Grant to help with farming and education in Corrales

CORRALES — Corrales will soon have funding going toward irrigation and groundwater education.

On Sept. 23, the village council approved a resolution in support of seeking funding through a Thornburg Foundation Grant in the amount of $500,000 to support the Farmers’ Cooperative and agriculture in the village of Corrales.

The Corrales Farmers’ Cooperative has submitted the proposal to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for a grant that has been approved for an award anticipated to be received in October to make an assessment of the Corrales irrigation and groundwater systems and help create an education program regarding water rights and efficient water use for local farmers based on information gathered through this assessment.

The resolution states the Corrales Farmers’ Cooperative is working on an application for a grant from the Thornburg Foundation to help support the project funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation grant, and the village of Corrales will serve as the fiscal agent for the Thornburg Grant and will be a subrecipient on the Bureau of Reclamation grant to receive administrative support and mapping of funds.

Mike Hamman, former state engineer, former CEO of Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and Corrales resident, helped secure the support.

“During my tenure state engineer, we went through a process of developing a recommendation to report to the legislative body of the state of New Mexico to move forward with the comprehensive water agenda, and during that time we were able to secure support of the Thornburg Foundation,” he said.

After his tenure, he said, the opportunity came about for a water study in Corrales to give them an idea of the issues, the amount of water resources the village is using, the number of wells and the relationship between surface water and groundwater. It got the village on track for the grant, according to Hamman.

The Corrales Farmers’ Cooperative is a nonprofit organization formed to advocate for Corrales farmers, promote multi-generational farming, and support local agriculture through education and action, according to the resolution.

“The 2024 Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Governing Body by Resolution 25-16 on May 13, 2025, identified Corrales’ rural character as the number one value important to Corrales residents, and the plan recommended several actions toward maintaining the agricultural traditions of the village. The Governing Body passed Proclamation 25-02 in support of farmers and agriculture in the village of Corrales on February 25, 2025,” it reads.

The funds for this project will benefit the health, safety and welfare of the Village of Corrales’ residents by supporting local farmers and educating the public on best practices for agriculture with changes in climate and water availability and increasing availability of locally grown produce, according to the resolution.

Councilors unanimously approved the resolution.