FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NMDA Contact: Jenny Green
Public Affairs Specialist
jgreen@nmda.nmsu.edu | 575-202-4249

February 26, 2026

National Weights and Measures Week is March 1-7

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s (NMDA) Standards & Consumer Services (SCS) Division and State Metrology Lab recognize Weights and Measures Week, observed annually from March 1-7. The week commemorates President John Adams’ signing of the nation’s first weights and measures law on March 2, 1799.

NMDA’s SCS Division ensures the accuracy of commercial weighing and measuring devices that are installed, serviced, repaired or reconditioned and placed into service across the state. These efforts help ensure businesses meet the standards outlined in the New Mexico Administrative Code and that consumers receive fair and accurate transactions.

A livestock scale inside a cattle pen. The scale has a metal frame with wheels, positioned near a black flatbed truck. The cattle pen is made of metal fencing, with sunlight casting shadows on the ground. — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s (NMDA) Standards & Consumer Services (SCS) Division and State Metrology Lab recognize Weights and Measures Week, observed annually from March 1-7. The week commemorates President John Adams’ signing of the nation’s first weights and measures law on March 2, 1799. (Photo courtesy New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

SCS collaborates with the State Metrology Lab, housed within NMDA’s Laboratory Division in Las Cruces. The lab is responsible for maintaining measurement standards and ensuring accuracy of weights used in commerce statewide.

“Accurate weights and measures are essential to fair trade and consumer confidence,” said Jeff Witte, New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture. “From the grocery store to the fuel pump, New Mexicans rely on these standards every day, and NMDA is committed to ensuring accuracy and consistency across the marketplace.”

A commercial scale with several cylindrical metal weights on its stainless-steel surface. The scale has a yellow NMDA (New Mexico Department of Agriculture) inspection sticker indicating it has been tested and approved. In the background, blue metal shelves hold large water bottles and other items. — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s (NMDA) Standards & Consumer Services (SCS) Division and State Metrology Lab recognize Weights and Measures Week, observed annually from March 1-7. The week commemorates President John Adams’ signing of the nation’s first weights and measures law on March 2, 1799. (Photo courtesy New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM), founded in 1905, is a professional nonprofit association of state and local weights and measures officials, federal agencies, manufacturers, retailers and consumers that develops commercial weights and measures standards. Learn more about NCWM at www.ncwm.net.

Learn more about NMDA’s weights and measures operations at https://nmdeptag.nmsu.edu/standards-and-consumer-services/scs-main.html and https://nmdeptag.nmsu.edu/labs/metrology.html.

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National Weights and Measures Week is March 1-7