Growing up, I saw how hard my parents worked on our small cow and calf operation. New Mexico’s farmers and producers—many from families who have cultivated their land for generations—help drive our state’s economy and are an integral part of our culture and heritage. Their work has only gotten harder over the years, as they cope with drier land, less predictable rainfall, and rising costs impacting their operations.
As Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I am focused on securing investments to make our local food production systems more resilient, bring down costs for families at the grocery store, and create new career opportunities for the next generation of producers.