Farms and Crops

NM has over 5,500 farms growing edible crops, and the number has been increasing each year. Many are small (median size of 1 to 9 acres in Arid Lowlands and Colorado Plateau; 10 to 49 in the Rockies). Top commercial crops for human consumption are: pecans, onions, nursery crops, winter wheat and chile. Secondary crops include: peanuts (about 10,000 acres), potatoes (about 5,500 acres), sweet corn and dry beans (about 7,500 acres each). There are many farms growing apples (over 900 totaling over 2,000 acres), and over 1,000 acres of grapes, pistachios, pumpkins, rye and watermelons. Most of the top crops are exported.

Dream: By 2025, in-State sales of locally grown and value-added foods (like pecan butters) equal 20 to 25% of all food sales; deploy a mobile substitute for imports (e.g. tomatoes, cabbage, cantaloupes, spinach) and for off-season crops grown in greenhouses (e.g. tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms); and develop new commercial crops (e.g. pomegranates, sweet potatoes).