New Mexico’s Economic Development Department (EDD) has awarded $25,000 in taxpayer funding to an Albuquerque-based farming operation, Ashokra Farm, under the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) program. But what at first glance appeared to be a minor example of questionable spending has become a window into the state’s support for increasingly radical and political causes.
According to a press release from EDD, Ashokra Farm was given the grant “to support agricultural and community-based initiatives,” and was praised for being a “culturally significant okra farm.”
That descriptor alone raised eyebrows at the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF), a non-partisan research institute focused on limited government in New Mexico. “We thought it was a funny story involving a (relatively) small amount of wasteful spending,” RGF noted in a commentary, “until we were alerted to the Farm’s Facebook page.”
The farm, according to its own promotional materials and a profile in The Guardian, identifies as a “queer and people of color farm.” Its mission includes protecting people from “homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism.” While the rhetoric might appeal to progressive circles, critics argue that such identity-based messaging has little to do with economic development or agriculture, and even less with responsible use of public funds.
But the concerns go deeper than identity politics. On Ashokra Farm’s Facebook page, the farm posted a call to “boycott these companies in support of a FREE PALESTINE AND END TO THE GENOCIDE that is currently being funded by Israel and the United States.” The post goes on to name several agricultural firms with ties to Israel, calling for a boycott of companies allegedly connected to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
In the current global context, where violent anti-Israel protests and campus takeovers have been dominating headlines, the farm’s stance reads not merely as political but explicitly partisan and inflammatory.
The taxpayer-funded grant has thus become a flashpoint. “If you are concerned about your tax dollars going to radical causes like this,” RGF urged in its Errors of Enchantment post, “I’d recommend sharing this story with your local newspaper or TV station.”
The issue raises broader questions about how EDD evaluates grantees and whether ideological agendas are being subsidized by public money. The department is led by Secretary Rob Black, who can be contacted by concerned citizens at rob.black@edd.nm.gov.
This incident follows mounting criticism of the Lujan Grisham administration’s selective funding of politically aligned organizations under the guise of economic development. The grant to Ashokra Farm highlights what some see as a growing trend of activist causes being quietly bankrolled by taxpayers.
As New Mexico approaches the 2026 gubernatorial election, voters may increasingly demand greater accountability over how economic development dollars are allocated—and whether they’re being used to support agriculture or activism.
Thank you, Secretary Rob Black, @rob.black@edd.nm.gov. for the work that you’re doing to foster justice in New Mexico…
Great coverage from the Pinon Post…thanks, guys and gals…
DEI=Division, Exclusion, Illusion
Dem voters are fine with this. They are from another planet where logic and common sense are extinct. NM going down the tubes. Wait until Deb Haaland is governor. its sad how stupid the voters are here. we truly are as bad as calif.
Decrying Nazi-ism is not anti-German.
Decrying Zionism and genocide has nothing to do with “hating Israel”.
How very sophomoric and, in fact, plain stupid.
Armando, accusing Israel of genocide and comparing Zionism with naziism is the cruelest possible slander of a people who themselves have historically been targeted for genocide and annihilation. Why should my taxpayer dollars fund any organization making such terroristic declarations on social media?
Andrew, if what has been going on in Palestine is not genocide and ethnic cleansing, then those two terms have no real meaning.
Your taxpayer dollars should not be used to support any sort of terrorism whatsoever, whomever is the perpetrator.
Getting rid of the terrorist organization Hamas is not ethnic cleansing. If the continual attacks on Israel would stop, the war with Hamas would stop.
Thank you for exhibiting what used to be common, ‘common sense’. The truth is exactly what you said!
Hidden History of the Incredibly Evil Khazarian Mafia | Covert Geopolitics
https://geopolitics.co/2015/03/11/hidden-history-of-the-incredibly-evil-khazarian-mafia/
We are the Israelites. It is a people not a state. We are God’s people in bloodline and faith. There is a 13th bloodline that believes they come from the serpent. They are responsible for every evil in the world. They invaded Judaism and do evil in the name of Israel. They are not true semites Jews. They are imposters. The Scofield Bible taught Christians that these fake Jews are the chosen ones. The seminaries pushed this as they have also been infiltrated by the deep church. It was rewritten by man. Jesus called these fake Jews the synagogue of satan. They are talmudic Jews and hate his people and Jesus. Archbishop Vigano has been warning us and he warned President Trump in his famous letter to him that you could find on a free speech platform.
