NMS April 23

BE SET IN YOUR WAYS OR SET ON IMPROVING THEM.

There’s no escaping change. Especially when you’re trying to keep pace with a growing nation. So when the time comes to buy new equipment, purchase land or expand your operation, Ag New Mexico Farm Credit will be there. We give rural New Mexico access to the financial support it needs to never stop growing.

NEW MEXICO STOCKMAN

P.O. Box 7127, Albuquerque, NM 87194

505-243-9515 Fax: 505-349-3060

E-mail: caren@aaalivestock.com

Official publication of ...

n New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association nmcga20@gmail.com

P.O. Box 850, Moriarty NM 87035

Office: 505.247.0584 , Fax: 505.842.1766

Physical Location: 809 First Street, Moriarty NM 87035 President, Loren Patterson

n New Mexico Wool Growers, Inc. nmwgi@nmagriculture.org

P.O. Box 2822, Moriarty NM 87035

Office: 505.247.0584 , Fax: 505.842.1766

Physical Location 809 First Street, Moriarty NM 87035 President James Duffy

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING

Publisher: Caren Cowan

Publisher Emeritus: Chuck Stocks

Advertising Representatives: Chris Martinez

Melinda Martinez

Contributing Editors: Carol Wilson

Callie Gnatkowski-Gibson

Howard Hutchinson

Lee Pitts

PRODUCTION

Production Coordinator: Carol Pendleton

Editorial & Advertising Design: Kristy Hinds

ADVERTISING SALES

Chris Martinez at 505-243-9515 or chris@aaalivestock.com

New Mexico Stockman (USPS 381-580)

is published monthly by Caren Cowan, 2231 Rio Grande, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104-2529

Subscription price: 1 year - $30 / 2 years - $40

Single issue price $10, Directory price $30

Subscriptions are non-refundable

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Mexico Stockman, P.O. Box 7127, Albuquerque, NM 87194. Periodicals Postage paid at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and additional mailing offices. Copyright© 2015 by New Mexico Stockman. Material may not be used without permission of the publisher. Deadline for editorial and advertising copy, changes and cancellations is the 10th of the month preceding publication. Advertising rates on request.

25 Dairy Feature

DEPARTMENTS

10 NMCGA President’s Message by Bronson Corn, President-Elect

12 Just the Facts ... and Then Some by Caren Cowan, Publisher New Mexico Stockman

16 New Mexico CowBelles Jingle Jangle

21 New Mexico Beef Council Bullhorn

28 News Update: USDA FSA State Committee, New NMSU Provost; Blodgett Celebration of Life

30 Aggie Notes by Craig Gifford, PhD, Extension Beef Cattle Specialiast, New Mexico State Univeristy

34 Riding Herd by Lee Pitts

38 New Mexico’s Old Times & Old Timers by Don Bullis

44 View From the Backside by Barry Denton

45 Food & Fodder by Deanna Dickinson McCall

FEATURES

24 NM Supreme Court Rules Unused Water Rights Can Be Lost

Jay Lazarus, Ariel O’Callaghan, & Samatha Carver, Glorieta Geoscience Inc.

25 From the Desk of the Dairy Doc by Robert Hagevoort, PhD, Extension Dairy Specialist

36 Dina Chacon-Reitzel Selected for NASEM Blue Ribbon Panel

41 Four Corners Stockmanship & Stewardship, McGee Park, Farmington, May 10-12

42 Beef Vendor to Become New Executive Director at Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute by Teya Vitu, Santa Fe New Mexican

46 Growing Ag Sector Report Reveals NM’s Economy Beating Pre-Pandemic Levels

66 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Standings

69 New Water For New Mexico - What Are Unconventional Sources of Water by John R. “Grizz” Deal

76 Feedlot Inventories are Falling by Derrell S. Peel, Cow-Calf Corner, Oklahoma State University

by

on the cover

There is a Lot of Work to Get Done Before it Rains by Carlitta Harvey graces this month’s cover. To learn more about this painting and other works by this budding artist visit calittaharvey.com or email her at carlittaharvey@comcast.net

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Moriarty, New Mexico

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Be Bold

by Bronson Corn NMCGA President-Elect

Loren Patterson President Corona

Bronson Corn President-Elect Roswell

Dave Kenneke NW Vice President Cimarron

Cliff Copeland NE Vice President

Nara Visa

Jeff Decker SE Vice President Lovington

Roy Farr SW Vice President Datil

Joe Culbertson Vice President at Large Amistad

Shacey Sullivan Secretary / Treasurer Peralta

Randell Major Immediate Past President Magadalena

Tom Sidwell Past President Quay

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Bronson Corn

This year’s legislative session has been a wild ride, I have stepped on colts that were easier to sit in the middle of than what this session has thrown our way. First I want to send out a huge thank you to my family and friends who kept my operation running while I was in Santa Fe. I can assure you that if it wasn’t for the hands that stepped up while I was away (Sterling & Jennifer Pierce, Mike & Jennifer Corn, my beautiful bride Barbara Corn, and many others) there would be no way I could have attended an entire 60-day session.

As I have said a few times before, “I’m tired, out of snuff, and angry.” Let’s get started!

There were a lot of unruly tactics used in this year’s session, specifically bill scheduling and public comment. Every committee seemed to have their own rules and when those rules didn’t work, legislators would change them. Public comment was often limited to 60 seconds a person on controversial bills, even when few people were present in the room. Some required you to submit a 300-word testimony no less than 24 hours ahead of scheduled meeting time. Often we would walk into committee to find a list of organized public comments had already been drafted, leaving out several groups in the room who needed to voice their concerns or support. Weekly, bills would appear and disappear on schedules with less than 24 hours’ notice usually without ever being posted online to review beforehand. Vital bills to our industry would sail through their first two assigned committees, only to be held up in their third committee as legislative time clicked by. The gist of this ramble is the Roundhouse is no longer the people’s house, it is a house of censorship.

Despite the odds, New Mexico Cattle Growers’ showed up and made an impact! We are a well-respected organization that has never backed down from a good fight, and our team has been no exception to that long standing tradition. I have made some wonderful friends and allies in the Roundhouse that have helped us in so many ways. The old adage, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know stands strong and true. Thank you to Cattle Growers’ members who helped us more than I could have imagined. I appreciate the connections you all offered to us and for reviewing bills. You helped us to gain face-to-face meetings with legislators and you picked up the phone to call your legislators when we asked. Every bill that was either pushed through or killed, was a result of engaged friends, family and members.

I cannot tell you all how many bills I spoke on throughout the session, but it was a bunch. While not all of them revolved around agriculture, there were a handful that just needed a little common sense and Christian values thrown into the conversation. Several bills centered on conservation of our lands, and while a few of them had good qualities, there were others that excluded the interest of those of us in production agriculture. Senate Bill 9 Land Enchantment Legacy Fund, was one where the livestock industry had to nearly compromise ourselves to death. We made our stance on land acquisition very clear and worked tirelessly trying to get some amendments added that would make it acceptable for NMCGA. In the end we fell short, but I can assure you that we were the center of the conversation for the remainder of the committee hearing and on to the House floor. House Bill 205 Meat Inspection Act, went through the House with no opposition only to get hung up for over a month in Senate Judiciary with chairman Joseph Cervantes. We worked the halls and legislators diligently to get it heard, but it was not added to the calendar until 72 hours left in the session. For four days we gathered in the committee room to show our support and the bill ran out of time. Senator Cervantes let down New Mexico agriculture.

If we are going to get any real change to happen when it comes to laws and regulations that revolve around the cattle industry or just agriculture in general, we need to get out and VOTE. We need boots and hats in the Roundhouse, we have to remain engaged. One or two people lobbying for NMCGA is NOT enough! If you are unhappy with the way things are being handled in New Mexico, and you are as concerned as I am that our children are not going to have the same opportunity to continue the family ranching legacy, then I plead with you to please get involved and be informed when you go to the polls. As it says in Proverbs 28:1, “the wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion”. If we want to have a say when it comes to our lifestyles and we want to ensure our children have a chance to continue our legacy, we must be bold and make the time to uphold and protect the lifestyle we love.      ▫

by Caren

Publisher New Mexico Stockman

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) reintroduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), comprehensive legislation that sets a bold vision of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in U.S. agriculture by the year 2040.

“New Mexico’s farmers and ranchers’ livelihoods depend on the health of our land and water. They are also on the frontlines of the climate crisis and know all too well the effects that extreme weather events can have on their operations. Through regenerative agriculture and soil management, our producers can simultaneously make their land more resilient and play a large role in the

Net-Zero Agriculture Emissions

fight against climate change,” said Heinrich. “…This legislation will make ambitious investments to help our farmers and ranchers improve soil health, expand conservation programs, increase research into climate agricultural practices, and support on-farm renewable energy projects.”

Banking Crisis?

Not yet. The worst banking crisis in my lifetime was in the 80s when there were billboards in Austin, Texas that read “It is Monday morning. Do you know who your bank is?”

It seems the government is bent on making everyone whole in at least one bank, even if the account holders were not following federal rules and the institution was making risky ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) investments.

Where the Sun Don’t Shine…

During the early part of the Obama Administration, a shocking statement was made to a group of ranchers by the then Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). He reported that the Southwest was not good for anything but solar and wind production.

This came as a shock to those in the room whose families have been ranching in the Southwest for generations. But nothing came of it … at the time.

The BLM issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to Evaluate Utility-Scale Solar Energy Planning and Amend Resource Management Plans for Renewable Energy Development on December 8, 2022. The comment period closed on February 28.

There is no timeline on when the PEIS

will be released.

Rodeo from the Recliner

The Winter Run for the PRCA is about to come to an end with San Angelo finishing up on April 14. Having a rodeo to watch nearly every night since early January has been a real treat.

It almost made up for the University of Arizona losing in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Almost…

All of this rodeo screen time has allowed me to make some observations. If rodeos are going to last two weeks or more, maybe rodeo committees would consider using more than one clown for the entire rodeo. Those jokes get really old after a few performances.

I am not criticizing the clowns. They are excellent performers for the most part. But they cannot be expected to come up with new material on a daily basis.

If rodeo had a congeniality award, it would definitely go to Stetson Wright. Aside from being a World Champion Bull and Saddle Bronc Rider as well as a multiple Word All-Around Champion, the guy is a virtual energizer bunny.

He sets his brothers down on their broncs and cheers them on; he helps a host of other rough stock riders get down. At Austin he even ran into the arena waving his hat during his brother’s ride. (I didn’t know that was legal. But pick-up men run in front of broncs and others have thrown chaps and other things toward the animals as they come out of the chute.)

Minutes later he was setting JB Mauney on a bull. Mauney, who was knocked unconscious at Houston getting on a bull, took another hard bump. It was Stetson who pulled him off of the bull and out of the chute.

Stetson has been riding with an ankle injury that he refuses to discuss with rodeo commentators. It has slowed him down in

the bull riding, but winning the Saddle Bronc Riding in Austin was not a problem.

When asked about the injury, Stetson’s response is “I’m healthy, wealthy, handsome and happy.”

Just as exciting as watching Stetson was watching the number of New Mexicans and Arizonans who competed in the big rodeos. The Southwest and the Navajo Nation had contestants in every event.

Tuba City’s Aaron Tsinigine is sitting 15th in the team roping header contest. Tatum’s Logan Medlin is in the top 35 for heelers.

Ross Griffin, Tularosa, and Leon Fountain, Corona are in the top 30 of the Saddle

Bronc Riding. JC Mortensen, Paulden, Arizona, is in the top 30 of the Bull Riding. Chad Mayfield, Clovis, is sitting fourth in the tie-down roping while Richard Newton, Portales is sitting in the top 25.

Shannon Griffin, La Luz, New Mexico and Tarryn Lee, St. David, Arizona are in the top 40 barrel racers. Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Arizona and Nicole Baggarley, Las Cruces are in the top 30 in the Break-Away Roping.      ▫

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JANUARY — Wildlife; Gelbvieh; Joint Stockmen’s Convention Results

FEBRUARY — Beefmasters; Texas Longhorns

MARCH — Limousin; Santa Gertrudis

APRIL — Dairy

MAY — News of the Day

JUNE — Sheepman of the Year

JULY — Directory of Agriculture

AUGUST — The Horse Industry

SEPTEMBER — Charolais; Fairs Across the SW

OCTOBER — Hereford; State Fair Results

NOVEMBER — Cattleman of the Year; Angus; Brangus; Red Angus: Joint Stockmen’s Convention Preview

DECEMBER — Bull Buyers Guide

BOOK REVIEW

by Robert J. Torrez, New Mexico State Historian Retired

Badman of the New Mexico Badlands

Gus Raney was an individual who possessed few, if any, redeeming qualities. Yet he attained a reputation as a genuine “wild west” character, even though he lived most of eight decades in the twentieth century.

Don Bullis leaves no doubt Raney was a “badman.” He was convicted of two murders and suspected of several others, including two of his own sons. Bullis carefully examines Raney’s life, debunking much of the mythology that accumulated around him, much of it created by lies and exaggerations of his own making.

Yet, Bullis provides often minute, well documented details of the violent and often mysterious life that Raney made for himself.

Badman is a careful and informative treatment of Raney’s life and a region of New Mexico that often seemed beyond the reach of effective law enforcement.      ▫

JINGLE JANGLE

We are through the first quarter of the year and don’t see much sign of things slowing down. Baby calves abound and Spring winds just keep blowing but I’m praying for that wind to bring productive rains to everyone. District workshops were a wonderful success and I can’t thank everyone enough for attending. A very special thank you to our sponsors, Double D Animal Nutrition & Supply, R & R Fencing, Mossy Oak Properties and Raising the Bar! Are y’all ready for Mid-year? The officer team is in preparation so I hope you’ll join us. Be blessed!

–Vonda Frost

NMCB President

Yucca Cowbelles met February 28 at Central Valley Electric in Artesia. President Joan Kincaid opened the meeting with Ande Marbach as hostess and 12 members attending. The Pledge, Creed, correspondence, Minutes and Treasurer report were read and approved or filed. Carol Gutierrez had several quilts on display at Quilt Show. Melinda Jackson gave report on visit with U.S. Congresswoman Teresa Fernandez for NM District 3 on current Farm Bill and its benefits. The Congresswoman is from an Agriculture family going back 8 to 10 generations. She is mindful of the importance of Agriculture in NM and SE NM well represented. Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage and Under Sheriff Matt Hutchinson provided an account concerning the alarming increase of drugs like Fentanyl, Methamphetamines, and Opioids coming across the open border, the little known or talked about human trafficking and the dangers Ranchers on the border face in everyday operations. He mentioned, since the legalization of Marijuana, the black market for it has grown due to government regulation and taxation. Some marijuana is Fentanyl laced and deadly! Statistics include Eddy County in 2019 confiscated 40 lbs. of Fentanyl powder and 1,740 pills. In 2022 it increased to 500 lbs. of powder and 90,155 pills. The illegal guns confiscated down from 106 in 2019 to 98 in

2022. He said until border is secure, it will get worse. The March meeting will be March 28, at 10:30 a.m. at CVE in Artesia. Submitted by Tina Kincaid, Secretary

Powderhorn Cattlewomen met at the Baptist Church in Fort Sumner. Joan Key and Brenda Copeland were hostesses with 10 members present. Prayer, Pledge, and Creed recited. Correspondence included thank you from Shelly Hathorn for donation to scholarship fund in memory of Janean Grissom. Legislature reported on including activities at Ag Fest. Committee reports: BBQconfirm use of school cafeteria and obtain food permit. Group to keep Ann’s grandsons, Emmett and Chris, in prayers. Sandy made nomination for Man of the Year. Joan Key will head committee. Congratulations to Abigail Sleep and Freddie York on judging achievements. Thinking-of-you cards signed and sent to Yetta Bidigain & Carolyn Bedford. A get-well card sent to Wayne Overton. Mary sent a Sympathy card to the family of Pete Boyd. Ann Sleep gave a fun program on Sign Language and the differences in Signs. Meeting adjourned and all enjoyed a lunch of tacos, beans, zucchini, and many desserts. Mary McClain, Secretary

The Chamiza CowBelle’s March Meeting was held on March 2, 2023 at Johnny B’s Restaurant. The meeting called to order at 12:05 p.m. with eight members and two guests present. The secretary’s report and invocation/creed presented by Kimmy Molsbee. The secretary’s report approved as read. The Treasurer’s report presented and the motion to file as audited passed unanimously. At the February meeting, sending an email to all members to receive input on changing the price for ½ beef raffle ticket scholarship fundraiser discussed. However, this email did not go out and group decided to table the conversation until next year and order tickets now. At last meeting decision made to pay for the hotel room for members to attend the District Meeting workshop in Alamogordo, and it was decided to write

check to Nancy for reimbursement. Scholarship regulations discussed, as there are new conditions to address. For students going to an in-state college, they will have free tuition; group changed the requirements to: students will submit proof of enrollment and class schedule to receive scholarship check made out directly to student. Three students from 2022 have not submitted paperwork to get their scholarships. Ag day is coming up on Friday, April 14. Different from last year, this event will only be for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders and not open to the community. Chamiza decided to have a booth to promote and educate students about the different parts of cattle used in producing everyday items. Jeni will reach out to the beef council for jerky sticks. As the time change will take place on March 12, the group decided to have the April meeting at 5:15 to get more attendance. The April meeting is April 6 at Johnny B’s Restaurant. This meeting adjourned at 12:48 p.m. Submitted by Kimmy Molsbee

New Mexico CowBelles: Thank you to all who have submitted their news to Jingle Jangle. Please send minutes and/or newsletters to Jingle Jangle, Janet Witte, 1860 Foxboro Ct., Las Cruces, NM 88007 or email: janetwitte@msn.com by the 14th of every month.      ▫

Applications Open

Angus Foundation’s Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship

by Peyton Schmitt, Angus Communications

The Angus Foundation offers a variety of scholarship opportunities, including to youth beyond the seedstock industry. Applications are open for the Foundation’s Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship, which awards $1,500 to four outstanding youth in the beef industry. This scholarship is unique from others offered by the Foundation as it aims to support students specifically from the commercial sector of the industry.

“We’re proud to offer this scholarship opportunity to students from commercial cattle backgrounds,” said Jaclyn Boester, Angus Foundation executive director. “We recognize the importance of supporting young people using Angus genetics and want to help them succeed in our industry.”

Young men and women whose families use Angus genetics in their commercial operations are eligible to receive the scholarship. Students should be pursuing an undergraduate degree or vocational program at an accredited institution of higher education. Selection emphasis is placed on the applicant’s knowledge of the cattle industry and their perspective of the Angus breed.

“I’m grateful for the Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship awarded by the Angus Foundation,” said Tucker Huseman, 2022 scholarship recipient. “I come from a commercial ranching background and scholarships like this allow me to pursue my passion for beef cattle production through my education.”

The applicants or their parents/guardians must have transferred or been transferred an Angus registration paper in the last 36 months (on or after May 1, 2020) and must be considered commercial and not seedstock in their operation. The scholarship applies to any field of study.

A separate application, from the general Foundation application, is required for the Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship. The application can be found on the Angus Foundation website. Applicants having received or applied for Angus Foundation undergraduate scholarships, using the standard general application this year or in past years will not be considered for this scholarship.

For more information on the Commercial Cattlemen Scholarship, visit AngusFoundation.org. Since 1998, the Angus Foundation has awarded more than $4.2 million in undergraduate and graduate scholarships.      ▫

NEW MEXICO STUDENTS COMPETE AT PROSTART® INVITATIONAL

The New Mexico Beef Council was proud to sponsor the New Mexico Restaurant Association Educational Foundation ProStart® Invitational. The competition was held on February 27th at the Uptown Sheraton Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was the 20th ProStart® Invitational with high school culinary teams participating from throughout New Mexico. The ProStart® program is a two-year curriculum designed to teach high school students the culinary and management skills needed for a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Students compete within these two individual categories: culinary and management. In the culinary category, Taos High School Culinary Team won first place, Carlsbad High School was 2nd place and 3rd was Deming High School. In The management category, Cloudcroft High School won first place, Taos High School won 2nd and Silver City High School took 3rd place. “Educator of the Year” was awarded to Kevin Zink, ProStart® instructor at Carlsbad High School. The “Hospitality Cup” was given to Taos High School whose team received the highest number of points in various categories from the judges. Congratulations to Taos High School. We wish them the best of luck at the national competition as they compete with other winning ProStart® teams across the United States at the National Competition on May 2-4 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.

New Mexico Beef Council also proudly sponsors the NMBC Beef Grant Program for all ProStart® classes in New Mexico, as well as providing beef education resources to assist them with their beef classes. In speaking to the competing teams this year, four teams stated that they featured beef as their main entree because they received the Beef Grant. Beef is always the popular choice to feature but because of costs it is not always feasible for classrooms to fit it into their limited budgets. NMBC will continue to offer this special Beef Grant program to help educate students and provide teachers with the resources for their ProStart® classrooms. 

Instructor Adam Medina (3rd from left) and his students from Taos High School, the First Place Winners in Culinary Category

ProStart® Instructor, Genevieve Wertz, and her students from Deming High School pick up resources from the NM Beef Council Booth. Deming High School won 3rd place in the Culinary Category

Kevin Zink, Carlsbad High School Prostart® Instructor with students who won 2nd place in the Culinary Category. Kevin was awarded “Educator of the Year”.

Carlsbad ProStart Students prepare their menu for presentation to the judges.

(L-R) Chef John Young, NMDA Chef Ambassador; Patty Waid, NMBC Project Specialist; Tom Bertelle, NMBC Beef Specialist; Dr. Jean Hertzman, NMSU Director of HRTM, ACES; Jordan Isaacson, NMDA Chef Ambassador.

AG FEST RETURNS TO THE ROTUNDA

After a two year COVID hiatus, AgFest is back better than ever! The event, held at the Sweeny Convention Center, in Santa Fe is sponsored by the NM Farm & Livestock Bureau and attracts legislators, staffers, business and industry people along with beef fans. The NMBC sponsored the beef served at the event and distributed bags of “Cattle Trail Mix,” a high protein beef jerky mix made special for AgFest. 

BEEF EXPORTS REACH RECORDS FOR VOLUME AND VALUE IN 2022

According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), U.S. beef exports reached a record $11.68 billion in 2022, up 10%. U.S. beef exports also set a column record, up 2% to 1.474 million mt. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

APRIL

3-6

3-6 NMSU HRTM Classes, NMSU School of Hotel Restaurant Tourism Management, Las Cruces

21-22

MEET YOUR NEW MEXICO BEEF COUNCIL

Sarah Cortese Fitzgerald is enjoying her first year on the Council. She and husband, Jimmie, run cow calf pairs and yearlings on their farm/ranch in Ft. Sumner, N.M. The couple has a four-year old daughter, Della Ruth, and count Jimmie’s son Slate as the fourth in their family. A graduate of Ft. Sumner High School, Fitzgerald went on to study Advertising, Public Relations and Business at Texas Christian University. In addition to running the ranch, Fitzgerald serves on the Executive Committee for the Ranching Heritage Association. When not reading her daughter’s favorite books, Fitzgerald loves western historical novels. She cites “Governmental overreach” as the biggest challenge her family faces at the ranch. She is passionate about being informed and involved in her state and community. Her favorite beef dish? Steak cooked on cast iron with an ungodly amount of butter. 

DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dina Chacon-Reitzel 505-841-9407

NEW MEXICO BEEF COUNCIL 2022-2023 DIRECTORS

CHAIRPERSON Cole Gardner (Producer) 575-910-8952

VICECHAIRPERSON

Dan Bell (Producer) 575-799-0763

SECRETARY

Marjorie Lantana (Producer) 505-860-5859

NM Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics “Future of Food” Spring Conference

26

NMBC Meeting at NMBC Office, Albuquerque

MAY

10-12

Four Corners Stockman & Stewardship Conference (NMSU/NCBA/NMBC), McGee Park, Farmington

23-25

WALC Conference, Sheraton Uptown, Albuquerque

24-25

U.S. Meat Export Federation, Minneapolis, MN

NMBC DIRECTORS:

Sarah Fitzgerald (Feeder) 830-739-3450

John Heckendorn (Purebred Producer) 505-379-8212

Jim Hill (Feeder) 575-993-9950

Nancy Phelps, (Producer) 575-740-0957

Kimberly Stone (Producer) 202-812-0219

Joel Van Dam (Dairy Representative) 575-714-3244

BEEF BOARD DIRECTOR

Boe Lopez (Feeder) 505-469-9055

FEDERATION DIRECTOR Cole Gardner (Producer) 575-910-8952

USMEF DIRECTOR

Kenneth McKenzie (Producer) 575-760-3260

Sarah Cortese Fitzgerald

Marjorie Lantana, NMBC Director, chats with FFA officers at the NMBC booth.

NMBC sponsored the beef for the sliders and street tacos that were served to attendees of AgFest 2023.

NMBC Team greets visitors with a smile and “Cattle Trail Mix”. (L-R) NMBC CPA Don Umbrage; and NMBC Directors Dan Bell, Marjorie Lantana, Sarah Fitzgerald and NMBC Executive Director, Dina Chacon-Reitzel.

NMBC Director, Sarah Fitzgerald, hands a “I Heart Beef” sticker to State Representative Candy Ezzell.

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NM Supreme Court Rules Unused Water Rights can be Lost Even if Some of the Water is Used

by Jay Lazarus, Ariel O’Callaghan, & Samantha Carver, Glorieta Geoscience, Inc.

New Mexicans who do not use all of their groundwater rights for a certain length of time can lose the rights to the unused portion, according to a new ruling out of the state Supreme Court. A well that once provided water to steam engines on a bustling railroad in the now-defunct railroad and mining town of Cutter, located in Sierra County near Truth or Consequences, ceased operations. Since then, only three acre-feet of water per year has been used and the water rights have been transferred to a new owner.

This water came from a well, constructed to supply the railroad and livestock. Cutter dates back to the late 1800s when it formed as a mining community. In 1880, a railroad

depot was constructed.

