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Dosi and Norma Alvarez raise
Pima cotton, which thrives on New Mexico's hot days and cool
nights, and seven types of chilies.
Photo by Daniel E. Brannen Jr. |
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Dosi
and Norma Alvarez
La Union, New Mexico
New in 2005
Summary of Operation
400 acres of American Pima (extra-long staple) cotton
Six varieties of chilies on 80 acres
Alfalfa on 350 acres
Problem Addressed
Discontent with Agri-Chemicals.
When Dosi Alvarez and his wife, Norma, were expecting their first
child, it reinforced Alvarez’ feeling that the agri-chemicals
he used to produce Pima cotton were potentially harmful, especially
to young children. It was time, he decided, to make a change. Moreover,
low commodity prices for his conventional cotton resulted in little
or no profit, and the pesticide bill furthered that trend.
Background
Alvarez did not always want to farm. After receiving a degree in
animal science, he became a buyer for Swift packing company and,
later, a beef selector, where he graded carcasses by quality and
yield. When his father tired of farming in 1974 and invited him
home to run the farm, however, Alvarez jumped at the chance.
“I had to get away for a while, but once I left I realized
how much I love the farm,” he said. “I have never regretted
returning to it.” Alvarez is now a third-generation farmer
who works land cleared by his grandfather with horses in 1910. His
farm is on the border between New Mexico and Texas.
About the time he was expecting his son, a Swiss spinning mill
approached Alvarez’s co-op, the Southwest Irrigated Growers
(SWIG), looking for organic cotton. In response, Dosi planted 25
acres of organic Pima cotton in 1995, and found it to be extremely
well suited to his valley’s climate. The next year, he increased
to 50 acres. Finally, in 1997, he decided that cleaning his equipment
between organic and conventional fields was too time consuming and
transitioned his entire 900 acres to organic production.
Alvarez’s wife, Norma, plays a key role on the farm. In addition
to acting as bookkeeper, full-time farmer and mother of two, she
also runs a profitable horse breeding business on the property.
There are 14 brood mares and 80 head of horses year round, some
their own, some boarders. All of the horses are grazed on
alfalfa pastures. “As far as making decisions, my wife is
certainly part of team,” Dosi Alvarez said.
Focal Point of Operation –
Organic cotton production
American Pima cotton comprises most of Alvarez’s operation.
He grows three different varieties known as the S6, White and Sea
Island, and calls organic Pima a “double-niche” because
it is so well-adapted for his New Mexico climate.
“Pima cannot be grown [just] anywhere,” he told NewFarm.org,
an electronic magazine. “We have hot days and cool nights,
which Pima likes. And it drops its leaves naturally as it matures,
so it sort of defoliates itself for harvest. Then we just wait for
the killing frosts to take care of the rest.”
In an ideal year, Alvarez plants alfalfa in the fall, chilies in
late March, and cotton on April 1. Weed management is his
biggest concern, and he combines hand labor with an eight-row
Sukup cultivator to tackle it. To the cultivator he attaches V-shaped
blades when the cotton is small, and X-shaped wire weeders once
the cotton matures. These are run against the cotton plant and underneath
the row, inhibiting the growth of new weed seedlings.
In addition to four full-time employees, Alvarez hires a seasonal
crew of about 25 for hoeing, hand weeding and harvesting.
Alvarez employs flood irrigation, using water from the Rio Grande.
During droughts, he supplements the fields with well water.
Cotton is harvested using a mechanical cotton picker. Pima cotton
plants drop their leaves, so Alvarez does not need to defoliate.
The chilies are harvested by hand.
Alvarez sells his cotton through the SWIG co-op, primarily to Bühler,
a Swiss mill that spins organic fibers for clothing companies, specifically
Patagonia of California. According to NewFarm.org, Bühler buys
10,000 to 15,000 bales of extra long staple Pima cotton from American
growers each year to spin into premium yarn in Winterthur, Switzerland.
The 300 of those bales that are organic Pima come from Alvarez.
Patagonia approached the Alvarez farm in 2004 for a photo shoot
to feature the transition of their cotton clothing to organic. Patagonia’s
interest extends beyond the clothing to how it is produced. “They
have a nice article about the farm to give customers an idea of
where their clothing came from,” Alvarez said.
The Alvarez family also grows six or seven varieties of chilies,
including cayenne, paprika, jalapeños, habañeros and
sandia. The root systems of the chili crops are fibrous, effectively
loosening the soil and working out clumps. Companies such
as Frontier Natural products in Iowa and Desert Herb in New Mexico
buy most of his 80 acres of chilies to dry and grind into spices.
This year he is growing 20 acres of green chilies as well.
The third crop in Alvarez’s rotation is about 350 acres of
alfalfa. He and his employees bale most of it into hay, and while
he sells a small amount to organic ranchers, he moves much more
as conventional horse feed. The alfalfa also provides pasture for
Norma’s horses.
