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• Agricultural Programs & Resources
• Agricultural & Environmental Services
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• Dairy
• Marketing and Development
• Standards & Consumer Services
• Veterinary Diagnostic Services

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About Us

The roots of New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) can be traced back to before New Mexico was even a state. Within the Constitution of the State of New Mexico – adopted in 1911, a year before our formal welcome into the Union – the founders called for “a department of agriculture which shall be under the control of the board of regents of the college of agriculture and mechanic arts.”

That explains why NMDA is located in Las Cruces on the campus of New Mexico State University (NMSU). It makes sense that our founders codified a relationship between the school and the then-yet-to-be agriculture department.  New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (as NMSU was then known) was already vested with agricultural resources to serve the public interest.

Fast-forward four decades. In 1955 NMSU’s Board of Regents voted to centralize a number of regulatory services under a single administrative agency, and thus the New Mexico Department of Agriculture was officially born. Today, NMDA is a producer-consumer service and regulatory department. Its mandate has changed over the years in tandem with the needs of agricultural producers and consumers.

Since 1978, the director of NMDA has also served as the secretary of agriculture on the Governor’s Cabinet. As such, the director/secretary is the official representative of New Mexico’s agricultural industry to state and federal government.

Vision:
NMDA works for the benefit of the state’s citizens and supports the viability of agriculture and affiliated industries.

Mission:
NMDA promotes food protection, a uniform and fair market place, and global marketing and economic development; supports beneficial use of natural resources; and works cooperatively with public and private sector entities.