Making sure NM chile is really from state

“As New Mexicans, we’re proud of our chile, and if products are advertised as ‘New Mexico’ chile, we want to be sure that is indeed the case,” New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte said. “The New Mexico Chile Advertising Act (NMCAA) was created through legislation, and it’s our job at NMDA to educate our hard-working producers in the state about the act, so they are in compliance.”

NMDA Standards and Consumer Services Division staff inspects fresh and processed chile products to verify they meet the criteria set forth in the act. The act states that individuals cannot advertise chile peppers or products containing chile peppers as New Mexico chile unless they were grown in New Mexico. The act also stipulates that individuals cannot use the name of any city, town, county, village, pueblo, mountain, river or other geographic feature located in New Mexico in a misleading or deceptive manner that states – or reasonably implies – that the chile peppers are, or the product contains, New Mexico chile unless they were grown in New Mexico.

Currently, there are more than 200 registered vendors and products, and a list may be found at www.nmda.nmsu.edu/new-mexico-chile-verified/.

Both New Mexico fresh and processed chile registration forms are available at www.nmda.nmsu.edu/new-mexico-chile-labeling-registration/. There is no fee to register. Once successfully registered with NMDA, vendors and products are eligible to enter the various chile competitions held in the state.

For more information, contact the NMDA Standards and Consumer Services Division at 575-646-1616 or nmchile@nmda.nmsu.edu.

Visit www.nmda.nmsu.edu/nmda-homepage/laws-regulations/weights-measures to read NMCAA in its entirety.

Following are some helpful links for vendors and producers already registered with NMDA as part of the New Mexico Chile Advertising Act: One of NMDA’s signature events at the New Mexico State Fair, the 2021 Battle of the Salsas will be held Saturday, Sept. 11. The first 150 attendees will receive a set of salsa samples, chips and a ballot, and will have the opportunity to sample many New Mexico salsas. Visit https://statefair.exponm.com/.

The New Mexico Chile Association’s Great New Mexico Chile Taste-Off will be held Saturday, Sept. 18 in Socorro. Attendees will be able to taste – and take home – a wide selection of red and green chile from around New Mexico. Comprised of growers, processors, manufacturers and others involved in the chile industry, the New Mexico Chile Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that the chile industry remains and prospers in New Mexico. https://www.nmchiletasteoff.com/

Visit www.nmda.nmsu.edu and find NMDA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @NMDeptAg, YouTube at NMDeptAg and LinkedIn at New Mexico Department of Agriculture.

Governor launches wage supplement program to support chile crop

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced in August that the state will commit $5 million to pilot a wage supplement program for the chile industry “amid concerns about a labor shortage that could impact the 2021 production of the state’s signature crop,” the governor said in a news release.

The New Mexico Chile Association (NMCA) reports the industry may currently be short up to 1,350 seasonal employees. Agricultural labor shortages are a persistent industry issue in New Mexico and beyond, the news release said.

The governor’s Chile Labor Incentive Program, to be administered by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, based at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, will provide funding to chile growers, labor contractors and processors on a first-come, first-served basis to supplement the wages of existing and prospective workers as well as incentivize hiring and retention, the news release said. Chile growers, labor contractors and processors may use what incentive funds they receive through NMDA to enhance wages for laborers up to a maximum of $19.50 an hour.

NMCA reports the average wage paid to laborers currently is approximately $15 an hour. A May 2021 U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed farmers paying an average wage of $15.23 an hour.

Funding for the program will come from the state’s share of federal stimulus distributed through the American Rescue Plan.

“I look forward to working with industry partners to successfully carry out the governor’s vision for these funds and this support,” said state Agriculture Sec. Jeff Witte of Las Cruces. “My agency and the chile industry have a productive working relationship, and we believe we have come up with a strategy together that will make a positive difference and contribute to a successful harvest. Information about the program can be found on our website at www.nmda.nmsu.edu.”