With slightly less wild enthusiasm, fortunately, than Texas Gov. Rick Perry receiving a bottle of maple syrup at a New Hampshire town hall, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez accepted a gift of cheese at the Roundhouse this afternoon upon signing a bill designed to help the state's agriculture.---
The hay bill Martinez signed will allow oversized hay loads to travel the state's highways, in an effort to curb hay shortages that have affected the state's livestock in the wake of the La Niña drought. This way, it will be easier for New Mexico to bring in hay from states that have been less dramatically affected by the drought.
At a media appearance in the rotunda, Martinez declared that the new law will "ensure our agriculture industry is not hindered from hauling in large amounts of hay."
The signing and cheese hand-off also coincided with the annual Ag Feed, in which New Mexico-based producers of everything from green chile to creamsicles gather in the rotunda to put out a huge buffet. Forty-pound blocks of cheese are brought in for the event, which, judging from the crowds, seems to inspire a sudden surge of interest in state government, as well as in consuming, if not buying, local.
