New Mexico

A bipartisan group of Senators recently introduced legislation to merge USDA broadband programs.  New Mexico Democrat Ben Ray Luján and South Dakota Republican John Thune reintroduced the Rural Internet Improvement Act.  The legislation would streamline and bolster USDA Rural Development broadband programs and ensure their funding is targeted to rural areas that need it the most.     "Our bip

Dairy operators looking to improve production, expand marketing and distribution, or looking to develop dairy products, funding to help is available.  Dairy farmers and processors in Washington, Oregon, as well as California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico are encouraged to apply for funding through the Pacific Coast Coalition Dairy Business Innovation Initiative.  It’s ex...

Senators John Thune and Ben Ray Luján recently introduced the Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act.  The bipartisan legislation by the South Dakota Republican and New Mexico Democrat would improve the effectiveness and timeliness of multiple Department of Agriculture programs that assist farmers and ranchers in the aftermath of adverse weather events.  The legislatio...

Researchers at the University of Idaho says they have found a correlation between agricultural chemicals and cancers in adults and children in Idaho, and across 11 Western states.  UI researchers analyzed federal and state health and agriculture data, and report a relationship between cancer incidence and pesticide applications in Idaho’s 44 counties, as well as 459 counties in the Western United

According to NASS, wheat plantings increased 3% across the Pacific Northwest this year, while acres planted nationwide increased 2%. Idaho growers planted 760,000 acres of winter wheat for the 2022 crop, up 7% from 2021, and 6% above the 2020 crop ...

Chicago-Based Evans Food Group is recalling approximately 10,359 pounds of pork pellet products that were not presented for import re-inspection into the United States. The pork pellet products were imported on September 15th and further processed into pork rind and chicharrones items ...

As lawmakers continue debate on a comprehensive infrastructure bill, Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, said significantly improving our nation's  infrastructure is crucial to rural America and it's economic development. Case in point, a rural New Mexico waste water treatment plant Vilsack recently visited. ...

More than 1,000 counties are eligible for emergency Conservation Reserve Program haying and grazing. The most recently published list of counties with permitted haying and grazing on CRP land, which was released Thursday 06/24/21, includes 1,021 counties, or 32% of counties nationwide ...

Despite an overall decline in drought conditions across the continental United States over the past month, drought conditions intensified across much of the west. "As we move in to the month of June we continue to see at least two thirds coverage of the two highest drought areas D3 to D4 or extreme to exceptional drought in a number of western states including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizon

Earlier this week, the USDA announced investments to modernize and improve rural electric grids through 11 projects under the Electric Loan Program. The funding will benefit 460,000 rural residents and businesses in 7 Arizona, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia ...