| 1 | In this Saturday, July 25, 215 photo, workers harvest chile on the 350-acre Adams Produce farm near Hatch, New Mexico. |
| 2 | Efforts are underway to save the green chile that's important to traditional New Mexican fare as labor shortages, a previous severe drought and competition from China, India and Mexico endanger its growth in the state. |
| 3 | Green chiles, the signature crop of New Mexico, are in danger. |
| 4 | As this year's harvest begins, labor shortages, drought and foreign competition have hurt production in the state. |
| 5 | Farmers and producers say shrinking acreage set aside for the crop also highlights the need for changes in the industry that has helped define New Mexico for generations. |
| 6 | To rejuvenate production, investors and inventors are testing machines that would harvest and de-stem the crop. |
| 7 | The delicate chiles are now picked by hand, and problems with bruising and the removal of stems have made it difficult to make the change to machines. |
| 8 | Ed Ogaz, owner of chile wholesaler Seco Spice Co., prefers the old ways and believes farmers need more laborers to improve production. |