His simple, yet effective crop rotation includes three to four
years of alfalfa, then three to four years of alternating cotton
and chilies.
Economics and Profitability
The SWIG marketing co-op in which Alvarez participates was first
established in 2000. It connects Southwestern farmers with contacts
across the world, with Pima and acala (longer staple) cotton the
major market base.
“Co-ops are the way to go for a farmer, because they are
one of the few ways to get a fair return for your product,”
Alvarez said. With that return, the Alvarez family is able to support
itself exclusively by farming. In fact, SWIG has connected Alvarez
to nearly all of his buyers.
His Pima cotton fetches a premium that makes up for the higher
costs of managing production organically. In 2004, he earned a 50-cent
per-pound premium over conventional cotton. Raising about 1,000
pounds per acre, Alvarez is able to sell approximately 400,000 pounds
of cotton each season.
His chilies, sold organically, bring in approximately 90 cents
a pound. Companies such as Frontier Natural products in Iowa and
Desert Herb in New Mexico purchase nearly all of Alvarez’s
300,000 pounds of chilies each season.
Most of Alvarez’s alfalfa is marketed conventionally, but
“it is such a great soil-building crop that we don’t
really feel the loss of profit,” he said.
The farms’ biggest weed troubles are Johnson grass and bindweed,
Alvarez told The New Farm. Hand-hoeing and weeding costs can run
from $30 to $100 an acre, making it Alvarez’ biggest farm
expense. He hires a combination of locals and residents of nearby
Mexico, supplied through a labor contractor.
Environmental Benefits
In 1999, New Mexico issued an eradication referendum for the boll
weevil that required intense spraying in the Mesilla Valley. The
Alvarez family and other organic farmers vehemently protested, asking
how organic cotton farming would survive.
After much debate, the legislation was changed with an amendment
for the organic farmer. On any field where even one weevil was found,
cotton could not be planted in the following year. “It
didn’t bother us at all, since we had to rotate anyway,”
recalls Alvarez. “The valley is now weevil free.”
Alvarez is pleased to see abundant beneficial insects on the farm,
something he attributes to spraying on surrounding farms that drives
them away. The beneficials help to kill off the bollworm and other
pests on the farm. The absence of pesticides also allows a healthy
population of soil microbes, contributing to good nutrient cycling
and improving soil tilth.
Since going organic, Alvarez has experienced a tremendous improvement
in his land. “The [cotton] yields were low at first, but then
the soil got healthy, and we are producing as much or more per acre
than our conventional neighbors,” he said.
He has switched from synthetic fertilizers to aged cow manure,
which he gets for free from a local dairy. He applies 20 tons per
acre for his cotton and 30 tons per acre for chilies, raising his
soil organic matter 1 to 1 1/2 percent higher than the average in
his valley.
His crop rotation of alfalfa followed by alternating cotton and
chilies promotes soil fertility. As a legume, alfalfa fixes nitrogen
in the soil and provides fertility for his cotton and chilies. Alfalfa
also builds the soil and prevents erosion with a year-round dense
cover.
Community and Quality of Life Benefits
With organic farming Alvarez has found a similar amount of work
with much higher economic and personal rewards. “At
the end of the year, it was disheartening to have so little to show
for all the hard work we put in. Growing organically is much more
satisfying, and it is something my employees really appreciate.
I have no regrets.”
He and his wife network throughout the community. For example,
Dosi and Norma host tours for New Mexico State University about
three times a year. And through SWIG, they have formed lasting relationships
with other farmers. “Whenever I have a question, there is
always an answer somewhere,” Alvarez said.
Managing an organic farm is easier than conventional, according
to Alvarez. “There are a lot of things that you just leave
to Mother Nature, because she’ll take care of them, and you
don’t worry about them,” he said. No longer does he
have to clean nozzles, set up spray rigs and deal with other “headaches,”
he said.
Transition Advice
Establishing relationships with product manufacturers to attract
mill customers is a valuable strategy. Alvarez found that end buyers
are looking for a farm story to tell when they market their products.
Dosi also urges the planting of alfalfa as a transition crop. Not
only will it improve the soil, but it also adds organic matter,
helping to prepare the land for organic production. Moreover, alfalfa
can provide income until the land is certified organic.
The Future
Alvarez hopes to continue managing the farm the way they have been,
for the benefit of his family and the land. He would love to grow
along with the expanding organic markets. At the same time, however,
housing developments are creeping into his valley. “They aren’t
making any more land. I would love for my boy to farm, but I just
don’t know what the situation will be like.”
Alvarez has no plans to expand to other crops, but remains open
to new ideas. “Right now I’m at the point where there
is just too much on my plate to add anything else.”
For more information:
Dosi Alvarez
1049 Mercantil
La Union, NM 88021
(505) 874-3170
Lazy_A@msn.com
Adapted by Jaimie Kemper from NewFarm.org; original story by Daniel
E. Brannen Jr. SW
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