New Mexico Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for School Meals
SB 143 Sponsored by Senator Pete Campos and
HB 81Representatives Don L. Tripp, Jimmie Hall and Senator Tim Keller
-Talking Points 2014 State Legislative SessionWhat we are requesting (more commonly known as “the ask”):
 $1.44 million dollars to purchase New Mexico grown fresh fruits and vegetables for use in school nutrition
programs.
Who benefits from this proposal?
 All 345,000 students in New Mexico schools would have the opportunity to eat more fresh fruits and
vegetables grown right here in the state.

With additional funding, school nutrition programs will be able to purchase more locally grown produce. This
is critical as a new federal rule * requires that students meals contain more servings of fresh fruits and
vegetables.

New Mexican farming families are primed to provide additional produce to the schools. Schools provide a
stable, consistent market, providing farmers with a reliable source of income.

State and local economies will benefit from these purchases, as with every dollar earned by a New Mexico
farmer, another $1.80 is invested in the local economy. This is an 80% return on investment in our rural
economies.
Why we know this will work!
 Students have already been given a taste of New Mexico produce. According to Betsy Cull, Farm to School
Director at the Santa Fe Public Schools, “The children love the New Mexican apples. Our apple consumption
increases a great deal when they are in season, and as soon as they are out of season and we get them from
somewhere else, the apple consumption goes way down. It is especially noticeable at the middle and high
schools”.

There are now 60 school districts purchase New Mexico-grown produce. This number has more than
quadrupled since 2012. Since 2012, over 23 New Mexico fruit and vegetable producers from 5 counties have
sold over 300,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to schools across the state. This is a significant and
expanding market for New Mexico farmers.
Why we need this program - the state of the state
 School nutrition programs are reimbursed by the federal government at $2.87 for each meal. This
reimbursement also helps to pay for labor and equipment costs – in addition to food costs.

New Mexico currently ranks first in the nation in childhood hunger, more than 1 in 5 children in New Mexico
are considered food insecure and many depend on school meals for their main meal of their day.

Twenty seven percent of New Mexico children are either overweight or obese. New Mexico ranks 30th in children’s
health and 50th in the nation for child welfare. The prevalence of overweight and obese children in the state has
risen since 2003.

This is a win-win for New Mexico—as the market develops for New Mexico grown produce in schools, fruit
and vegetable growers’ incomes will rise and our children’s overall health and academic performance will
improve.
For more information contact us at: www.farmtotablenm.org, (505)660-8403
New Mexico Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for School Meals
SB 143 Sponsored by Senator Pete Campos
HB 81Representatives Don L. Tripp, Jimmie Hall and Senator Tim Keller
Requesting $1.44 million for schools to purchase New Mexico grown fruits and vegetables for school
meals. Studies show that fruits and vegetables enhance children’s diets promoting healthier
lifestyles and increasing academic achievement. This will strengthen New Mexico’s farming
economy and rural sectors by expanding market opportunities for farmers.
How do I get involved?
At this point, the action you can make that will potentially have the biggest impact is to make brief calls to
members of the Senate Finance committee encouraging them to include re-occurring funding for SB 143: New
Mexico Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in their budget. It is an excellent idea to share personal stories
and what potential positive impacts you see this funding having on your state, community, and family.
For guidance and frequently asked questions please read the Talking Points on the back side of this sheet.
Who do I call?
Reaching out to members of the Senate Finance committee is an important action at this point in the
legislative process. Please visit http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislator_lookup.aspx to locate your legislator
by address, then locate their contact information on the table below. You can also call the switchboard at 505986-4300 for general assistance. We encourage you to make the call even if your senator does not sit on the finance
committee; Senators John Arthur Smith and Carlos Cisneros are the current acting chair and vice chair, having their
support for SB 143: New Mexico Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for School Meals is very important.
Thank you for your support!
If you have further questions or want to find out more contact us on the web at: www.farmtotablenm.org, Alena by
email at alena@farmtotablenm.org, or Pam by phone at 505-660-8403.
New Mexico State Legislature: Senate Finance Committee
Senator
John Arthur
Smith
Chair
505-986-4365
Deming, Luna/Sierra/DonAna/Hidalgo Counties, District 35
Senator
Carlos R.
Cisneros
Vice Chair
505-986-4362
Questa, Taos/LA/Rio Arriba/SF Counties, District 6
Senator William F. Burt
Member
505-986-4366
Alamagordo, Chavez/Lincoln/Otero Counties, District 33
Senator Pete Campos
Member
District 8
505-986-4311
Las Vegas, San Miguel/Mora/Harding/WQuay/Colfax/Guadalupe Counties,
Senator
Carroll H.
Leavell
Member
505-986-4278
Hobbs, Lea/Eddy Counties, District 41
Senator
Howie C.
Morales
Member
505-986-4863
Silver City, Grant/Socorro/Catron Counties, District 28
Senator George K. Munoz Member
505-986-4371
Gallup, McKinley/Cibola/San Juan Counties, District 4
Senator Steven P. Neville
Member
505-986-4701
Aztec, San Juan County, District 2
Senator Nancy Rodriguez
Member
505-986-4264
Santa Fe and County, District 24
For more information contact us at: www.farmtotablenm.org, (505)660-8403