Laura: SECRETARY WITTE,  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME ON NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS  TODAY.

Witte: GLAD TO BE HERE,  LAURA.

THANK YOU.

Laura: DROUGHT IS WIDESPREAD.

WE HAVE SEEN COMMUNITIES WHERE WE HAVE SEEN EXTREME  PRECIPITATION EVENTS THIS SUMMER.

CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE OVERVIEW OF HOW THE FARMING  AND RANCHING COMMUNITY IS DOING IN NEW MEXICO THIS  SUMMER?

Witte: IT HAS BEEN A  CHALLENGING AND IT HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING YEAR.

WE STARTED OUT VERY DRY.

IN OUR FARMING COMMUNITIES  MOST OF THEM LIKE HERE IN THE SOUTHERN END OF THE STATE WE  WERE ONLY ALLOCATED A FEW INCHES OF SURFACE IRRIGATION.

A LOT OF FARMERS HAD TO RELY ON GROUNDWATER, WATER PUMPING.

IF YOU DRIVE AROUND THE SOUTHERN PART OF DONA ANA  COUNTY AND NORTHERN PART OF DONA ANA COUNTY AND EVEN  SIERRA COUNTY YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF FALLOWED LAND.

LAND THAT JUST DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO WATER.

THAT IS REALLY, YOU KNOW, ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE DROUGHT.

THE RANCH LAND ACROSS THE STATE, IT STARTED OFF VERY,  VERY DRY.

AS WE WENT INTO JUNE IT WAS  REALLY TOUGH AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THESE RAINS CAME AND  NOW FOR THE MOST PART ACROSS THE STATE, YOU SEE SOME GOOD  GRASS THAT HAS GROWN.

IT IS AMAZING HOW THE NEW  MEXICO LAND SCAPE TAKES CARE OF ITSELF WHEN WE GET A LITTLE  RAIN.

IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT, JUST A  LITTLE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH GOOD RAINS.

NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE IS STILL DRY AND WE NEED TO  GET SOME MORE RAIN UP THERE.

OUR FARMERS AND RANCHERS ARE VERY RESILIENT.

THEY PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR AFTER YEAR, ALTHOUGH IT WAS  REALLY GETTING TOUGH.

A LOT OF RANCHERS THAT SOLD  OFF A LOT OF THEIR HERDS EARLY ON, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE  ANY CHOICE.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE GRASS.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BUY HAY.

IT IS NOT ECONOMICALLY VIABLE  SO WE STARTED OFF ROUGH.

IT IS LOOKING A LITTLE BETTER  RIGHT NOW.

Laura: I AM CURIOUS, WHEN  FARMERS HAVE TO FALLOW FIELDS, WHEN YOU MISS A CUTTING OR A  CROP HARVEST, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT NOT JUST THE INDIVIDUAL  FARMER BUT THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE AND THEN ALSO MAYBE  CONSUMERS?

Witte: YOU SEE, I TALKED A  LITTLE BIT ABOUT DOWN IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO WHERE WE  HAD THE FALLOWED LAND.

A LOT OF THAT USE TO BE ONIONS  OR LETTUCE OR CHILE, FOR INSTANCE.

YOU'LL SEE LESS OF THAT PRODUCT ON THE TABLE.

NEW MEXICO IS NO.

1 IN PRODUCTION OF CHILE.

NEW MEXICO IS NO.

1 IN PRODUCTION OF SUMMER ONIONS.

WE ARE LIKE A SALAD BOWL FOR A FEW MONTHS IN THIS STATE.

SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE HAVE TO BRING IT IN  FROM OTHER PLACES.

YOU HOPE THAT TEXAS OR  CALIFORNIA HAS A GOOD PRODUCTION CYCLE.

SO THE CONSUMER HAS THAT AVAILABLE BUT YOU'LL SEE  HIGHER PRICE FOR HIS THOSE COMMODITIES.

YOU MAY SEE INCREASED IMPORTS OF THOSE ITEMS.

PEOPLE PREFER THE BUY LOCAL.

WE ALL PREFER THE NEW MEXICO  PRODUCT, ESPECIALLY NEW MEXICO CHILE AND ONIONS AND ALL THE  GOOD THINGS WE GROW, BUT IT MAKES IT TOUGH WHEN WE CAN'T  WATER IT.

Laura: I AM CURIOUS BECAUSE  WE ARE ALSO WATCHING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE COLORADO  RIVER BASIN THIS YEAR AND SHORTAGES.

