On Tuesday at Wagner Farms in Corrales, farmers, ranchers, and food network organizers met with Senator Martin Heinrich to discuss the challenges the agriculture community is facing and ways the federal government could help.
Costs, and other factors, such as drought, are forcing food industry farmers and ranchers to choose between taking a loss or raising the price for the customer. Many of the farmers and ranchers told Senator Heinrich they didn’t want to raise consumer prices because it affected their friends and neighbors to whom they sell locally.
Of the various costs, top of mind was the soaring costs of diesel, with several farmers reporting their diesel costs have doubled or more.
“My dad takes cows every day, and so he travels about 250 miles a day,” said Manny Encinas, owner of Trilogy Beef and Buffalo Creek Ranch. “His diesel expenditures per month have increased by almost $2,000 a month.”
Federal tariffs are another factor affecting farmers. The South Valley’s Agri-Cultura Network executive director, Helga Garza said tariffs delayed delivery of her organization's new tractor, which still isn’t fully operational.
“It took probably a good five months," Garza said. “And we're still waiting for some of the implements.”
Another blow for the agricultural industry could come next tax season. Zach Ben of Bidii Baby Foods asked if there would be any tax cuts for local farmers and ranchers, who are sometimes having to absorb the costs of diesel, drought, and tariffs.
“It's like we're paying twice, right?” Ben said. “At the end of the season, it really, really hurts when your mission is feeding the people, and then you end up having to pay more on top of that.”
Another concern farmers spoke about are the federal government subsidies that incentivize farmers to grow water-intensive crops to feed animals— such as corn and alfalfa—even during a drought, which is a real drain on the country’s resources at a time when other farmers can’t get enough water.
For example, Anthony Wagner, owner of Wagner Farms, had over 750 trees in his orchard. Most of them died because this year' s drought was so bad even the Rio Grande dried up.
“Can’t really be depending on the river now, it seems like,” Wagner said. “And we've always had plenty of water in the river, so we're having to try to adapt.”
But not all of the news reported to Senator Heinrich was bad. A few farmers reported drought-adaptation measures. For example, Agri-Cultura Network just opened a new farm designed with solar panels and cisterns to produce food for the community without being as water intensive.
“The design itself was all based on what we're experiencing with climate chaos right now. So it's how we capture water, how we keep our soil moist,” Garza said. “It's also making that shift into what we're growing. What takes less water to grow? What gives us more yield?”
But when reducing resource demand isn’t possible, some farmers are shifting to alternative sources. Ben said his farm, Bidii Baby Foods, is looking to shift away from fossil fuels.
“We're actually getting an energy audit done by Sandia Labs,” Ben said. “Looking at electric tractors. Electric cargo vans, electric trucks .
After the roundtable, in asking Senator Heinrich if the ideas or issues presented would prompt new legislation, he said that the government should shift its resources away from subsidizing commodity crops.
“Pushing that focus more towards small operations that provide fruits and vegetables, the kind of food that people actually eat on a plate that doesn't go into a Cheeto,” Heinrich said. “That's progress from the point of view of both our state and public health.”
Senator Heinrich said he hopes a bill he recently co-sponsored with Senator Andy Kim (D - N.J.)- the Healthy Meals Help Kids Learn Act of 2026- will allow schools to buy healthier ingredients from local sources through an increase in federal funding for school lunches. It has not been heard in the Senate yet.
