Jeff Witte receives honor from National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

Jeff Witte, New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s director of agricultural biosecurity, received the James A. Graham Award for Outstanding Service to Agriculture during the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in Montgomery, Ala., Sept. 20. Witte was honored for his work with the Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center (SWBFSDC), which is housed at New Mexico State University, where he has worked closely with various private entities, state and federal agencies, and research institutions on issues related to agriculture and homeland security. “I am extremely honored that Miley Gonzalez, New Mexico’s secretary of agriculture, nominated me, and I am very humbled to receive this award,” Witte said. “We have a great team at NMDA and NMSU, and I have a great team at home. This work could not be accomplished without support from them all.” The award is presented annually to honor an individual who provides outstanding services to agricultural producers. Witte is co-founder and co-director of the Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center, a partnership between NMDA and NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has charged the Center with administering all programs related to agro-security in the state...read more

I have no idea what Witte does over there, but I do know this: whatever Witte does he does damn well.