New Mexico chile harvest begins, crop looks average despite drought
New Mexico’s green chile harvest is underway, with the state’s crop looking average this year despite drought and limited irrigation, according to the New Mexico Chile Association. Farmers started harvesting in recent days, and the chile should be appearing in stores soon.
“Our crop this year is looking to be average, holding steady in yields. We’re starting to harvest already. You should be seeing it in stores,” said Kari Dominguez, executive director of the New Mexico Chile Association.
Yields are expected to match last year’s, Dominguez said.
“I think we will have the same amount, but again, everybody loves chile, so make sure if you’re going to go buy some chile at the store or get it from your local farmers, to get it as soon as possible,” she said.
The season brought challenges, including drought and a lack of irrigation, with larger stretches of the Rio Grande running dry from low snowpack. Many farmers turned to drip systems to secure their water supply.
“This has helped them secure their water source to be able to grow their chile,” Dominguez said.
Some farmers also faced an infestation of the damaging Leaf Hopper insect. Big Jim Farms in Los Ranchos said it avoided that pest, but harsh weather and low water dried up some of its chile plants.
“It was definitely scary, but we persisted, and we were able to still have our crop this year despite it all,” said Cierra Wagner with Big Jim Farms.
The farm was cut off from irrigation early in the season. Wagner said the dry conditions have a silver lining.
“One thing that comes out of a dry season when it’s really dry and hot is our chile is a little bit hotter. It has good flavor. So that’s something to look forward to even though it’s been a rough season; we’ll have some of the best chile this year,” she said.
Farmers are hoping for more monsoon rain in the weeks ahead.
“We’ll take as much water as we can possibly get,” Dominguez said.
Chile season is expected to last through mid-October. The chile association said there are 9,000 acres of green chile being produced in New Mexico.
