The state of New Mexico allows residents who qualify for a refund on their personal income tax return to donate all or part of it to the Healthy Soil Program, which was enacted in 2019 and is being administered by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.
NMDA provides financial assistance through the Healthy Soil Program to help land managers implement conservation projects focusing on one or more of five “healthy soil principles,” keeping soil covered, minimizing soil disturbance on cropland and minimizing external inputs, maximizing biodiversity, maintaining a living root and integrating animals into land management, including grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects or keystone species, such as earthworms.
Any New Mexico tax-paying resident who qualifies for a refund on their personal income tax return can voluntarily donate all or part of their refund to the Healthy Soil Program. Residents can use the PIT- D, Schedule for New Mexico Voluntary Contributions, when filing taxes.
Residents who are not due a refund can donate to the Healthy Soil Program by sending contributions directly to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (3190 S. Espina St., Las Cruces, N.M., 88003 — checks should be made payable to New Mexico Department of Agriculture with “Healthy Soil Program” in the memo).
This is the only donation option benefiting agriculture. In 2022, NMDA received more than 600 individual donations.
The NM Healthy Soil Working Group is a grassroots advocacy group committed to the success of the state’s farmers and ranchers, knowing that their vital work building soil health creates co-benefits including rural and state economic gains, water availability and quality, more nutrient dense food leading to better public health, carbon drawdown and other key ecological services.
Formed in the fall of 2018, the Working Group succeeded in passing the NM Healthy Soil Act by assembling an extensive coalition of hundreds of food and agriculture related organizations, farms and ranches, consumers, health practitioners and environmental groups.
Watch the video about how the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Soil Program grant helped an eastern New Mexico farm at youtu.be/2U7D9FX1IYQDonating Money from Your Refund: Individuals (newmexico.gov)
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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April 25, 2024