This allowed for cows and ore to be shipped in and out of the town. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Company had a well drilled in the 1920s to supply water for the steam engines and local livestock. When mining came to an end, so did use of the well. According to court documents, the railroad stopped using the well in the 1960s, shortly before Cutter became a ghost town.

In the ruling, Judge David Thomson wrote that use is the measure of the water right which means that because the railroad was no longer using the water for the steam engines, only the rights to the water used for livestock remained in place when a new owner bought the property. This upheld a previous ruling by a district court.

New Mexico law states that water rights can be forfeited if the water is not used for four consecutive years. When water rights are forfeited, they go back to the state and can be appropriated to someone else.

The law was amended so that the Office of the State Engineer must provide a year’s notice to the water right holder, but that does not apply to water rights that were not used for four consecutive years prior to 1965.      ▫

Consolidation rate in NM was at about a 1.7% per year since the peak number of dairies in 2004 (fairly constant), but at 8.8% per year decline since 2020. The number of producers in New Mexico is now approaching 100, whereas in July of 2004, New Mexico was home to 181 producers.

From the Desk of the DairyDoc

-55 percent, CA is -46 percent, AZ is -55 percentand TX is -60 percent. This indicates that the rate of decline or consolidation in New Mexico is certainly not out of line with the rest of the country, and actually might be slower due to New Mexico’s large size of dairy operations.

Fewer cows with the same production results in less milk shipped (production volume) in New Mexico. NM producers shipped the highest volume of milk in 2018 (2.2B lbs). Since 2018, the volume of milk shipped dropped 14% (7.1B lbs), with the rate of decline doubling in the last two years.

To compare that to other states or the US as a whole: rate of decline since 2004 (18 years) for NM is -43%, while the US is -55%, CA is -46%, AZ is -55% and TX is -60%. This indicates that the rate of decline or consolidation in New Mexico is certainly not out of line with the rest of the country, and actually might be slower due to New Mexico’s large size of dairy operations.

Robert Hagevoort Ph.D., Extension Dairy Specialist at the Ag Science Center at Clovis

As 2022 numbers continue to roll in: the State of the Dairy Industry in New Mexico:

Herd size: the total number of cows had been at a slight decline since its peak in 2006 (-0.4 percent/yr.) until 2020. But since 2020 in the two years following, cow numbers dropped almost 13 percent (or -6.4 percent per yr.). This means that in two years 42,000 cows left the farms, and it appears that about 40 percent of those cows came from Chaves County.

Herd size: the total number of cows had been at a slight decline since its peak in 2006 (-0.4%/yr.) until 2020. But since 2020 in the two years following, cow numbers dropped almost 13% (or -6.4% per yr.). This means that in 2 years 42,000 cows left the farms, and it appears that about 40% of those cows came from Chaves County.

Individual herd size: part of consolidation means that cows being sold are partly absorbed into other remaining herds resulting in a NM herd size of 2,700 cows/operation, still the largest in the nation.

Number of producers: continues to decline, but at an increased rate since 2020. Consolidation rate in NM was at about a 1.7 percent per year since the peak number of dairies in 2004 (fairly constant), but at 8.8% per year decline since 2020. The number of producers in New Mexico is now approaching 100, whereas in July of 2004, New Mexico was home to 181 producers.

Individual herd size: part of consolidation means that cows being sold are partly absorbed into other remaining herds resulting in a NM herd size of 2,700 cows/operation, still the largest in the nation.

Anything good about this? As cow numbers go down and production per cow remains constant, less greenhouse gasses are being produced. Just based on the reduction in the last two years, using current formulas for GHG production, GHG production in New Mexico (in MMT of CO2 equivalents) has declined 8.3 percent. This does not take all other prior improvements in efficiency into account.

Production numbers: average milk production has been fairly constant since 2010, between 80-82 lbs (based on 305d lact.) and is not changing much. That production level ranks number 9 in the US.

To compare that to other states or the US as a whole: rate of decline since 2004 (18 years) for NM is -43 percent, while the US is

Production numbers: average milk production has been fairly constant since 2010, between 80-82 lbs (based on 305d lact.) and is not changing much. That production level ranks number 9 in the US.

The million-dollar question is why after an apparent steady slowdown of New Mexico’s dairy expansion since about 2010 into maybe “a more stable” industry, this sudden and steep decline in the last two years?

Fewer cows with the same production results in less milk shipped (production volume) in New Mexico. NM producers shipped the highest volume of milk in 2018 (2.2B lbs). Since 2018, the volume of milk shipped dropped 14% (7.1B lbs), with the rate of decline doubling in the last two years.

Many conversations quote water availability and consequential results on feed-costs, feed-quality and feed-availability. Without a doubt water plays a role in any of

Anything good about this? As cow numbers go down and production per cow remains constant, less greenhouse gasses are being produced. Just based on the reduction in the last two years, using current formulas for GHG production, GHG production in New Mexico (in MMT of CO equivalents) has declined 8.3%. This does not take all other prior improvements in efficiency into account.

Dairy Producers of

those, but water is not just an issue that popped up in the last two years. Historical financial data seem to confirm this: New Mexico’s forage costs have been significantly higher than surrounding areas for a much longer period than just the last two years.

Some quote the total costs of doing business in New Mexico: here again financial data seem to confirm that the costs of operating a dairy in New Mexico are significantly higher than surrounding areas, but again, that is nothing new in the last 2 years and other years may even have been higher.

Some have said, New Mexico is settling into a new equilibrium of number of cows which can be sustained by the available water (read feed), available processing capacity and other external forces determining the cost of operating a dairy. A continued gradual decline could favor this explanation but the 14% drop in cow numbers and milk volume experienced in the last two years seems to make this argument less likely.

The real reason for what is happening may be different from all the apparent reasons, and warrants a closer look and a deeper dive, albeit a posteriori evaluation.      ▫

The real reason for what is happening may be different from all the apparent reasons, and warrants a closer look and a deeper dive, albeit a posteriori evaluation.

1 USDA NASS, Jan 2023: https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/ usda-esmis/files/h989r321c/ zg64v764d/qr46rn50d/ mkpr0720.pdf

2 Southwest Marketing Area (FO 126), Jan 2023: https://www.dallasma. com/order_stats/admin_ reports.jsp

3 NMDA 2019 Ag Statistics, Jan 2023: https://www.dallasma.com/fd?file_map=admin& downfile=2023/JAN23BUL.pdf

4 Progressive Dairyman: https://www.progressivepublish.com/downloads/2022/ general/2021-pd-stats-lowres.pdf

5 Leading States in Cheese production in 2021: https://www.statista.com/statistics/195764/top-10-usstates-for-cheese-production-2008/

6 IDFA, 2021: https://www.idfa.org/news/u-s-dairy-industryseconomic-impact-totals-753-billion

STEEL BUILDINGS

1 USDA NASS, Jan 2023: https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/h989r321c/zg64v764d/qr46rn50d/mkpr0720.pdf

2 Southwest Marketing Area (FO 126), Jan 2023: https://www.dallasma.com/order_stats/admin_reports.jsp

3 NMDA 2019 Ag Statistics, Jan 2023: https://www.dallasma.com/fd?file_map=admin&downfile=2023/JAN23BUL.pdf

4 Progressive Dairyman: https://www.progressivepublish.com/downloads/2022/general/2021-pd-stats-lowres.pdf

5 Leading States in Cheese production in 2021: https://www.statista.com/statistics/195764/top-10-us-states-for-cheese-production-2008/

6 IDFA, 2021: https://www.idfa.org/news/u-s-dairy-industrys-economic-impact-totals-753-billion

Robbie Mobile: 505/350-0767 Office: 505/832-1400

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& ROSWELL LIVESTOCK AUCTION TRUCKING, INC.

900 North Garden · P.O. Box 2041

Roswell, New Mexico 88201 575/622-5580

www.roswelllivestockauction.com

CATTLE SALES: MONDAYS HORSE SALES

BENNY WOOTON CELL 575/626-4754

SMILEY WOOTON CELL 575/626-6253

Producers hauling cattle to Roswell Livestock New Mexico Receiving Stations need to call our toll-free number for a Transportation Permit number before leaving home. The Hauling Permit number 1-800-748-1541 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Trucks are available 7 days a week / 24 hours a day

Roswell livestock Auction Receiving stAtions

LORDSBURG, NM

20 Bar Livestock Highway #90 at NM #3 – East side of highway. Receiving cattle for transport 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month. Truck leaves Lordsburg on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (MST) Smiley Wooton, 575/622-5580 office, 575/6266253 cell.

