Institute Launches

2023 Healthy Soils Program

Certified Soil Food Web Lab Tech Josh Weybright of Bright Way Ag. LLC examines soil samples

Soil Food Web School student Navana Gallegos translates for a Spanish-speaking farmer.

Healthy Soils is a 2023 initiative of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute that will contribute to more profitable farm production while improving the environment. “This initiative is based on the understanding that building healthy soil can reduce the need for conventional farm inputs and interventions such as herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers, while also reducing water consumption and, often, increasing productivity,” said David Sundberg, Institute Program Development Director.

The goal of the program is to provide funding to implement soil building practices with the partner aid of New Mexico Healthy Soil Working Group. A critical part of this process is to test the soil biology, structure and available nutrients, as well as the plants and produce growing in the soil, for their health and nutrient density. These tests would provide valuable information for the practices that have the greatest impact on soil health in the region and on the food produced.

N3B, the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contractor, funded the initial phases of this program. The company’s focus on environmental remediation and waste management made them a perfect partner for this program.

The first phase of the program was to identify farmers and ranchers interested in regenerative farming practices. Four Española farmers were eager to participate: 2022 Farmer All Star Anna Maria Alcantar of Rocio Produce and her sister Estela Alcantar of Estela Alcantar Produce, Antonio Orozco of Tony’s Farm, and Reynal Orozco of Orozco Farm. Rancher Andrew Greer of Lazy BG based in Dilia, New Mexico, also participated.

The second phase of the program was to test the soil on each property. Certified Soil Web Lab Technician Josh Weybright and Steve Kadas, a former USDA National Resource Conservation Service Officer, served a consultants on this next step. The results in hand, Kadas then helped each farmer and rancher develop a conservation plan to submit to the Soil and Water Conservation District in each farm area. “With many options to choose from, the team focused on cover cropping, adding carbon amendments, and applying beneficial biology,” Sundberg said.

Once the conservation plan was approved, Continue Reading...

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

My Market Ag Bag,

the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market’s CSA

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a way for community members to purchase a produce subscription through the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Whether you’re interested in the freshest weekly harvest of your produce favorites or curious about trying new items, a CSA subscription is a convenient way to pre-arrange for 13 weeks of curated produce. To purchase your summer subscription for $455, please click here now!

For 13 weeks (July 5-September 27, 2023) you can pick up your “Ag Bag” curbside on Chili Line Lane on Wednesday afternoons 3-6 p.m. Each bag includes six to eight produce items, and the accompanying newsletter includes tips on storage, recipes and preparation tips. Bread and eggs can be added for a small supplement.

SNAP participants may use their EBT cards to purchase the summer share at half of the regular cost. This program is made possible through the Double Up Food Bucks program administered by the Institute. Sign-up is available at the information Booth at any Santa Fe Farmers’ Market.

Don’t delay, registration for summer subscriptions ends on June 28th!

Tour the Santa Fe Farmers Market Like an Insider!

Green Tractor Farm's Mary Dixon introduces a Market Tour group to

 Brian McQuaid of El Bosque Garlic Farm.

Join a Tour Host and Guide on a Tuesday morning stroll through the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. See the wide variety of what’s growing locally, and talk with farmers about their crops and experiences. 

Over coffee and breakfast sweets at 9:00 in the Market Pavilion, learn how the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute supports local small-scale farmers through impactful programs, and assists neighbors by providing reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute Tours are scheduled the first and third Tuesday Morning of every month from June 6 through November 21, 2023. Each one-hour tour will be limited to ten guests, so register early at Eventbrite.

A Luminary in Our Midst: Stanley Crawford Appears at the Santa Fe International Literary Festival

Author Stanley Crawford

Veteran farmer Stan Crawford is a renaissance man, as anyone who has spent time with him at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market will tell you. The 2009 Farmer All Star has been selling at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market for more than four decades. When he is not farming his garlic and shallot crops at El Bosque Garlic Farm in Dixon, he occupies his time writing: four nonfiction books about Northern New Mexico and five nonfiction works to date. His most recent nonfiction work is The Garlic Papers.

Crawford’s literary achievements have been recognized with two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writer’s Award, and residencies at the prestigious MacDowell Colony, Centrum, and the Rockefeller Foundation. This week he adds an appearance at the Santa Fe Literary Festival to his list of credits. He joins the roster with authors such as John Irving, Luis Alberto Urrea, Colum McCann, and David Quammen, author of The Tangled Tree, focused on our endangered natural environment.

Stan Crawford’s talk on Saturday, May 20 from 3:30-4:30 is sold out. If you were unable to buy your tickets early enough to attend, stop by his booth any Saturday at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market at the Railyard. While at the El Bosque Garlic Farm booth, you can pick up a copy of his book and chat with the author himself. You can also purchase garlic, of course!

Addressing Critically Low Blood Supplies in New Mexico

Pictured (l-r): Vitalant Donor Recruitment Specialist Laura Hill and Institute Board Member Diane Sandoval-Griego photographed against the backdrop of the Vitalant Bloodmobile

On Saturday, May 13, 2023 the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market Institute hosted its third blood drive in cooperation with Vilatant. 

Institute Board Member Diane Sandoval-Griego personally kicked off the campaign at 9am. Asked why she donated, Sandoval-Griego said, “I have been a blood donor since 2000. I choose the Power Red donations that are especially helpful to trauma victims and newborn babies. When I donate, I pray that my gift reaches those who need it most and promotes their healing potential.”

The Institute expresses its gratitude to all of the donors who stopped by on Saturday and helped us exceed our goal. Thank you!

If you were unable to give blood on Saturday, please contact Vitalant and set up an appointment for their Santa Fe location at 2801 Rodeo Road Suite C1 (corner of Camino Carlos Rey).

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