New Mexico is one of the biggest dairy and cattle states in the country — which also means the state is also one of the biggest producers of cow manure. Last week, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich joined a Congressional effort to clean up the mess. Heinrich has officially signed on as a cosponsor of the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act alongside California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff to help livestock producers manage manure in a cleaner, greener way. While a bill named after cows and manure is bound to invite a few chuckles, it addresses a serious, multi-ton daily reality for New Mexico’s vital agricultural sector.
This story was originally published at New Mexico Political Report, a nonprofit news service covering politics and policy in the Land of Enchantment. Learn more and support our work at nmreports.org
The COWS Act incentivizes alternative manure management practices eligible under the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), awarding dairy and livestock producers grants to install pasture-based management tools, solid separation systems, alternative treatment and storage practices, and scrape technologies. Sponsors say that modernizing waste management helps to reduce greenhouse gases like methane and nitrogen oxide, improve air and soil quality, save water, and create compost that can serve as a substitute for expensive synthetic fertilizers . It is modeled after California’s highly successful Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), which has already supported 198 projects and is estimated to cut carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 1.6 million metric tons over five years .
Senator Heinrich, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, sees the bill as an essential investment in New Mexico’s agricultural resilience . “New Mexico is the ninth-largest dairy milk producer in the country, and fifth in cheese production. It’s important that our producers have access to the alternative manure management tools they need to be resilient, support our local economies, and help us keep healthy and nutritious food on our tables,” Heinrich emphasized . He noted that the COWS Act will “help equip New Mexico producers with cost-effective, sustainable manure management practices that protect our air and water while strengthening their operations for years to come.” Additionally, this aligns with Heinrich’s broader legislative push, as the bill is similar to Section 505 of his own Agricultural Resilience Act, which aims to transition U.S. agriculture toward a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions future .
The physical scale of this waste challenge in New Mexico is enormous. According to official USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service data, New Mexico is home to a total herd of 1,190,000 cattle and calves, which includes 230,000 dairy cows. Given that the USDA estimates that farm animals excrete 60 to 80 pounds of waste per day for every 1,000 pounds of body weight, a typical 1,400-pound dairy cow produces approximately 112 pounds of manure daily.
New Mexicans who want to support the bill or share their thoughts can contact Senator Heinrich’s office at (202) 224-5521 or online at heinrich.senate.gov.