SENATE MEMORIAL 25

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

Cisco McSorley

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING JANUARY 27, 2010 "FARM AND RANCH WORKERS' DAY" AT THE SENATE.

     WHEREAS, agriculture's contribution to New Mexico's heritage and economic health is well-known; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is ranked sixth in the nation in the exportation of dairy products, the state's number one agricultural commodity; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is ranked thirteenth in the nation in cattle production, our number two commodity; and

     WHEREAS, according to United States department of agriculture rankings, only California had greater chile production than New Mexico, and New Mexicans know that no place grows better chile than New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, in 2008, the New Mexico farm and ranch community earned a net profit of eight hundred twenty-nine million eight hundred thirty-five thousand dollars ($829,835,000); and

     WHEREAS, major farm and ranch production in New Mexico includes cattle, sheep and wool, dairy products, alfalfa and other hays, wheat, sorghum, cotton, chile, pecans, lettuce, corn and onions; and

     WHEREAS, the production of many of these commodities would not be possible without the approximately twelve thousand farm and ranch workers in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, farm and ranch workers in New Mexico have been tending crops and livestock since before 1920, which is the year that large-scale agriculture began in this state; and

     WHEREAS, for all of this time, farm and ranch workers have been the backbone of much of the farming and ranching industry; and

     WHEREAS, farm and ranch workers labor in one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States, and in 2008, forty-three thousand seven hundred of them suffered disabling injuries from work-related accidents; and

     WHEREAS, many farm and ranch workers receive little recognition for their work; and

     WHEREAS, all New Mexicans benefit from the labor of farm and ranch workers;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that January 27, 2010 be declared "Farm and Ranch Workers' Day" at the senate to honor the hardworking people whose role in New Mexico's economy is of great importance to all residents of the state; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor and the lieutenant governor.

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