HOW DOES THAT EITHER AFFECT NEW MEXICO MARKETS OR MAYBE  PREVIEW WHAT COULD BE TO COME HERE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

Witte: I HAVE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH MY  COUNTERPART IN CALIFORNIA SECRETARY ROSS.

EVEN HERE, OUR FARMERS HAVE LEARNED HOW TO ADAPT TO LESS  WATER.

THEY INCREASE THEIR PRODUCTION  PER ACRE ON FEWER ACRES TO OFFSET SOME OF THAT, BUT IT  DOESN'T OFFSET ALL OF IT.

NEW MEXICO, WE ARE KIND OF IN  A WINDOW BETWEEN, A LOT OF TIMES, BETWEEN TEXAS AND  CALIFORNIA HARVEST CYCLES.

IF CALIFORNIA IS NOT  HARVESTING, OUR FARMERS DO REALLY WELL PRICE WISE.

SAME THING WITH TEXAS.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE COLORADO  BASIN AND LESS WATER IS THAT YOU'LL SEE LESS ACRES IN  CALIFORNIA.

CALIFORNIA, YOU KNOW, BY FAR  THE NO.

1 PRODUCER OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES SO IT  IS GOING TO HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT THROUGHOUT THE ECONOMY.

THEIR FARMERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REALLY GET GOOD WITH  EFFICIENCIES AND IRRIGATION SCHEDULES AND EVEN MAYBE  LOOKING AT CHANGING SOME OF THEIR CROPPING PATTERNS.

WHEN YOU HAVE FIELD CROPS, SAY LIKE THEIR VEGETABLE CROPS  YOU, THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU CAN CHANGE THAT.

WHEN YOU HAVE TREE CROPS LIKE WHAT WE HAVE IN SOUTHERN NEW  MEXICO, PECANS, THEY HAVE ALMONDS.

YOU CAN'T CHANGE THOSE.

YOU HAVE TO DO ALL YOU CAN TO  PROTECT THOSE.

Laura: IS IT REALISTIC TO  THINK THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE FARMING AND RANCHING  IN NEW MEXICO THE WAY WE ALWAYS HAVE?

WHAT CHOICES DO WE NEED TO MAKE ON OUR FARMS AND RANCHES  AND AS CONSUMERS AS WELL?

Witte: I THINK ABSOLUTELY  WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE FARMING AND RANCHING IN THE  STATE OF NEW MEXICO.

WE JUST HAVE TOO MUCH LAND.

THAT IS THE BEST USE OF THAT LAND.

WILL WE BE DOING IT LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST, THE GREATEST  THING WE HAVE IN NEW MEXICO IS WE HAVE A LOT OF CUSTOMS AND  CULTURE AND WE RESPECT THE CULTURES OF THE PAST.

BUT YOU LOOK AT EVERY PRODUCER THAT IS OUT THERE TODAY AND  NONE OF THEM ARE DOING IT LIKE THEIR GRANDFATHERS DID, OUR  GREAT GRANDFATHERS DID.

EVERYBODY ADDS THEIR OWN  FLAVOR TO THEIR CULTURE.

THAT IS GOING TO CONTINUE IN  THE FUTURE.

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE AN  ADAPTATION OF TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE DIDN'T EVEN THINK  ABOUT YESTERDAY IN TOMORROW'S AGRICULTURE.

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE USES OF WATER CHANGE AND THE  DYNAMICS AND OPPORTUNITIES -- AND I AM NOT EVEN SURE WHAT IT  IS GOING TO BE, BECAUSE SOME OF THIS STUFF HASN'T EVEN BEEN  INVENTED YET.

THOSE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES OF  THE FUTURE AND THE NEXT GENERATION AND THE GENERATION  AFTER THAT WILL ADAPT.

THEY'LL PRODUCE THAT FOOD.

I THINK FOR OUR CONSUMERS, COVID SHOWED US ONE THING.

WE LOVE LOCAL FOOD AND IT WAS AVAILABLE AND THE CHALLENGE  THAT WE HAD IS CONNECTING THE PRODUCERS TO THE CONSUMERS AND  WE HAVE GOT TO ALL DO BETTER JOB OF THAT.

CONSUMERS NEED TO LOOK FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY THE  LOCAL AND TO SUPPORT FARMERS AND RANCHERS.

Laura: SECRETARY WITTE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING  TO ME.

Witte: GLAD TO BE HERE.