• New Mexico's arid climate makes farming difficult.NM Scenic image by Kathy Burns from Fotolia.com
  
  Situated in the Southwestern United States, New Mexico is known for its rugged landscape and arid climate. The climate and scarce sources of irrigation limits what can be grown in the state and most of the arable land is used for grazing livestock. Farmers in New Mexico grow both traditional and introduced crops.
  
  

Cattle

• Cattle were introduced to New Mexico by Spanish settlers.Cattle 5 image by Lee O'Dell from Fotolia.com
  
  Cattle ranching in New Mexico began with the arrival of Spanish settlers in the 17th century. Ranching grew substantially after New Mexico became a U.S. territory following the Mexican-American War. Spurred by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1879, it became a major industry in the 1880s and has remained important ever since in spite of disputes over land use and problems such as overgrazing. Today cattle are one of New Mexico's top five agricultural commodities.
  
  

Chiles

• In spite of being a fruit, the chile is considered New Mexico's state vegetable.chili image by Connfetti from Fotolia.com
  
  Several varieties of chiles grow in New Mexico, including several types developed in the state. Considered the foundation of New Mexico cuisine, cooks across the state use the iconic fruit in a variety of regional dishes, including chile con queso (not to be confused with chili con queso), chile sauce, chiles rellenos, salsa, flat enchiladas and carne adovada.
  
  

Sorghum

• Sorghum's resistance to high temperatures and drought make it a good crop for a desert state. Divided into sweet sorghum, broomcorn, grass sorghum and grain sorghum, it is used for syrup and molasses, weaving material, hay, livestock and poultry feed and many of the same industrial purposes as corn, such as fuel.
  
  

Pine Nuts

• Pine nuts, called pinon in Spanish, were an important food source for some American Indians. Still popular today, they are gathered from the ground, dug out of squirrel caches and picked by hand from pine cones. Pine nuts are used in several foods including sweets, sauces, pine nut oil and even coffee.
  
  

Beans

• High in fiber and protein, beans are commonly eaten in stews, soups, salads and burritos. Along with corn, beans are a staple amongst Southwestern Indians and treated as sacred. Although the pinto is now the most common type of bean in the United States, American Indians once grew dozens of varieties, and efforts are underway by seed savers to bring back heirloom varieties.
  
  

Corn

• American Indians developed corn through intensive crossbreeding.corn image by siloto from Fotolia.com
  
  Corn originated in Mexico in 2500 B.C.E. American Indians transformed it into a useful food through intensive crossbreeding. Treated as sacred, it is planted and tended to with reverence, ceremony and care. Traditionally corn forms the basis of several foods including tortillas, hominy and stew. Today corn is used as food, livestock feed and for industrial purposes, such as ethanol.