Department of Ag cuts ribbon on new labs, breaks ground on renovations

New laboratories officially opened this morning (Thursday, July 13) are “a key component of services” offered by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture going forward, New Mexico Lt. Gov. Howie Morales said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the labs at 975 Agriculture Way, a short street on the NMSU Las Cruces campus between Knox and Espina streets. Agriculture has a $40 billion impact in New Mexico and generates nearly 260,000 jobs in the state, said Morales.

NMDA is one of only three state ag departments in the country (the other two are in South Carolina and Illinois) that not only regulates the ag industry but helps improve it, said interim NMSU Chancellor Jay Gogue.

“This facility is taking us into a whole new era and we’re very excited,” said Leland Gould of the New Mexico Petroleum Marketers Association.

“I’m impressed by what NMDA does for the state of New Mexico,” said NMSU Regent Deborah Romero.

The relationship between NMDA and the NMSU Board of Regents is “as old as our state,” said Regents President Ammu Devasthali. The state constitution, written in 1912 when New Mexico became a state, created NMDA, she said, and put it under the control of the regents at New Mexico’s land grant university, which is now NMSU.

After the ribbon cutting, NMDA Sec. Jeff Witte led the regents, Morales, NMSU ag students and NMDA officials in breaking ground on the renovations to the NMDA building next door to the labs, at the corner of Espina Street and Agriculture Way. Witte said the building will be closed  starting July 13 as renovations begin. NMDA’s offices will move across the street to PSL during the renovations, he said. Witte said the NMSU building opened in 1975 and was the first solar heated and cooled building in the United States.

The labs

“New Mexico consumers and businesses will benefit from these state-of-the-art facilities and will receive timely and accurate results from regulatory testing and service samples,” Witte said in an NMDA news release. “Whether it’s petroleum products, feed, seed, fertilizer, pesticides or the state standards for weights and measurements, these facilities will serve all New Mexico residents, directly or indirectly.”

State Metrology Laboratory “supports the work of NMDA’s Standards and Consumer Services Division by calibrating weights and measuring devices utilized in inspections and performing calibration services on a fee basis for industry,” NMDA said. “

State Petroleum Laboratory “analyzes official samples to enforce petroleum product quality standards and specifications,” NMDA said. Samples are collected weekly by petroleum standards inspectors and shipped to the lab for analysis. If problems are encountered, follow-up investigations and samples may be required. Products not meeting state specifications must be corrected immediately. The lab is a state-of-the-art facility capable of analyzing in excess of 10,000 samples per year.”

State Seed Laboratory “determines the quality of seed used for planting,” NMDA said. “Seed testing yields information about seed lots to determine if seed being offered for sale meets the guarantee stated on the label and to provide information to the industry for labeling purposes.”

State Chemist Laboratory “performs a wide variety of tests on feeds, fertilizers and pesticides,” NMDA said. “This lab also ensures New Mexico’s citizens receive quality products, including animal feed (including pet food), commercial fertilizers and commercial pesticides. These services ensure a level playing field for manufacturers and promote responsible environmental stewardship.”

“Each new laboratory design has created more efficiencies for handling samples and artifacts and has added new equipment to increase capabilities, especially in the state metrology and petroleum labs,” NMDA said. “The lab construction project was made possible with departmental funds, general funds and a severance tax bond totaling $16.2 million.

Visit nmdeptag.nmsu.edu.