Committee approves memorial studying feasibility of feeding New Mexico‑grown beef, milk and cheese to students

The Senate Rules Committee recommended a do‑pass for Senate Memorial 19, which requests a working group to study the feasibility of supplying 50 percent of beef, milk and cheese served in New Mexico public schools from in‑state producers.

Sponsor Senator Boone told the committee New Mexico is a major milk and cheese producer and that a concerted effort to buy locally could create reliable institutional markets for farmers and ranchers. The memorial would convene producers, dairy and meat interests, and relevant state agencies and report recommendations to interim committees by Sept. 1.

Supporters included the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, who said guaranteed institutional buyers would strengthen local agriculture, reduce transportation costs and offer fresher products to students. They asked that the working group consider supply‑chain infrastructure, processing capacity, distribution logistics and cost impacts on school districts.

Committee members urged that the working group include additional stakeholders — such as school districts, food‑service directors and local processors — and several senators suggested broadening the scope to statewide procurement of other New Mexico products. Senator Stefanik proposed changing the working‑group reporting date to Nov. 1 to allow more time for analysis; sponsors said they will consider amendments and stakeholder input as the measure proceeds.

Senator Gallegos suggested phased targets (for example starting at 30 percent) to allow infrastructure and procurement systems to scale. The committee recorded seven yes votes on a do‑pass recommendation; the memorial moves forward with the committee’s backing.