PECOS, TX

Jason Heritage is now receiving cattle every Sunday. For information to unload contact Jason Heritage 575/8409544 or Smiley Wooton 575/626-6253. NO PRIOR PERMITS REQUIRED. Trucks leave Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CST)

VAN HORN, TX

800 West 2nd, 5 blocks west of Courthouse. Bob Kinford, 432/284-1553. Trucks leave 1st & 3rd Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (CST)

MORIARTY, NM

Two blocks east and one block south of Tillery Chevrolet. Smiley Wooton 575/622-5580 office, 575/626-6253 mobile. Trucks leave Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (MST)

SAN ANTONIO, NM

River Cattle Co. Nine miles east of San Antonio on U.S. 380. Receiving cattle for transport 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month. Michael Taylor 575/418-7398. Trucks leave Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (MST)

by Labradoodle Bennington, III

USDA Names Appointees to the New Mexico FSA State Committee

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced appointees who will serve on the New Mexico USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state committee.

Members of the FSA state committee are appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and are responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving program delivery appeals from the agriculture community, maintaining cooperative relations with industry stakeholders, keeping producers informed about FSA programs and operating in a manner consistent with USDA equal opportunity and civil rights policies.

Each FSA state committee is comprised of three to five members including a designated chairperson. The individuals appointed to serve on this committee for New Mexico are:

Ї Committee Chair, James Bostwick – Clovis*

Ї Rebecca King-Spindle - Moriarty

Ї Renae Pablo - Crownpoint

Ї Cole Viramontes - Deming

*Bostwick was appointed, previously announced and has been serving on the New Mexico FSA State Committee since Aug. 12, 2021.

“The FSA state committee members play an integral role in the continuity of operations, equitable and inclusive program administration and ensure the overall integrity of services to the nation’s agricultural producers,” said Marcus Graham, FSA Deputy Administrator for Field Operations.

NMSU New Provost

Alan R. Shoho, dean and professor emeritus of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been named New Mexico State University’s new provost and chief academic officer following a national search, NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu has announced. Shoho begins his new role April 17.

“Dr. Shoho has tremendous experience both as an administrator and as a researcher in the fields of education and social justice,” Arvizu said. “His vision for NMSU aligns with the progress we’ve made toward the goals outlined in our LEADS 2025 strategic plan, and I am sure he is the best fit to help elevate our research and social mobility initiatives.”

“The search committee for the provost and chief Academic affairs officer did its due diligence, and worked very hard and in a very professional, cordial and dedicated manner. We are delighted that the hard work ended with the hiring of Dr. Alan Shoho. We stand ready to work with Dr. Shoho and assist him during the transition,” said Rolando A. Flores Galarza, dean and chief administrative officer for the NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and chair of the provost search committee.

Dr. Glenn Blodgett’s Celebration of Life Announced

Friends, family, colleagues, and equine community members are invited to celebrate the life of Dr. Glenn Paul Blodgett on Friday, April 21, 2023. The Celebration of Life event will take place at 2 p.m. in the Round Up Inn Room at Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibit Hall located in Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dr. Blodgett passed away on November 20, 2022. The renowned veterinarian and Four Sixes Ranch horse division manager of 40 years was an industry leader known for his passion for horses and his commitment to animal welfare. He earned the respect and admiration of all those who knew him.

Throughout his life, he made a significant impact on the equine industry and his con-

tributions will be remembered for generations to come. He was a devoted husband, father, and friend whose kindness, generosity, and sense of humor touched the lives of countless people.

His Celebration of Life will be a special occasion for family, friends, and colleagues to gather to pay their respects to Dr. Blodgett and witness his impactful work and relation-

ships. The event will include speeches, music, and a special tribute to his life and legacy. Attendees are encouraged to submit photos and memories prior to the event via the website link provided below.

The Round Up Inn Room at the Amon Carter Exhibit Hall was chosen as the location for the event because of its spacious facilities, which can accommodate a large number of guests. Will Rogers Memorial Center is a fitting location since Dr. Blodgett spent many days, over many years, participating in major equine industry events, fostering relationships, and seeing his work come to life through the horses he envisioned, bred and developed.

The family of Dr. Blodgett would like to thank everyone for their kind words and condolences during the past four months since his death. They are grateful for the outpouring of support and love they have received and look forward to celebrating his life and legacy with everyone on April 21, 2023.

Those planning to attend the event are encouraged to RSVP at www.DocBlodgett. com. On this website you will also find details on parking, a link to submit photos, and a form to share memories and impact stories.

Dr. Glenn Blodgett

AGGIE NOTES

Written? by ChatGPT and Edited? by Craig Gifford. (Frankly, since this is largely written by a computer program, I’m not exactly sure how to cite this.)

Questions asked (ChatGPT; openai.com) to generate this article:

Ї Describe cold stress in beef cattle.

Ї How does cold impact cows?

Ї How do you determine how much to supplement cows in winter?

Ї Give an example of supplementing a 1200 lb cow.

Ї How do cows lose energy?

How much energy can a cow spend per day in 0 degree F weather just to maintain body temperature? Cold stress in beef cows can have a significant impact on the health and productivity of the animals. Cold temperatures can cause animals to expend extra energy to maintain their body tempera-

ture, which can lead to decreased feed efficiency and weight gain. Additionally, cold stress can increase the incidence of respiratory and other health problems such as hypothermia, frostbite, and pneumonia.

Cold weather can have a significant impact on cows, both in terms of their physiological and behavioral responses. Cows must expend additional energy to maintain their body temperature in cold weather. This can lead to increased energy requirements and a greater risk of weight loss.

Cold weather can weaken the immune system, making cows more susceptible to disease. Cold weather can cause cows to develop metabolic disorders such as ketosis and fatty liver. These disorders can lead to

decreased feed efficiency, reduced milk production, and reproductive problems.

Cold weather can cause cows to reduce their activity levels and spend more time standing or lying down. This can lead to decreased feed intake and reduced milk production. Cold, dry air can cause respiratory issues such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cold weather can negatively affect reproductive performance in cows, especially during the early stages of pregnancy. Cold stress can cause decreased conception rates, increased embryonic loss and reduced fetal growth rate. Cold and wet conditions can lead to increased incidence of hoof problems such as digital dermatitis and foot rot.

Temperature, humidity, and wind interact to impact cows. The lower the temperature, the more energy cows must expend to maintain their body temperature. In extremely cold temperatures, cows may not be able to maintain their body temperature, which can lead to hypothermia and death.

Low humidity levels can cause the air to feel colder than it actually is, as the air can’t hold as much moisture. This can increase the amount of energy cows must expend to maintain their body temperature. High humidity can also cause a cow’s coat to become wet,

which can lead to decreased insulation and increased heat loss.

Wind increases heat loss by removing the warm air layer close to the cow’s body. Wind chill, which takes into account both the temperature and wind speed, can make the air feel much colder than it actually is. This can lead to increased energy expenditure and a greater risk of hypothermia. When temperature, humidity and wind interact, the combined effect can be more severe than the sum of each factor alone. For example, a temperature of -20°F with a wind speed of 15 mph and a relative humidity of 50 percent can have a wind chill temperature of -44°F. This can be extremely dangerous for cows and can lead to decreased feed intake, reduced milk production, and increased susceptibility to disease.

Cows lose energy through a variety of phys-

iological processes. Cows require energy to maintain basic bodily functions such as circulation, respiration, digestion, and metabolism.

Cows also lose energy through thermoregulation, the process by which they maintain their body temperature. In cold weather, cows must expend additional energy to keep warm, and in hot weather, they must expend energy to cool down. They also lose energy through physical activity such as walking, grazing and rumination.

Lactating cows lose energy through milk production. Milk production requires a large amount of energy, and lactating cows have higher energy requirements than non-lactating cows. Cows lose energy through the process of reproduction, including pregnancy and lactation.

These processes require a significant amount of energy to support the growth and development of the fetus or the production of milk. Cows can lose energy due to stressors such as disease, poor nutrition, and poor living conditions. Stress can cause cows to lose weight and condition, which can affect their overall health and productivity.

The amount of energy a cow expends to maintain body temperature in cold weather can vary depending on factors such as the cow’s size, body condition, and production status. However, research suggests that a cow can spend a significant amount of energy in extremely cold weather, such as 0° F, just to maintain body temperature. One study found that a cow in moderate body condition expends approximately 20-25 percent more energy in -20°F weather than in mild weather.

This equates to an additional 2-3 Mcal of energy per day, which is a significant increase in energy expenditure.

Another study found that a lactating cow in good body condition can expend up to 1.5 Mcal of energy per day just to maintain her body temperature in subzero temperatures. This is equivalent to approximately 15-20 percent of her total energy requirements. It’s worth noting that these are estimates, and the actual energy expenditure will depend on the specific conditions the cow is exposed to.

Factors such as wind speed, humidity, and the cow’s ability to access shelter can all affect the amount of energy a cow expends in cold

weather. Additionally, the studies cited here are based on research done in specific conditions and may not be generalizable to all situations.

One of the main ways to reduce the effects of cold stress in beef cows is through appropriate housing. Cows should have access to a sheltered area, such as a barn or other type of structure, that is well-insulated and ventilated to help maintain a consistent temperature. Insulation can be provided by using materials such as straw, sawdust or wood shavings as bedding.

