SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) announced that 21 projects in 19 communities across New Mexico are recipients of the FY24 round of Healthy Food Financing Awards including several from Northern NM.
Ramel Family Farms (RFF), located in Raton, NM, is operated by two Iranian-American brothers with over 20 years of combined experience in various fields including startup development, agricultural innovation, organic farming, and sustainable practices. This project will bolster a partnership between RFF and Ogallala Commons (OC) to enhance community food security by increasing production and distribution through regional wholesale and institutional outlets through the NM Grown Coalition to create robust markets for local produce in northeastern New Mexico.
High Country Meats in Raton, NM, is a woman- and family-owned business with over 29 years of experience, specializing in high-quality beef, pork, and lamb processing, currently operating as a USDA federally inspected facility. This project will enhance High Country Meats’ capacity to expand ground meat production, thus increasing protein access for institutions and underserved communities in Northeast New Mexico. This financial support will facilitate the necessary upgrades to boost processing capacity and distribution, addressing the region’s critical shortage of local meat processing services and fulfilling High Country Meats’ mission to nourish Northern New Mexico more effectively.
Two Mora County businesses also received news of the financing awards, including Ledoux Grange. A small, woman-owned, beginner-family farm, Ledoux Grange is focusing on enhancing its sustainable agriculture practices. The project focuses on expanding sustainable agriculture practices through regenerative soil management and introducing light machinery to replace labor-intensive manual farming, addressing the aftermath of regional fires and erosion. The funding will enable the transition to small-scale equipment that protects the fragile soil from further compaction and erosion, allowing the farm to process grains, pulses, and seeds for local customers. The farm is diversifying its production through cultural and regional offerings for the New Mexico Grown program.
Los De Mora (LdM) Growers’ Cooperative is a full-service brick-and-mortar grocery store in the heart of Mora, NM. The LdM cooperative’s mission is to offer local farmers and ranchers a place to sell their products, provide healthy food to our community which previously had been a food desert, and create jobs in our community. After 11 years, Los de Mora, resilient through COVID and the CCHP fire, aims to revitalize their space, formerly Russell’s store from the ’70s. This involves expanding retail space, modernizing the commercial kitchen, broadening product lines, and incorporating efficient cooling systems. This project will facilitate these enhancements, focusing on providing a diverse product range, improving customer experience, and upgrading kitchen and refrigeration equipment for a more efficient operation.
