeding program. Continued efforts to breed high yielding, highly pigmented chile varieties suitable for machine harvest. This long-term program increases profitability for chile growers in the state by providing higher yield and quality red chile varieties. Machine harvest adaptation will increase competitiveness for growers in the state, and reduce the labor requirements for production.
-Conducted chloropicrin fumigation trials to investigate possible tools for increasing chile yields in the southwest. The project was carried out in cooperation with Mark Uchanski, growers, and with support from the Chile Yield Initiative group in Pearce, AZ and Deming, NM. Trials in Pearce were replicated comparisons of Pic Plus and PicChlor60, both at high and low concentrations along with untreated control plots. The Deming trial was an observational test with a high rate of Tri-Clor EC versus untreated in a drip irrigated field. Worked with the NMDA to obtain an experimental use permit for the Tri-Clor EC (NM-EUP-09-002).
-Coordinated a series of observational trials around the southwest of different mechanical harvesters in green chile to gauge relative efficiency of various machine types. Chile growers and industry representatives were invited to attend the demonstrations. Harvester machines included the Elite Creager-type (Willcox, AZ), the Pik Rite w/ Texas head (Portales, NM), the Yung-Etgar inclined helix (Las Cruces, NM) and the Massey finger-type (Deming, NM).
-Conducted a green chile mechanical harvest trial to determine preferred plant-type and variety for use in mechanical harvest. The test was conducted at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center and was run in cooperation with agricultural engineers at the USDA-ARS Cotton Ginning Laboratory. Five different green chile varieties were evaluated for plant and fruit attributes and relative mechanically harvested yield and quality. Made special arrangements to borrow the Yung-Etgar harvester machine from Shane Franzoy.
The agent is working with the vegetable specialist to help bring current research based information to his clientele. One of the ongoing research topics is the green chile harvester. Due to labor shortages and the cost of hand labor, a green chile harvester is necessary to sustain chile production in Dona Ana County, as well as in other counties. Research on perfecting the green chile harvester is currently in progress. Other issues in chile involve a de-stemmer, and breeding efforts for disease, insect, and quality issues. The agent and specialist are gathering information and meeting the needs of producers to develop a better chile industry for New Mexico’s future. Without current and ongoing research, the chile industry may not be able to survive in New Mexico.
The agent and vegetable specialist are looking at reinstituting an Onion Conference, Workshop, or Field Day. Since onions are the number two crop in New Mexico, more research based information needs to be made available to the public. Conferences/Workshops/Field Days, are good ways to deliver knowledge and at the same time gather imput from farmers.
The agent and vegetable specialist are looking at reinstituting an Onion Conference, Workshop, or Field Day. Since onions are the number two crop in New Mexico, more research based information needs to be made available to the public. Conferences/Workshops/Field Days, are good ways to deliver knowledge and at the same time gather imput from farmers.