The barn should also have adequate ventilation to prevent the buildup of moisture

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and ammonia, which can cause respiratory problems. In addition, the barn should be designed to protect cows from wind and precipitation.

Another important factor is the provision of adequate amounts of feed and water. Cows that are under stress due to cold temperatures will require more energy to maintain their body temperature, and therefore may need more feed than normal. Feed intake can be increased by providing a balanced ration that is high in energy, protein and minerals.

Additionally, the cows should have access to clean, unfrozen water at all times. This can be achieved by using heated water troughs or installing windbreaks around water sources. There are several factors to consider when determining how much to supplement beef cows during the winter months. Some key considerations include:

Body condition: Cows that are in good body condition heading into the winter will have a better chance of surviving cold temperatures and will require less supplementary feed than cows that are in poor condition.

Age and size: Younger, smaller cows will require more supplementary feed than mature, larger cows as they have a higher maintenance requirement.

Climate: The severity of the winter weather will also play a role in determining how much supplementary feed is needed. In extremely cold climates, cows will require more feed to maintain their body temperature.

Type of forage available: The quality and quantity of forage available will also be a factor in determining how much supplementary feed is needed. Cows that have access to high-quality forage will require less supple-

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mentary feed than cows that have access to lower-quality forage.

Production level: Cows that are in the early stages of lactation or are pregnant will have a higher nutrient requirement and will require more supplementary feed.

To determine the specific amount of supplementary feed needed, it is recommended to work with a nutritionist or veterinarian. They can help you to evaluate the specific nutritional needs of your herd based on the factors listed above and can help you develop a feeding plan that will meet those needs.

Additionally, it’s important to regularly monitor the cow’s body condition, weight and health status to adjust the supplement if necessary. As an example, let’s consider a 1200 lb beef cow in moderate body condition that is exposed to cold temperatures during the winter months. Here’s a possible feeding plan for that cow:

Forage: The cow should have access to high-quality forage, such as hay, that is free from mold or other contaminants. The cow should be provided with approximately 2 percent of her body weight in forage per day, which would be 24 pounds of hay.

Concentrate: To meet the cow’s energy needs during the cold weather, a concentrate supplement should be provided. This could be

a grain-based feed such as corn, barley, or oats. The cow should be provided with 1-2 pounds of concentrate per day, depending on the quality of forage available.

Protein: To ensure that the cow has enough protein to maintain her body condition and support lactation or pregnancy, a protein supplement should be provided. This could be in the form of a protein-rich feed such as distiller’s grains, soybean meal, or cottonseed meal. The cow should be provided with 0.5-1 pound of protein supplement per day.

Minerals: To support overall health and fertility, a mineral supplement should be provided. This could be in the form of a loose mineral or a block supplement. The cow should be provided with access to a mineral supplement at all times.

It’s worth noting that this is just an example, and the specific feeding plan for a 1200 lb beef cow in moderate body condition will vary depending on the cow’s production status, the quality of forage available, and the severity of the winter weather. It’s recommended to consult with a nutritionist or veterinarian to develop a feeding plan that will meet the specific needs of your herd.

There are also several management practices that can help reduce the effects of cold

stress in beef cows. For example, cows should be grouped by size and age to ensure that the smaller, younger animals are not overly stressed by the cold temperatures. Additionally, cows should be given additional time to acclimate to cold temperatures before being exposed to extreme cold weather. This can be achieved by gradually decreasing the temperature in the barn or providing additional bedding as the temperature drops. In addition, cow should be regularly checked for signs of cold stress such as reduced feed intake, decreased body condition, and increased respiratory rate. If any of these signs are observed, appropriate action should be taken to provide additional care and treatment.

In conclusion, cold stress can have a negative impact on the health and productivity of beef cows. By providing appropriate housing, adequate amounts of feed and water, and implementing proper management practices, the effects of cold stress can be minimized and the overall health and well-being of the animals can be improved. Furthermore, regular monitoring and early detection of cold stress symptoms can help prevent severe cases and improve the overall health of the herd. ▫

by Lee Pitts

Say What?

Please pardon me for being brash, but I think I’m a very polite and well mannered person. I owe it all to my grandmother who was a real stickler for proper manners, vocabulary and elocution. Believe me, if my thank-you notes for Christmas gifts weren’t postmarked December 26 I might be cut-off completely the following year and I could hardly afford that. My grandmother was probably the reason why I didn’t learn how to be a really good cusser until I went to work in the oilfields.

People who study such things say that a language somewhere in the world becomes extinct every two weeks. Even in America we’re losing words at an alarming rate and while I think it’s good that the “n” word is used less and less, it saddens me not to hear

words like persnickety, cahoots and horsefeathers any more. Regarding our present sad, sickly state, we need to round up all the doctors who had anything to do with curing “cooties” and making that word disappear from the American lexicon and replacing it with COVID 19.

Listen to the way today’s teenagers talk and you’ll realize we’re witnessing the death of chivalry in this country. Here are ten words or phrases that are more endangered than all the monkey tree frogs and fanged bats combined.

#10 Hello or Goodbye – On my daily walks I often pass others and only about 20 percent of them bother to acknowledge my existence in any way. Mostly it’s because they have earbuds in their ears listening to rap music or they are too busy yelling at their smart phones. When I was a kid we got a kick out of using creative ways to say “goodbye” and used phrases like, “See you later alligator,” “After awhile crocodile,” and “See you around like a donut.”

#9 I’m Sorry– Heavens to Murgatroyd, I haven’t heard anyone take responsibility for anything they said or did since I was knee high to a grasshopper.

#8 Excuse me – This is a derivative or subspecies of the phrase “come again.” Now days teenagers are more apt to say, “What chew talking about?”

#7 Thank You – The last time I got a thank you note in the mail was during the Nixon administration. And e mail thank you’s don’t count because they are too easy. To show real appreciation you should have to look for a Hallmark card, buy a stamp and go to the Post Office.

#6 No, thank you– This idiom has been replaced by, “Get lost.” Or, “For the hundredth time, please tell your computer to quit robo-calling me and take my name off your list.”

#5 How are you?– This query used to show one’s sincere interest in a person’s physical well being. Now it’s only heard when the beneficiary of an elderly, sick rich person wants to know when you intend to bite the dust and if there was anything said recipient could do to hasten such an outcome.

#4 You’re welcome– This phrase went out with Betamax, get the lead out, cut a rug, soda jerks and hobos. The updated version is: “No problemo.”

#3 Let me get that for you– This phrase was last heard in 1987 and was used when a man would open the door for a lady, or a bus full of ladies from the rest home. A gentleman did this even if it meant not getting his favorite seat by the window because one of the ladies took it.

#2 I beg your pardon– This was used by the older, more well-bred and civilized people of my youth. We on the playground used an alternative phrase: “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” This polite expression is older than Methusala and was used when someone said or did something that flabbergasted you. Since no one is “flabbergasted” any more, or has any idea of who Methusala is, people just say: “Chew messin’ with me, man?”

#1 Please– A polite request as in, “PLEASE Mister Big Shot, would you turn off that obnoxious phone or go outside to talk. I’m trying to enjoy a $45 lunch with my wife and don’t need to know about your booming business, your sorry sex life or your otherwise egotistical existence.      ▫

Dina ChaconReitzel Selected for NASEM Blue Ribbon Panel

Dina Chacon-Reitzel, executive director of the New Mexico Beef Council, was selected to serve on a Blue Ribbon Panel for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine. The Panel was charged with conducting a study and issuing a report for “Enhancing Coordination between Land-Grant Universities and Colleges.” Chacon-Reitzel also serves as a Regent for New Mexico State University, the LandGrant University in the state and has served for twenty years on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) for NMSU’s College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

The selection process began with Chacon-Reitzel being singled out through a nationwide nomination process. She was nominated by the Western (states) Agriculture Experiment Station Directors. More than 200 applicants applied from across the

country and ten were selected for the panel.

Land Grant Universities and Colleges have historically played important roles in research, education, and the distribution of information and practices to support America’s highly productive agriculture community. The Panel explored how enhanced coordination, collaboration, and integration within the Land Grant system can increase the impact of research, education, and extension on the success of U.S. agriculture as it addresses new competitive challenges, pressures on environmental systems, and demands from consumers. With input from a stakeholder workshop, the Panel produced a report describing a framework for catalyzing successful outcomes through effective coordination and collaboration.

The Panel identified key factors for successful outcomes of coordinated and collaborative projects between colleges and universities in the land-grant system, including those involving historically Black colleges and universities, and other institutions, which address national challenges and global food security. The committee prepared a report recommending actions to enhance the success and impact of inter-institutional activities.

To accommodate a compressed study timeline, the panel explored the opportunities and limitations of inter-institutional projects by focusing on case studies chosen from the portfolio of past Multistate Research and Extension Activities, Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAP) of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), and other regional initiatives involving research, education, and extension.

