Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund monies go to NMDA natural resource programs

LAS CRUCES, N.M.  – The New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) has allocated its share of the state’s Land of Enchantment (LOE) Legacy fund to support its soil and water conservation district (SWCDs) and watershed district programs, as well as Healthy Soil Program and Noxious Weeds Management Program.

Enacted in 2023 and implemented July 1, 2024, New Mexico’s LOE Legacy Fund is the first-ever recurring annual investment in land and water conservation, agriculture and outdoor recreation projects statewide. Funding has been distributed across six New Mexico state agencies – including NMDA – to fund 11 programs and projects by August 2025.

In Fiscal Year 2025, the LOE Legacy Fund provided $2.81 million to NMDA to support its Healthy Soil Program, Noxious Weed Management Program and SWCD and watershed district programs.

“NMDA staff has held several stakeholder events and has worked closely with the New Mexico Soil and Water Conservation Commission to gain important insight into allocating our department’s portion of LOE funds,” said New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte. “This investment in conservation programs by the State Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham provides much needed resources to address critical conservation, soil health and noxious weeds management issues as the state continues to navigate drought, wildfires and flooding.”

Established in 2019 by the Healthy Soil Act, NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program was created “to promote and support farming and ranching systems and other forms of land management that increase soil organic matter, aggregate stability, microbiology and water retention to improve the health, yield and profitability of the soils of the state.”

Every year, NMDA awards Healthy Soil Program grants to implement on-the-ground projects focused on one or more soil health principles. In Fiscal Year 2025, for the first time, the Healthy Soil Program grants benefit from additional funding through the LOE Legacy Fund. Since the program’s implementation, NMDA has awarded more than $2.4 million in Healthy Soil Program grants to 158 on-the-ground projects.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a primary partner of NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program, providing a recurring annual funding match of $100,000 or more to help promote soil health in the state. NRCS provided an additional $390,000 to NMDA in Fiscal Year 2025 to complement $490,000 in LOE funding.

Noxious weeds, or weeds identified by the state as harmful, cause significant harm to livestock croplands, ecosystems, wildlife or residents. To help diminish the impacts of noxious weeds, with support from the LOE Legacy Fund, NMDA launched its Noxious Weeds Management Grant Program July 1, 2024 to support weed management efforts coordinated by local, state and federal land managers, as well as private landowners. NMDA is in the process of awarding competitive grants – ranging from $10,000 to $60,000 – for noxious weeds management projects that improve the state economy and environment. Projects for this pilot year will take place between Sept. 3, 2024 and Feb. 28, 2026.

NMDA has dedicated over $1 million in LOE funding to support 31 grant-funded projects across 22 SWCDs. These projects, available to SWCDs and/or watershed districts, are funded through four new types of competitive grants:

NMDA funds SWCDs around the state to help build a variety of conservation programs and educational outreach programs.

Looking ahead to Fiscal Year 2026, which starts July 1, 2025, entities such as pueblos, tribes, acequias, land grants, New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, SWCDs and watershed districts are encouraged to apply to NMDA’s LOE Legacy Fund programs with projects they know work for them.