About New Mexico WSARE

SARE competitive grants fund research and education cultivating agricultural practices that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities.

SARE supports research and education projects that strive for positive impacts on agriculture and address national and regional goals.

Western SARE is governed by an Administrative Council that oversees funding and develops policies and strategies, much like a corporate board of directors.

Sustainability in agriculture embraces all farming and ranching - from small to large, from narrowly focused to highly diversified. At all times, it shuns labels that polarize or categorize.

New Mexico State WSARE Coordinator

Stephanie Walker, Vegetable Specialist New Mexico State University, Extension Plant Sciences

Stephanie was named Western SARE Professional Development Coordinator for New Mexico in 2004. As Extension Vegetables Specialist at New Mexico State University she's interested in chile peppers and onions, genetics and breeding, mechanical harvest, enhancing pigment content, post-harvest quality and irrigation efficiency.

Stephanie was first exposed to agricultural field work when she accepted a co-op job as a cotton pest field scout while working on her B.S. degree. After completing her degree in biology, specializing in microbiology, from New Mexico State University in 1984, she became Quality Control Supervisor with Pet Inc. at its Old El Paso processing facility in Anthony, Texas. After 10 years of experience with increasing responsibility in the food processing industry, Stephanie was accepted into NMSU's Chile Pepper Breeding program, where she worked on resistance to phytophthora root rot and foliar blight. After receiving an M.S., she became Research Specialist in the Agronomy and Horticultural Department, working on breeding sweet onions and paprika.

In 2004, she was named vegetables specialist in the Extension Plant Science Department, where she helps commercial vegetable growers and related industries enhance their sustainability and profitability through a variety of activities. She is also continuing her quest for the "perfect processing chile pepper."

Stephanie Walker
Extension Plant Sciences Dept
MSC 3AE, Box 30003
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003
Phone: (575) 646-4398
Cell: (575) 642-1629
Fax: (575) 646-8085
Email: swalker@nmsu.edu

New Mexico WSARE Assistant Coordinator

Jeanine Castillo, began her extension career at New Mexico State University in fall of 2005 and has had several jobs that she juggles. One is the NM WSARE Assistant Coordinator to the New Mexico Coordinator for the Western Region SARE, Stephanie Walker. She coordinates and develops WSARE Workshops that have been held in several areas in the state. Getting the word out about SARE/WSARE opportunities for farmers, ranchers and "training the trainers" is the goal of NM WSARE. In addition to this duty, Jeanine assists the extension and research area of the Extension Plant Sciences Department by coordinating student work and working with chile and onion research. She also coordinates local and regional conferences for alternative cropping and field days to showcase NMSU chile and onion research. Jeanine is also NMSU Extension & Outreach Coordinator working with the office of the Vice Provost for Extension & Outreach in the College of Agriculture and Home Economics. She coordinates outreach departments from each college at NMSU to facilitate outreach to the constituents of New Mexico.

A Belen, NM native, Jeanine holds her Bachelors Degree in Family & Consumer Studies from NMSU. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in HRTM as soon as she can juggle that into the schedule. She is also a Master Gardener and very much enjoys getting to the meetings and into her garden when able. This is the job to have meeting great people and making things work for our state is what its all about. She has two children, Teresa, a sophomore at NMSU and Patrick, a senior at Las Cruces High.

Jeanine Castillo
Extension Plant Sciences Dept.
MSC 3AE, P.O. Box 30003
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003
Cell: (575)202-8728
Fax: Fax: (575)646-8085
Email: rjeanine@nmsu.edu