The Panel used the selected case studies to develop a framework of principles for fostering successful coordination and collaborations in pursuit of diverse outcomes. Outcomes included those related to addressing specific national priorities, advancing knowledge, building human resource capacity, supporting commercial innovation, producing economic, environmental, and social benefits, and/or increasing public engagement. The committee will also have considered factors that contribute to administrative goals of efficiency, ease, and transparency in reporting and in documenting impacts within and across projects. After deliberating on the case studies, the panel presented to stakeholders, at a multi-day virtual workshop, a conceptual overview of its framework of principles for successful coordinated and collaborative activities.

Based on feedback from the workshop participants, the committee finalized and described the principles in a short report that includes recommended actions to reduce barriers to effective coordination and to foster impactful collaboration. The committee’s report also recommended processes that Land-Grant Universities can use to capture and share successes, outcomes, and impacts of joint projects.

After a series of hearings across the country to garner feedback from stakeholders, the panel completed the process and report. The final report, “Enhancing Coordination and Collaboration Across the Land-Grant System” was approved by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. To read the full report, please visit http://www.nationalacademies.org/ BANR.

Editorial Calendar

Plan advertisingyourfor the coming year!

JANUARY — Wildlife; Gelbvieh; Joint Stockmen’s Convention Results

FEBRUARY — Beefmasters; Texas Longhorns

MARCH — Limousin; Santa Gertrudis

APRIL — Dairy

To

MAY — News of the Day

JUNE — Sheepman of the Year

JULY — Directory of Agriculture

AUGUST — The Horse Industry

SEPTEMBER — Fairs Across the SW; Charolais

OCTOBER — Hereford; NM State Fair Results

NOVEMBER — Cattleman of the Year; Angus; Brangus; Red Angus: Joint Stockmen’s Convention Preview

DECEMBER — Bull Buyers Guide

CATTLE SALE

Selling Angus & Brangus: 8 Bulls — Two Herd Bulls with a Reserve

All the Angus & Brangus cattle have Stevenson Basin Bloodlines

by Deanna Dickinson McCall

• Three young registered Charolais Cows, two of them AI’d to Ghost Rider, one of them bred to Manford Ice for Show Calves

• One registered sixmonth-old Show Heifer out of Ghost Rider and our best Charolais Cow

SALE AT COW HOUSE AUCTION

4002 US 64, Kirtland, NM 87417

April 15, 2023 If

Dina Chacon-Reitzel

If you would like to see your breed featured email caren@aaalivestock.com

Reserve Advertising Space email chris@aaalivestock.com or call Chris at 505.243.9515, ext. 28

by Don Bullis, New Mexico Author donbullis@msn.com

Charles “Charlie” Bowdre One of Billy the Kid’s Pals

Charles “Charlie” Bowdre gained a measure of fame during New Mexico’s Lincoln County war of the late 1870s as an associate of noted cattle thief William Bonney who himself gained fame as Billy the Kid.

In many ways, Bowdre was an unlikely partner for young Billy. For one thing, Bowdre was more than ten years older than

the Kid. He was born in Wilkes County, Georgia in 1848, which would make him 32 at the time of his death. Historians do not agree as to the details of Billy’s birth, but it seems safe to say that he was about 20 years old at the time of his death. For another, Bowdre was a southern farm boy, born and bred. A couple of sources reported that by the time he was six years old he was working on his father’s farm in Mississippi. No wonder that by age 15, he left home and began drifting around the West.

He is known to have spent some time in Dodge City, Kansas, and Fort Griffin, Texas, before he arrived in New Mexico in the company of Josiah “Doc” Scurlock in 1875. Around the same time he married Manuela Herrera and purchased a farm on the Rio Ruidoso in Lincoln County. (One source says he “squatted” on the land.)

His farming days didn’t last long even though some who have written of him indicate that he preferred farming as a way of life. In mid-July 1876, Bowdre and Scurlock were part of a vigilante group—which included other Lincoln County War figures George and Frank Coe and Ab Sauders—in which they removed a horse thief named Jesus Largo from the custody of Lincoln County Sheriff Saturnino Baca and lynched him.

By 1878 Bowdre was managing a ranch northeast of Fort Sumner where he became acquainted with Billy Bonney and Tom O’Folliard. The three of them became fast friends.

Bowdre, along with his new friends, was involved in some of the most stirring events of the Lincoln County War including the fight at Blazer’s Mill in early April 1878. He was one of an estimated 14 outlaws (or possemen, depending on point of view) that was set upon by Andrew “Buckshot” Roberts. Some say that Roberts was after the bounty on some of the outlaws while others believe that he stumbled upon the gang accidentally, which certainly makes the most sense. Roberts was able to wound two or three of the outlaws before he was himself shot. Bowdre usually gets credit for shooting Roberts and was in fact indicted for Robert’s murder. After the wounded Roberts took cover, he managed to shoot and kill Dick Brewer, who many described as the leader of the so-called Regulators. That ended the fight. Roberts died the next day and he and Brewer were buried side by side on a hill near Blazer’s Mill.

The Five Day’s Battle in Lincoln took place the following July, and Bowdre was there, too. Some say, in fact, that he held a

leadership position. He escaped from that mêlée alive and remained with Billy the Kid until his death.

Over the next few years, Bowdre made a couple of tentative efforts at making peace, none of which succeeded. He went so far as to write a letter to Joseph C. Lea of Roswell on December 15, 1880, asking Lea to act in his behalf in asking Governor Lew Wallace to extend the previously offered amnesty (November 13, 1878) to him. Bowdre wrote: “The only difference in my case … is that I had the misfortune to be indicted [April 18, 1878] before the fight was over and did not come under the gov’s [sic] pardon.” By the time Lea received the letter and forwarded it to Governor Wallace (on December 24, 1880), Bowdre was already dead. (The letter was actually received in Santa Fe by acting Governor William G. Ritch on December 28 or 29; by which time Wallace had left New Mexico on leave [December 26, 1880, to February 10, 1881]. It is thought that Governor Wallace visited Washington, D. C.)

Bowdre was present at Fort Sumner on December 19, 1880, when a posse led by Sheriff Pat Garrett ambushed the gang and killed Tom O’Folliard.

His own death came a few days later when Garrett’s posse, during the pre-dawn hours

of December 23, surrounded a stone shack at Stinking Springs, near present-day Taiban in eastern New Mexico. When Bowdre stepped outside just after sunrise to feed his horse, the posse opened fire and he was mortally wounded. One version holds that Garrett first ordered Bowdre to surrender at which time the outlaw produced two pistols and began shooting, only to be killed by return fire. Posseman Jim East wrote that

both Sheriff Pat Garrett and posse member Lee Hall fired, nearly simultaneously, and both shots hit Bowdre in the chest. The wounded man is said to have opened his arms toward the posse and to have said, “I wish, I wish…” before he fell into the arms of Lee Hall and died. (Emerson Hough reported, “[Bowdre] died on Garrett’s blankets, which were laid down in the snow.”)

Out of his own pocket, Pat Garrett paid for the suit in which Charlie Bowdre was buried.

Billy the Kid, Dave Rudabaugh, Billy Wilson, and Tom Pickett all surrendered and were arrested later the same day. This marked the beginning of the end for Billy the Kid: he would be dead in fewer than seven months.

Bowdre, O’Folliard and Billy were all buried in the same cemetery plot at Fort Sumner, under a stone headed thus: “PALS.”

Posse member James H. East, wrote in May 1, 1920,“Charlie Bowdre … was a brave man, and true to his friends to the last.”      ▫

Clay Zwilling Named as Angus Media President

by Holly Martin, American Angus Association

The Angus Media board of directors recently named Clay Zwilling president of the organization to guide the company as it delivers industry-leading education, information and marketing to the beef industry.

“Clay is a natural leader,” says Mark

Insure against declining prices.

for

innovation, while keeping an eye on the tradition, makes him a perfect fit.”

Most recently, Zwilling was the CEO for Walton Webcasting, where he helped develop the organization during a time of rapid growth. Prior to that, he was the CEO of the National Swine Registry working with the executive committee, breed boards and membership to create and execute their vision and mission.

Zwilling started his professional career with Farm Credit Illinois as the director of marketplace education and development.

“Angus breeders are stewards of both their herds and family ranches, as well as the Angus legacy,” Zwilling says. “Angus Media plays an important role in telling their stories and giving them cutting-edge, cost-effective marketing tools to achieve their goals.”

Zwilling brings diversified livestock experience to Angus Media, but his roots are in the beef business. He grew up raising cattle and knows that background from other segments of the livestock industry is additive, giving him additional perspective.

“I believe the vision of Angus breeders is very much like the rest of the livestock industry,” he says. “We all want to ensure the profitability of the industry we love. That requires an understanding of the tried and true, but with the ability to be innovative and creative.”

