State Representative Mary E. Gonzales presented the El Paso County Agricultural Preservation Report during the Nov. 20 Socorro City Council meeting and accepted a city proclamation recognizing her legislative work to preserve Rio Vista Farm. The council’s proclamation notes Gonzales helped secure a $2,000,000 appropriation from the Texas Historical Commission’s Preservation Trust Fund (strategy A1.5), with $1,000,000 allocated for fiscal year 2026 and $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to support restoration and preservation.

Gonzales described the report as the product of two years of stakeholder engagement and organized recommendations into six “buckets”: promote agricultural development; leverage financial and technical assistance; reprogram utility infrastructure expansion; promote conservation easements; safeguard farmland from road expansion; and develop agricultural plans for state lands. She urged local elected officials to be proactive and strategic to avoid losing farmland and said the report is an invitation to partner at the local level. “My biggest fear is that 20 years from now, there will be no agriculture community in this area,” Gonzales told the council.

Gonzales also offered local strategies discussed in the report — from creating a nonprofit that can hold farmland and lease to local farmers to offering mini-grants and loan packaging — and invited Socorro staff and council to participate in any follow-up or a potential report Part 2.

Why it matters: The report and the state appropriation together offer both policy guidance and a concrete funding stream for preserving a locally significant historic and agricultural site. The appropriation provides capital for restoration work at Rio Vista Farm and raises the profile of agricultural preservation across El Paso County.

Next steps: Gonzales encouraged local officials to develop an action plan with specific steps (for example, an institutionalized outreach list of local farmers) and signaled willingness to partner on implementation and potential future phases of the report.