We have been lied to about everything. This is just one of many.
https://rumble.com/v6tjbpz-gog-and-magog-in-20-minutes-youll-understand-the-jews-endgame.html
This is one of the ironies, Starseed, and few of the people commenting here are aware of this. Palestinians are Semites. Most of the citizens of the modern State of Israel are not. They are of European ancestry. So we ask ourselves: “Who are the real anti-Semites”?
The modern State of Israel is unrelated to Biblical Israel except in geographic location.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in His human nature, was a Palestinian Semite. The Christian religion was founded in Palestine. The oldest Christian communities are being devastated by the modern State of Israel. Who are the true anti-Christians? Our Lord Jesus Christ answered that for us two thousand years ago and we are being reminded today.
Oh, so you support Israel?
You are correct Armando. Conflating criticism of Zionism with hate is a trick to shut people up from commenting about the genocide. Zionism is not a religion contrary to popular belief. It is a political movement masked as religion. It was founded by Theodore Hertzle in the 1800 s I believe.
As always, Norteno, you are spot on and a refreshing break in this ongoing commentary.
Democrats continue to use terms that are nit even applicable. We support Israel and the Gazans elected Hamas and have even praised some of the attrocities of Hamas. Yet, they ignore the issue of hostages held by Hamas and the fact Hamas will not provide names of the dead or those still living. If there is any genocide it is Hamas who vows the destruction of Israel.
Dear Mr. King:
It might be interesting and instructive if you were to research into exactly who was involved in the creation of Hamas in the first place.
Respectfully…
This is what Armando is referring to.
Ron Paul Explains How Israel Helped Create Hamas
https://odysee.com/@ConspiraciesFromCatholicPerpective:2/Ron-Paul-Explains-How-Israel-Helped-Create-Hamas:7?lid=9b63feff8fad1fe7c082c37cb02e669ab53a48e7
Quite correct, Mr. Jackson. Thank you for doing this. Few people commenting on this site would have made the effort to do even cursory research into it.
One of my observations over the years has been that people who consider themselves “conservatives” are usually not. Their “conservatism” extends to “news” programs on TV. Then they go out and repeat it as though they know anything about geopolitics. They simply will not make the effort to look more deeply into things like the history of the creation of Hamas. If they ever did, they would be embarrassed by the comments they make on this blog.
This is only one of the many blind spots. Many are woefully uninformed regarding the entire history of the modern State of Israel. They cannot define the word “semite” for you and, thus, they cannot even identify the true anti-semites. They are ignorant regarding the many operations Israel has carried out against their own country.
Then, if you make the effort to help them educate themselves, they simply call you an “anti-semite” or a “hater” or some other such juvenile rubbish.
This blog is a neo-conservative echo chamber.
DEMOCRATS LOVE HELPING FAGS
This is clearly a government grant awarded by an extremist to an extremist communofascist organization to promote a single radical political agenda.
Who put their signatures on this?
This is fraud waste and abuse – I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!
Go woke, go broke.
Go Israel!
Can we call this the NPR of farms?
Big Farma
Why is there always an agenda? I am personally for Isreal, I know many Palestinians are brain washed like our democrat party. I personally for funds going to help smaller farms to start making a profit. I do not care if you are black, white or brown, I do not care who you sleep with, but if you make it your main point in life, it should cost you. I think it is like Michael Jordon, a democrat that does not make politics his business and folks asked him why, he said republicans buy shoes! My wife are discussing if we will move out of NM because of the majority of there right wing beliefs. Well for now we are staying and trying to show that most NMs conservatives (which they are) but we gave to show them so we can make NM be on the right side of US history.
I asked them, via Facebook, if they sell ribeye steaks and baby lamb chops……..ought to be an interesting reply…………..
Boycott! The farm and it’s produce .
Yeah!
That “farm” sows seeds of hate.
The sooner Moochie Loserjan Gruesome is dragged out of the roundhouse -the better off New Mexico will be!! Waste ,Fraud and Abuse – It’s the dembocrap way!
Shameless and corrupt.
Identity politics is segregation. Plane and simple.