Flip Clip: Organic Cotton Farming in New Mexico

We made it to Tucson, AZ, but we're still thinking about our last video shoot, which took place in La Union, NM (near El Paso, TX). There, we met Dosi Alvarez, one of only two organic cotton farmers in New Mexico, and toured his farm. Dosi works the same land in the Mesilla Valley that his father and grandfather did, and he currently grows organic cotton, pecans, and alfalfa for the race horses his wife Norma breeds.

We've been interested in organic cotton because conventional cotton accounts for an enormous amount of chemical pesticide and fertilizer use in this country and abroad (1/3-pound of pesticides and fertilizers go into each conventional cotton t-shirt), and Dosi has first-hand knowledge of it. He made the transition to organic because he was worried that chemicals from the field would affect the health of his children.

We had a great time with Dosi and Norma, and we hope to make it back to La Union in the fall for the cotton harvest.

-Mark

Farming the Desert with Acequias, New Mexico's Irrigation Canals

You can't talk about farming in the Southwest without first looking at water issues in the region, and that's especially true in New Mexico. The state is among the driest in the country, with one exception: The thin strip of land surrounding the Rio Grande River, which bisects the state and is the source of most of New Mexico's irrigation water. The Rio Grande River Basin contains some of the oldest farmland in the US; it's sort of like the Nile River Basin of America.

If you look at a map, most of the major towns in New Mexico are located on the once-mighty river, and that's because the Spanish colonists set up a system of irrigation ditches called acequias so that the surrounding areas could be farmed. Incredibly, the system of acequias that was set up in the 17th and 18th centuries hasn't gone the way of the Spanish Empire; instead, it's actually grown stronger. As water expert Robert Glennon writes in his book Unquenchable, "Acequias are not only the physical ditches; they are also community organizations managed by elected commissioners and a majordomo, who opes and closes the headgates as appropriate."

We first learned about acequias on the beautiful drive from Santa Fe to Melanie Kirby's home in Truchas, NM, which is also the town where Robert Redford shot the film The Milagro Beanfield War about a fight over water rights. Yesterday, we encountered them again in Albuquerque at the Rio Grande Community Farm, which is part of a 150-acre tract purchased by city residents for public use called Los Poblanos Fields.

We were lucky enough to catch up with farmer Dan Schuster (or Dan The Farmer Man, as he introduced himself) just as he was closing up for the day. Dan has been farming the 50 acres of Rio Grande Community Farm for about 10 years, and he uses a variety of irrigation techniques, all of which stem from the acequias. Using a technique known as flood irrigation, he completely inundates some fields with water. Dan acknowledged that flood irrigation isn't necessarily the most efficient way to water a field, but he says the technique has been used for centuries, and if done properly, most of the water will make it back to the aquifer. 

But not all of the water makes it back. Melanie explained to us that because so much water is diverted from the river in New Mexico, by the time it reaches Mexico, it's only a trickle. And although Dan's 50-acre farm is organic, not all of the farms that make use of the acequias are, so industrial agricultural runoff makes its way back to the river.

-Mark

Zia QueenBee Co: Sustainable Beekeeping in New Mexico

We don't know if it's possible, but each stop on the Southwest Tour seems better than the last. A day after reaching Santa Fe, NM, we met up with Melanie Kirby, co-owner of Zia Queenbee Co, and followed her on a gorgeous hour-long drive to her home in Truchas, NM.

With her husband Mark, Melanie breeds Survivor Queenbees that are sold to beekeepers around the country so they can build healthy hives. They strive for sustainability in their day-to-day operations as well as by breeding queen bees that are strong, healthy, and docile. Their approach ensures that the bees are genetically diverse and by giving their queen bees extra time to mature, they prove themselves to be naturally resilient against disease, pests and weather fluctuations.

Here's a statement form the Zia Queebee Co website that sums up their approach to natural beekeeping and why it's so important to support:

Beekeeping is a dying art. However, as long as we require food to eat, there will be a need for honeybees and beekeepers. As new diseases, pests and challenges afflict honeybees, we need to be innovative and dedicated to conscientious management protocols. It is imperative that we cooperate as a local, regional and national community to ensure positive stewardship of our lands, resources and health.

In the four hours we spent with Melanie we learned more about bees, queen bee breeding, and honey than we could have imagined! One of the questions we raised was about Colony Collapse Disorder, which has been destroying bee hives across the country for the past four years. Fortunately, Melanie and Mark haven't been directly affected, and although Melanie doesn't claim to know the exact cause of CCD, she and Mark take careful precautions to keep their bees healthy and bred for resilience.

After filming an interview and dodging bees for a couple of hours (nobody was stung!), we joined Melanie and her 18-month-old daughter Isis for a honey tasting inside. Both of us have always enjoyed honey, but until yesterday, we never fully appreciated the complexity and difference of flavor that hives foraging from diverse flowers can produce.

Stay tuned for the video, which we'll post in the coming weeks, and be sure to follow Melanie on her blog.

-Mark & Dorothée

Announcing the OrganicNation.tv Southwest Tour!

After two successful trips to the East and West coasts, we're very excited to be hitting the road again!

This May, we'll be gathering footage for a fresh season of episodes, filming innovative and passionate organic farmers, food producers, and environmentalists in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and some of the surrounding states. Video themes will include water rights, land management, beekeeping and colony collapse disorder, organic cotton production, and agro-biodiversity in the desert.

In addition to the those episodes, we'll be posting Flip clips from the road -- shorter video correspondences, shot with at Flip camera -- to the OrganicNation Facebook fan page.

During the trip, we will be test-driving a Ford Fusion Hybrid and we're thrilled to be sponsored by Motel 6, where we will rest our heads each night. We're also very excited about the fabulous eco-friendly brands that are sponsoring the tour by keeping us fed, clothed and looking pretty!

Any suggestions for places to go and people to meet? Leave 'em in the comments section. Here's a map of some of the stops we'll be making: