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Monday, October 26, 2009
N.M. food safety chief gets national ag honor
By Jane Moorman
NMSU News Service
LAS CRUCES — 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. last month
Witte was honored for his work with the Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center, 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.
As the center's co-director, Witte conducts strategic planning, with a special emphasis on risk assessment and coordination among the agriculture industry, tribal entities, and federal and state agencies in their efforts to secure a safe food supply, from the grower to the consumer.
Witte also coordinates research in animal illness symptom surveillance and trains agricultural industry personnel in emergency preparedness and terrorism awareness.
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