NMSU leaders tell LFC extension, experiment station are modernizing but face funding, staffing and facility challenges

New Mexico State University officials told the Legislative Finance Committee on May 20 that the university’s Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station are expanding programs into technology, behavioral health and rural economic development while continuing long‑running agricultural support, but both arms face staffing and facility shortfalls.

The update matters because extension and experiment station programs operate in all 33 New Mexico counties, serve thousands of rural producers and tens of thousands of youth through 4‑H, and are used as the state’s front line after wildfires and other disasters.

President (New Mexico State University) told the committee the university is launching an “Impact Tour 2025” to visit extension offices in every county and to better knit county offices into systemwide priorities. "We are going to be undertaking what we call the impact tour 2025, which is a visit to all extension offices in the 33 counties of the state," the president said. He described collaborative work at centers across the state on clean energy, water management, advanced computing and biotechnology.

John, Cooperative Extension Service presenter, gave a financial and program overview. "We operate on about $33,000,000 annually," he told the committee, saying state appropriations make up roughly 53 percent of that total and are typically leveraged dollar‑for‑dollar with county, federal and grant funds. He said extension now reaches “over 600 thousand New Mexicans on an annual basis” using a hybrid of in‑person and online programming developed since COVID‑19.

Dr. Jay Lillywhite, associate dean for research in the College of ACES and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, described the experiment station’s statewide research network and economic role. Lillywhite said New Mexico’s food and fiber supply chain has nearly $21 billion in annual output and that agricultural research yields high social returns: "Economists have estimated that the benefit cost ratio for agricultural research can be as high as 56," he said.

Officials highlighted recent program advances and examples: - Virtual fencing and animal monitoring: researchers reported using GPS collars and sensors to manage livestock and detect anomalies in real time. Extension and experiment station collaborators said ranch demonstration programs now cover more than 500,000 acres across several states; participating ranchers reported a roughly 25 percent labor savings and a 10 percent increase in gathering efficiency. - Water efficiency for pecans: researchers are testing 12 pecan cultivar/rootstock combinations to identify those that use less water while maintaining yields; pecans are a leading New Mexico crop (presented figure: $190 million annual value). - Aflatoxin detection: Biochemistry researchers developed and patented a non‑destructive conveyor or elevator‑scale detector intended to identify and remove contaminated grain without destructive sampling; committee presenters said the invention is moving toward commercial implementation.

The presenters summarized progress on recommendations from a 2018 Legislative Service Commission program review, including strengthened ties to other academic colleges, increased online learning, a new program evaluation specialist (hired after 2019), new community economic development agents (three statewide funded in 2022), and an "underfill" hiring process established in 2020 that allows hiring county agents with bachelor’s degrees who have five years to complete a master’s.

John said the university has not moved to charge fees for core programs like 4‑H, noting the decision aims to preserve access: "We have not and don't plan to implement a fee for 4‑H and some of our base extension programs," he said.

Leaders also flagged infrastructure and staffing bottlenecks. They described deferred maintenance across multiple science centers and county offices, noted the ACES building on the Las Cruces campus dates to 1963, and said a newly built meat processing facility has not yet started full operations because of mechanical and temperature control issues requiring correction. The experiment station has added manufactured homes at several remote science centers to house visiting faculty and students and reduce travel barriers.

Presenters said recruiting and retention remain a challenge for county and science‑center staff, and outlined pay scales and career pathways: extension county faculty with a master’s degree start around the mid‑$60,000s and can reach high‑$80,000s to low‑$90,000s with promotion; extension specialists typically hold terminal degrees. The "underfill" hire pathway was credited with expanding applicant pools by allowing bachelors‑level hires with an institutional pathway to a master’s while employed.

Committee members asked about K‑12 partnerships, mobile labs, mechanized green‑chile harvest research, soil testing capacity, and USDA processing‑plant upgrades. Presenters said the extension system operates many school and youth programs — including 4‑H STEM camps and an example of a cooperative extension placed at Memorial Middle School that houses an extension agricultural expert — and that NMSU is exploring new certificate programs and expanded online delivery through NMSU Global.

The presenters asked legislators to consider continued investments in facilities, specialist positions, and capacity building for county offices as the university expands into behavioral health, AI in agriculture, and other nontraditional extension areas.

Looking ahead, officials said they will continue the county visit tour, hire a mental health and wellness specialist for extension, and pursue grants and industry partnerships to commercialize new technologies developed at the experiment stations.

For lawmakers, the officials’ presentation highlighted trade‑offs between statewide modernization goals and local capacity needs, with funding, facility repairs and staff recruitment identified as immediate constraints.