Problems

New Mexico chile farmers face critical labor shortages that prevent them from harvesting crops at peak ripeness, directly impacting yield quality and farm profitability. Current solutions (relying on seasonal workers, manual recruitment) are insufficient to meet demand, forcing farmers to leave crops unharvested or accept lower prices. This problem is compounded by simultaneous drought conditions, creating a dual crisis that threatens the economic survival of farming operations.

Government agencies, DEA, and border patrol face critical delays in identifying and stopping fentanyl precursor chemicals before they reach cartel chemists in Mexico. Current intelligence systems fail to connect global chemical suppliers, brokers, and cartel operations in real-time, allowing massive quantities of deadly drugs to reach US streets. Agencies need actionable, integrated data on suspicious chemical shipments and broker networks to disrupt supply chains before fentanyl reaches communities.

Western Mexico watermelon growers and their advisors face difficulty selecting seedless watermelon varieties that perform reliably across different planting stages and are compatible with their specific grafted production systems. Current variety options don't adequately address the need for early, large-fruited cultivars suited to regional climate and production methods, forcing advisors to make recommendations with incomplete compatibility data.