USDA Sec. Perdue: “I understand the power of green chile.”
VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAL71ddyteo&feature=youtu.be
WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) , senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, secured commitments from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on vital New Mexico agriculture priorities. Udall asked Perdue to expedite the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) relief for New Mexico dairy farmers suffering the effects of PFAS contamination and to ensure that New Mexico’s land grants and acequias are eligible for the important Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding.
Holding up a jar of Hatch Valley green chile during his questioning, Udall also secured a commitment from Perdue to push back on proposed cuts to Agricultural Marketing Service, the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the National Organic Program that help New Mexico’s chile growers market authentic New Mexico chile products in the face of misleading and deceptively labeled competitors.
Udall began his questioning by pressing Perdue to address the impacts of PFAS contamination on New Mexico dairy farmers. “Mr. Secretary, last year at this same hearing, we discussed the troubling impact of PFAS contamination on dairies in my home state of New Mexico,” Udall said. “My colleagues and I used the appropriations bill to include report language urging you to ‘purchase and remove contaminated cows from the market, rather than paying for prolonged monthly production indemnities.’ We also sent you a letter on February 7 urging this same outcome.”
“As a comparison, USDA has already paid over $20 billion to compensate farmers for the impacts of trade disputes with China and other nations,” Udall continued. “These dairy farmers with PFAS contamination face ruin as a result of pollution from federal government facilities.
“Can I get your commitment to resolve this situation without further delay?” Udall asked. “This has been going on for far too long and creating a great deal of unnecessary stress and strain.”
“Senator, it is my understanding that we are moving along fairly progressively certainly with the one dairy that I am familiar with in your state,” Perdue responded. “And I think we’re very quickly--we had to get permission, certainly, with FDA…But I think that’s exactly what we’re doing, and we’ll get you a resolution date on that.”
Udall continued by pressing Perdue on the red tape that has limited access to USDA funding for New Mexico land grants and acequias, given their unique organizations. “We have traditional Hispanic communities in New Mexico known as ‘land grants’ that have existed since the Spanish colonial days dating back 400 years. Many of these also have irrigation ditches dating back to that time called acequias. These communities and farming practices are a treasured part of our traditional culture and agriculture in New Mexico.
“I have worked for years to make sure these entities are eligible for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program,’” Udall continued. “I made sure that the 2014 Farm Bill allowed USDA to enter into alternative agreements with them. Yet, we have heard from our stakeholders that there is still not clear confirmation from USDA regarding the eligibility of acequias in the EQIP rules.
“Mr. Secretary, can you please commit that USDA will give New Mexico land grants and acequias clear guidance soon, so they can successfully access EQIP funds?” Udall asked.
“I’m disturbed that it hasn’t been done already at your direction, and I will assure you that we will get that done,” Perdue promised.
Udall closed his question time by holding up a jar of “New Mexico - Taste the Tradition”-labeled jar of green chile sauce from Garcia’s Kitchen in Albuquerque using chiles from Hatch, New Mexico. “We also are very proud of our green chiles. We have, as you know, an incredible product in NM. Our official state question is whether you’re red or green…And chile growers, along with other specialty crops, have benefited from the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the National Organic Program. And so I want to go on record and express my concerns that the Agriculture Marketing Service is facing a 20% cut. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is flat in your proposed budget but the National Organic Program is cut by 33%, so I hope we can do better.
“My question to you is this—however, the final levels come out, will you help us to ensure that New Mexico chile growers can benefit to the maximum extent possible?” Udall asked.
“We’ll do that,” Perdue responded. “[Secretary of New Mexico Department of Agriculture] Jeff Witte has made sure that I understand the power of green chile.”
The New Mexico – Taste the Tradition/Grown with Tradition labels are part of a logo branding program by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to help customers know when a product is truly grown or made in New Mexico.
Udall concluded his questioning by submitting a written question to USDA asking them to reconsider the Trump Administration’s impending eligibility limits on Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits and to look instead at an expansion of benefits in light of the novel coronavirus which may force people to miss work and could lead to an economic slowdown.
