Mesilla Park farmer among finalists in national contest

An up-and-coming farmer in southern New Mexico's Mesilla Valley is poised to become a face for all of American agriculture — and part of what he needs to get there is your daily vote online. Jay Hill, a 30-year-old from Mesilla Park, is one of eight finalists from across the country vying to be named one of the "Faces of Farming & Ranching" by the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. USFRA will select the Faces of Farming & Ranching based in part on which candidates earn the most public votes between Oct. 24 and Nov. 2 at the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Facebook page. Click on the "Vote Now" tab; you can vote once per day. The page features a video in which Hill shows his farm and talks about his approach to agriculture. According to USFRA's website, "The Faces of Farming & Ranching program is designed to help put a real face on agriculture (by) selecting standout farmers and ranchers who are proud of what they do, eager to share their stories of continuous improvement and who are actively involved in sharing those stories in public and on social media." Hill said his aim is to engage people about agriculture. "I want to share with people, with consumers, how their food is produced and where it's produced," Hill said. "It's an opportunity for me to answer any question people might have in order to bridge the gap between my farm and their fork." Since he was 15, Jay has been working at Hill Farms in Las Cruces and at Shiloh Produce in Hatch, increasingly taking on more responsibility and more ownership in both operations. Thanks to his involvement in the two farming operations, Jay's knowledge spans green and red chile, onions, lettuce, pecans, pinto beans, corn, and hay. He's also working to build a small herd of cattle. Hill attended and graduated from New Mexico State University while farming full time. In addition to working on two farms and commuting between them, he maintains an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more — sharing photos and perspective of life on the farm. He's already inspired his wife Katie Hill, a self-professed "city girl", to start a garden, where she's proven her green thumb by growing everything from tomatoes to eggplant, and from jalapeños to mint. Jay credits his success to his father, Jim Hill, for instilling in him the "drive for food production."...more

Please go to this facebook page and vote for Jay Hill...you can vote once a day until the contest ends on Nov. 2.