Thirty miles north of Santa Fe, a winding road leads to a four-and-a-half-acre farm surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the heart of Santa Cruz. It's where Don Bustos fuses centuries of tradition with modern touches to yield a picturesque bounty that feeds communities near and far.

Santa Cruz Farm has been in the hands of Bustos's family for more than 400 years.

Bustos grew up on the farm and later inherited it during the 1980s. He has since carried the farm into the 21st century, transforming it into a thriving operation that grows 72 varieties of produce and grosses six figures annually. It runs entirely on solar power and water from one of only two acequias in New Mexico that flow north.

He is well-known across northern New Mexico as a leader in sustainable agriculture and a colorful purveyor of berries, corn, squash, asparagus, leafy greens and other fresh foods.

He was one of the first growers in the state to adopt organic farming practices and has long advocated for land and water protections to preserve the environment for future generations. His work supports underserved communities and new farmers, whom he often mentors, passing on knowledge gleaned from years working on the farm.

Bustos attributes much of his success to taking risks, leaning on scientific advances, and adhering to sacred family traditions and ancestral farming practices. But it is also the product of a longstanding relationship with NMSU, the College of ACES and, more specifically, the Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde.

Walking through the farm in mid-July, Bustos explained, "We have four seasons in New Mexico, and we're able to produce all four seasons using the knowledge that comes from the Alcalde science center and all the research they've done."

Bustos's father, Frank, forged the connection to the science center decades ago. Bustos has maintained the ties since taking over the farm and currently serves on the center's eight-member advisory committee.

Holding one of his free-roaming turkeys, Bustos quickly recited the names of researchers who have helped the farm flourish, including Ron Walser, Del Jimenez, Edmund Gomez, Charles Martin and Rich Phillips. He pointed to the ripening blackberry bushes and recalled that Walser's economic analyses of soft fruits ultimately convinced him to grow berries.

Blackberries are now among Bustos's best-selling and most profitable crops.

"Ron did a lot of research around northern New Mexico and discovered that there was no soft fruit being grown, like blackberries, strawberries and raspberries," Bustos said.

According to Bustos, Walser conducted years of tests before recommending three blackberry varieties. Bustos eventually settled on growing the Triple Crown, a fresh-market variety known for its large size and sweet aromatic flavor.

"We've been selling those for 25 years since Ron first brought them on board," said Bustos, who also grows highly sought-after strawberries and raspberries. "The Alcalde science center has taught us to grow a lot of different crops that are sometimes more economically viable than other times, but always beneficial."

Asparagus is another consumer-favorite crop Bustos added to his fields years ago, thanks to Phillips.

Bustos also credits NMSU with helping him better understand the financial side of operating a farm. Thirty years ago, he said, he took business training classes at the science center.

"One of the best things Edmond did was start a business class," he said. "I went through the classes twice a week, and that really helped me identify what kind of crops we needed to grow and what was missing from the area."

Bustos's success is a testament to the College of ACES and its mission to foster economic and community development in New Mexico, said Saeid Zehtab Salmasi, the research director at the Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde.

Salmasi, who joined NMSU in 2023, said his vision for the science center includes increasing community engagement with growers like Bustos through workshops and trainings. This summer and fall, the center teamed up with the Cooperative Extension Service in Santa Fe County to host 19 workshops on various agricultural topics. More than 100 individuals also attended the center's annual field day this year.

"For the Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde, it is very important to work with pioneer farmers like Don Bustos, who is the chair of our advisory committee," Salmasi said. "I believe this will help make research in sustainable and organic farming more useful for communities across New Mexico."

A version of this story was originally published in the fall 2024 issue of ACES Magazine. For more stories, visit https://nmsu.news/aces-magazine-fall-2024.

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-helps-400-year-old-family-farm-thrive-in-the-21st-century/s/cfc6157f-254f-46ae-aa3a-635574610cde