Watch SOIL STORIES recordings on the
NM Healthy Soil YouTube Channel:
Online conversations on soil health
Our guest starts with a short presentation, followed by conversation with participants.
As an 8th generation acequia farmer from East Pecos and Chair of the New Mexico Acequia Commission, Ralph Vigil’s passion lies in the defense of acequia traditions and culture through organic agriculture —utilizing centuries-old acequia systems to demonstrate their ability to economically sustain our communities and aid in physical and emotional well-being.
Ralph is owner operator of Molino de la Isla Organics, a small organic farm specializing in traditional and acequia agriculture focusing on Farm to School, CSA, and Farmers’ Market sales. Molino de la Isla Organics LLC was created to promote healthy food and sustainable lifestyles while protecting the acequias of Nuevo Mexico through organic agriculture, regional marketing, and community education for the socio-economic benefit of the community at large.
“At Molino de la Isla we strive to maintain our traditional agricultural practices by using techniques that have been handed down for more than 12 generations on our land. We irrigate using our centuries-old acequias which have tied our communities together since their inception. Our produce is grown naturally and organically, never using any herbicides, pesticides, or GMO seeds. We maintain the best practices to ensure our food is the healthiest and the freshest for our customers. We are now incorporating regenerative agricultural techniques in order to restore our soil health and conserve our water.”