Mr. Rudy Garcia, USDA State Agronomist, today, April 1, 2010 announced that RGCF has been selected as one of 4 sites in New Mexico that will serve as a demonstration project for sustainable agriculture practices. The USDA will be gathering detailed data on every aspect of crop production in 16 acres of fields that are operated by RGCF. This information includes: soil, water and plant tissue tests, tillage procedures, amendments added to the soil, crops grown, cover crops and green manure crops, addition of compost and a variety of other factors that contribute to the overall health of the soil. Mr. Clarence Chavez, USDA soil scantiest, will be testing RGCF soils for “active carbon”. This will measure the extent of living organisms present in the soil and is a good indicator of overall soil health. Recently the USDA has trained all 42 USDA offices throughout New Mexico in the use of the active carbon test kit, and is encouraging farmers to use sustainable farming methods to increasing the health of their soil. RGCF is proud to be working with the USDA to establish and document these sound farming practices.