What is NMDA’s Agriculture Workforce Development Program?
A: The New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) Agricultural Workforce Development (AWD) Program provides incentives to New Mexico agricultural businesses to hire interns. The goal of the AWD Program is to create opportunities for young and beginning farmers and ranchers to gain work experience in agriculture that can turn into careers and thus support New Mexico’s agricultural future.
What is considered an “agricultural business”?A: An “agricultural business” means a business of a food or agricultural nature, including agriculture production or processing. Examples of agricultural businesses eligible to participate in the AWD Program include but are not limited to farms and ranches; facilities where raw agricultural commodities are processed into finished products; food and beverage manufacturing facilities; and more.
What are the criteria for an agricultural business to participate in the AWD Program?A: To be considered for funding, an agriculture business must:
- Have a physical operation address in the state of New Mexico, where the interns will be employed.
- Have the ability to supervise an intern.
- Offer the intern an opportunity to obtain meaningful work experience though the business.
- Adhere to all provisions of federal, state, and local applicable labor and/or occupational safety laws and regulations, unless otherwise exempted. In such instances where both federal and state laws apply, the more stringent must be observed.
- Provide an intern with at least one hundred thirty (130) hours of work experience.
- Not exceed one (1) year in duration per intern.
- Track internship costs.
- Invoice NMDA for reimbursement.
A: NMDA will reimburse a participating agricultural business up to fifty percent (50%) of the actual cost to the business, not to exceed $15,000 per intern.
What expenses can a participating agricultural business be reimbursed for?A: Participating agricultural businesses will be reimbursed up to fifty percent (50%) of the actual cost to employ the intern(s), not to exceed $15,000 per intern. Actual costs include wages paid, overhead costs, and incidentals.
Wages include salary paid, workers compensation insurance (workers compensation costs allowed are for the cost per intern, not the purchase of a policy) and any other fringe benefits.
Overhead expenses may include room and board. Incidental costs may include work supplies and mileage reimbursement. Mileage reimbursement does not include commuting to and from the workplace.
How many interns can a participating agricultural business employ utilizing AWD Program funds?
A: An agricultural business can hire up to three (3) interns in one year (the year runs from
July 1, 2024 through May 30, 2025), for a maximum reimbursable amount of $45,000 ($15,000 per intern).
Will NMDA match businesses with intern(s)?
A: No. The agricultural business is responsible for finding an intern or interns to employ. The business must include the intern’s (or interns’) information in the AWD application in order to apply for AWD Program funding.
Can a New Mexico business select an intern from out of state?A: It is preferred that interns be New Mexico residents, but it is not a requirement. Businesses applying to participate in the program must be based in New Mexico.
Is there a minimum (or maximum) age for interns to participate in the AWD Program?A: An intern must be at least 18 years of age at the start of their AWD Program internship.
What education or experience (?) criteria must the intern meet to be eligible for the internship?A: The intern must meet one of the following criteria:
- Currently enrolled in high school
- Currently enrolled in adult education or GED classes
- Currently enrolled in college
- Currently enrolled in technical training or certification program
- Will graduate from a secondary school, adult education, college, or certificate program within six months Post-Graduation
- Beginning farmer or rancher, defined as a farmer, rancher, or operator of non-industrial private forestland who is in the first ten (10) years of operation, or a person intending or aspiring to begin such an operation
A: No. An intern cannot be a current or past employee of the business.
Can a business select a member of the owner’s or manager’s family to hire as their intern?A: No. A participating business cannot select an immediate family member to hire as their AWD intern. Per the New Mexico Agricultural Workforce Development Program Act, “‘immediate family member’ means the spouse, parent, sibling or child of the owner or manager of an agricultural business; a person to whom the owner or manager of an agricultural business stands in loco parentis; or any other person living in the household of the owner or manager of an agricultural business and related to the owner or manager of an agricultural business by blood or marriage.”
Is the agricultural business required to pay minimum wage?A: Yes. The agricultural business is required to pay at least minimum wage to all interns.
Minimum Wage beginning January 1, 2024 is $12.00/hr.
Are participating businesses required to carry worker’s compensation insurance for their intern(s)?A: Yes. Participating businesses are required to carry worker’s compensation insurance for all interns. Workers compensation costs allowed are for the cost per intern, not the purchase of a policy.
What is the timeframe in which an AWD Program internship must take place?A: An AWD Program internship is required to consist of at least 130 hours. These hours must occur between July 1, 2024 and May 30, 2025. As part of the application process, businesses intended to participate in the AWD Program must create a timeline showing when the 130+ internship hours will be achieved
If my business is selected to participate in the AWD Program, when will funding be released?A: All payments for a qualified internship will be made to the agricultural business on a cost-reimbursable basis following the end of the internship.
The invoice the agricultural business will provide to NMDA must include information about the costs incurred by the business to employ the intern and reimbursement amount requests. Along with the invoice, the participating business must include copies of time sheets and pay stubs verifying the total amount paid to the intern during the internship. If the invoice includes costs for incidental expenses, those costs must be supported with proof of payment by the participating business. “Actual costs” includes the wages paid to an intern, a reasonable allocation of fixed overhead expenses, and all incidental costs directly related to the internship.
As a requirement of reimbursement, the agricultural business must complete and submit a post-internship evaluation summarizing the intern’s job description, skills and competencies attained, and hours worked.
Where can I learn more about the AWD Program?
A: To learn more about the AWD Program, please visit the AWD webpage or email NMDA at AWD@nmda.nmsu.edu or call (575) 646-2642.