Farmer, legislator talk impacts of Inflation Reduction Act
By Sasha Lenninger
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LEMITAR, New Mexico (KOAT) — The warmer weather and recent heat wave has had a significant impact statewide for farmers and ranchers.
Agriculture is one of the state’s largest industries, with over 24,000 farms across 40 million acres in the Land of Enchantment.
During his recent presidential visit, President Joe Biden spoke in Belen about how funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will go toward New Mexico farmers and ranchers. Biden also discussed the climate crisis and how the funding will better the climate.
“Like raising livestock in ways that improve soil health,” Biden said. “Helping farmers and ranchers get paid for doing the right thing, planting material that absorbs carbon from the air.”
Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez agrees with Biden on the carbon-absorbing material, she explains how it could fix the current problems plaguing the agriculture business.
“It captures carbon every time that grass grows and the cows are either down again, that’s a carbon pump happening,” Leger Fernandez said. “We put a lot of money in for that, but we also replenished the funds that ranchers and farmers have relied on because they were stripped bare because of the drought.”
Glen Duggins is a New Mexico farmer and has questioned the Inflation Reduction Act funding. Duggins operates a farm in Lemitar, just north of Socorro.
“I got to say it, they’re buying votes. They’re trying to buy votes,” Duggins said. “I believe it 100%. But they really don’t know what they’re talking about.”
For Duggins, he used to grow chile but decided to stop due to rising costs to grow the crop. That focus then shifted toward other crops like corn and alfalfa.
MORE: White House celebrates Inflation Reduction Act
Farms utilize cover crops, which are used to keep the soil and fertilizer over the winter season. The Biden Administration has called for farmers and agriculture workers to practice using it.
Duggins said that proposal would not reduce water usage at farms in New Mexico.
“The farmers are planting cover crops to make money, It’s a crop,” Duggins said. “It has to have water the same as any other crop. Like winter wheat.”
He also said he would like lawmakers to have a working farmer involved when creating agriculture legislation.
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