Cooperative Development Center

The Center of Southwest Culture—through its economic development division, the Cooperative Development Center—recently helped launch a new organic farming cooperative in the Villanueva Valley of northern New Mexico. With an initial founding group of nine farmers, Bueno Para Todos Farming Cooperative will plant a total of 6-8 acres at four different sites during its inaugural season. Raza students from the University of New Mexico joined local Villanueva Valley farmers and coop members to erect the coop’s new greenhouse in mid-April.

Bueno Para Todos Cooperative Launches!

Thanks to an economic development grant from San Miguel County, CODECE has helped organize a new organic farming cooperative in the Villanueva Valley in San Miguel County. The cooperative will plant its first ever organic crops in late spring, 2016 at multiple sites owned by individual members of the cooperative. CODECE is helping identify markets for the organic produce expected to be grown this season; providing farm plans with succession planting schedules; and providing a master farmer to provide ongoing technical assistance throughout the season. CODECE also provided a $10,000 greenhouse to the new cooperative to permit its farmers to extend the growing season and increase their income.

CSC Acquires Tractor, Implements & Greenhouses for Farm Coops!

The Center has purchased a farm tractor for shared use by the emerging coops in the mid-Rio region. The tractor is used to plow, disk and create furrows on the various farm sites used by the numerous farm coops already up and running in the mid-Rio Grande Region. Shared use of farm tractors and implements is part of the economy of scale the Center provides to its emerging farm cooperatives. CODECE was also able to purchase 8 100’x30’ greenhouses to provide to several of our cooperatives. In all, the Center will provide more than $150,000 in infrastructure for emerging cooperatives in 2016.

El Mogote is still growing this late in the season! El Mogote is in the process of adding an aditional 18x50 greenhouse to grow even more!

CSC executive director Arturo Sandoval and Don Bustos made a presentation on the Cooperative Development Center of New Mexico to the City council of Espanola.

The Jiron family of Isleta Pueblo preparing to plant seeds. They are moving away from planting alfalfa to planting high yield crops! A big thanks to Joseph Alfaro for his guidance!