Dosi Alvarez

ALVAREZ ORGANIC FARMS

LA UNION, NEW MEXICO

Dosi Alvarez farms land on the New Mexico–Texas border that his grandfather cleared with horses in 1910. After getting his degree in animal science, he worked for a beef selector and a packing company. “Then my dad was ready to retire—and I was ready to come home to the farm,” he says.

Alvarez started out farming Pima cotton conventionally and contin-ued until 1992, when his son was born. “I was sitting in the barn look-ing at buckets full of insecticides and herbicides and said, ‘This is no place to raise a kid.’” At around the same time, a Swiss spinning mill in search of organic cotton contacted Alvarez’s co-op. He saw an opportu-nity: “I had my dad, who was farm-ing before chemicals, to fall back on for knowledge. We took the plunge, starting with 25 acres of organic cot- ton.” After 2 years of good crops, they decided to go all-in on organic. Today, all 1,100 acres (about half rented) are certified organic. Cotton is still the main crop (it is used in eco-conscious fashions and textiles), but he also grows wheat, alfalfa, and pe-cans. Alvarez’s son, an integral part of the operation, hopes to take over the farm one day.

Alvarez, always ready to try some-thing new, recently planted some colored cotton, which naturally pro-duces brown and green fiber. His un-sprayed fields, he says, are a refuge for beneficial insects: “Because of this, I don’t have an insect problem to speak of.” Conventional farmers in the area wonder aloud how he con-trols all of the weeds. “I tell them, ‘I use that new organic herbicide, Aza-don. That’s Spanish for ‘hoe,’” laughs Alvarez. (continued)

Photo: Alvarez Organic Farms