That kind of vision is exactly what intrigued him about the position, and similarly why the Angus Media board selected him as the new president.

Corn Beef Bulls

WE HAD THE HIGH SELLING BULL AT TUCUMCARI BULL TEST and would like to Thank Craig & Jessica Cowden from Canadian, Texas, for purchasing our 3-3 bull for $10,000! Also a BIG THANK YOU to Jamil Hindi with Brahaim Hindi & Sons from Duran, New Mexico, for their runner up bid.

We have a good selection of 2-year-old bulls along with our ‘22 yearling bulls at the ranch for sale!

Zwilling holds a master’s degree from Texas A&M University in agricultural leadership, education and communication. He did his undergraduate work at Oklahoma State University and Lake Land College in Illinois. In addition to his work experience, Zwilling has held various leadership roles within the livestock and agriculture industries, including currently serving on the board of National Pedigreed Livestock Council and OSU Animal Science Alumni. He was an All-American and a member of the national champion livestock judging team and is a past Illinois State FFA president.

Zwilling will assume his duties as president on May 8 and will relocate to the Saint Joseph, Mo., area with his wife, Deanna, and their 2-year-old daughter, Allie.

McCully, vice chairman of the Angus Media board of directors and CEO for the American Angus Association. “His passion

Register Today for Four Corners

Stockmanship & Stewardship Event McGee Park, Farmington, NM - May 10-12, 2023

Registration is now open for the Four Corners Stockmanship & Stewardship event, May 10 through 12, 2023 in Farmington, New Mexico. Stockmanship & Stewardship is a unique educational experience for cattle producers featuring low-stress cattle handling demonstrations, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) educational sessions, cattle preventative health care and value-added programming sessions and industry updates.

Early Bird registration of $75 per person runs through May 1, 2023. The Late Registration fee of $100 per person runs from May 1 to May 12.

The BQA program is a Beef Checkoff-funded educational program that helps guide producers towards continuous improvement using science-based production practices that assure cattle well-being, beef quality and safety. Attendees can become BQA certified during the event.

“Those who become BQA certified, and meet requirements for re-certification, show their commitment of striving to produce the highest quality, safest beef products for consumers, and educational programs like this event focus on the BQA program and practices that help producers elevate this commitment” says Dr. John Wenzel, Extension Veterinarian with New Mexico State University.

Industry experts including Dr. Lily Edwards-Callaway, Colorado State University; Dr. John Wenzel, New Mexico State University; Leann Saunders, IMI Global; and others, will cover topics such as cattle behavior, vaccines, reproductive efficiency and value-added calf programs. Stockmanship experts Dr. Ron Gill, Dr. Dean Fish and Curt Pate will provide hands-on live animal handling demonstrations. The event will be held in conjunction with Indian Livestock Days and for the first time, the BQA training will be offered in the Navajo language, Diné. The program is sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Merck Animal Health, and the Beef Checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Assurance program.

“At Merck Animal Health, we are committed to continuously improving animal health and well-being through our investments in research and development, our comprehensive portfolio of innovative products and technologies, the expertise of our people and in supporting the cattle industry and its causes,” said Kevin Mobley, executive director of sales at Merck Animal Health. “We are proud to have a long-standing partnership with NCBA on its Stockmanship & Stewardship program to provide cattle producers with animal care training and education to help them be more profitable and sustainable in their operations.”

Headquarters Hotel is Hilton Home2Suites, 777 S Browning Pkwy, Farmington, www.hilton.com/en/ hotels/fmnblht-home2-suites-farmington-bloomfield

For more information, complete agenda, fees and to register, visit www.StockmanshipAndStewardship.org.

Cattle producers attending Stockmanship & Stewardship are eligible for reimbursement through the Rancher Resilience Grant. To apply for a grant to cover registration costs and two night’s hotel, visit ncba.org/producers/rancher-resilience-grant.

John M. Heckendorn, Vice President

1209 US Rt 66, Suite C, Moriarty, NM 87035-3422

Office: 505-832-5092 • Cell: 505-379-8212

www.cbcnm.bank

animal & range sCienCes

ANIMAL & RANGE SCIENCES

The Department of Animal & Range Sciences is part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences

The Department of Animal & Range Sciences is part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences

Four on-campus animal facilities house: beeF CaTTle/horses/swine/sheep

Students can major in Animal or Rangeland Resources and are provided with the very best of “hands on” academic instruction by our faculty. Fully equipped labs allow students access to cutting-edge research in:

LIVESTOCKNUTRITION / GENETICS / PHYSIOLOGY / ENDOCRINOLOGY / MEATSCIENCE / WOOL / TOXICOLOGY / WATERSHED & RANGELANDECOLOGY / WEED & BRUSHCONTROL / PLANTSYSTEMATICS / GRAZINGMANAGEMENT

The Department also offers pre-veterinary studies –our graduates have a high acceptance rate into veterinary medicine programs. We offer graduate degrees at the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy levels.

The M.S. or Ph.D. in Animal Science can emphasize nutrition or physiology, and offers a Ph.D. in Range Science to study range management, range ecology and watershed management.

THE DEPARTMENT ALSO OPERATES

• The Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (The College Ranch) –64,000 acre ranch just outside of Las Cruces

• The Corona Range & Livestock Research Center – 28,000 acre ranch & facilities in Corona, NM

• Student organizations, including a Block & Bridle Club, Pre-Vet Club, Range Club, Horsemen’s Association, Therapeutic Riding Club, & Judging Teams

• Clayton Research Center hosts research on shipping protocols, particularly evaluating the health and performance of newly received cattle, and nutrition and management from feedlot to slaughter

Dr. John Campbell –575/646-6180 / Dr. Dennis hallford –575-646-2515 http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs/

Dr. John Campbell – 575-646-6180 http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs

FOR SALE CATT LE

Beef

Vendor

to

Become New Executive Director at Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute

by Teya Vitu tvitu@sfnewmexican.com

The Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute plans to welcome a new executive director in April, following a second retirement for 74-year-old Andrea Fisher Maril, who became the organization’s interim director in December 2020.

Aden Manuel “Manny” Encinias, 49, will be the 21-year-old institute’s sixth executive director. He is the first man, first Hispanic and first Santa Fe Farmers Market vendor to serve in the role.

Encinias and his family, who raise cattle at their Buffalo Creek Ranch in Moriarty, have sold beef at the market since 2021 under the Trilogy Beef Community name.

Encinias has served on the farmers market’s board of directors since about the time he became a vendor. He will step down from the board as he becomes the institute’s leader, but the Trilogy Beef stand will remain at the market.

“The institute is one of the very few if not only organizations to save family farms,” Encinias said. “It’s most successful in holding together farms and ranches in Northern New Mexico. From a 30,000-foot level, I want to get more food grown in the 15 counties the institute serves on more people’s plates.”

His family has been in New Mexico for generations, he said. He and his wife, Corina, a fifth grade teacher in Moriarty, have seven children: six daughters and one son.

Encinias has a doctorate in ruminant nutrition from North Dakota State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in animal science from New Mexico State University. He serves on the animal science faculty at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari and from 2002 to 2014 was a natural resource and livestock specialist at New Mexico State University.

The nonprofit Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute built and owns the Farmers Market Pavilion in the Railyard, and the Santa Fe Farmers Market is its primary tenant, with vendor leases bringing in a large portion of the institute’s $600,000 annual income. The institute also leases the facility to other organizations and draws donations and grants

Hay Wagon

Loading Chute

Hay Saver Spider

Storage Tank

from foundations and governments.

The institute provides professional development for farmers, nutrition programs and a microloan program for vendors.

Encinias takes over from Fisher Maril, who had retired from her position as executive director of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region in 2018 after 19 years. She spent more than two years in the institute’s interim director position as it sought a permanent replacement. Fisher Maril came on board amid the coronavirus pandemic, when the institute’s revenues had declined from a lack of leases at the Railyard building.

The search committee headed by board chairman Michael Knight was impressed by Encinias and his dedication to the network he has built in the ranching and farming community.

“His focus will be more external rather than internal to really put the institute on the map,” Knight said. “For me, it’s about having a presence and voice in the community, finding like-minded profit and nonprofit partners we can work with.”

Knight cited as an example the Santa Fe Farmers Market del Sur, hosted by Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center.

The executive director position fits with what he has been doing most of his life Encinias said: “developing programs to protect the history and legacy of agriculture.”

“I was raised to serve people, helping your neighbors,” he said.

The incorporation of Trilogy Beef Community in March 2020 — just as the first COVID-19 cases emerged in New Mexico — allowed the family to distribute its own beef rather than relying on outside distributers.

“When you’re in the business of sustainability and take care of your beef, we look to put our beef in the hands of people that respect our beef,” Encinias said. “We like to work with small businesses that have the same respect for land and community that we have.”

At first, he said, “we just wanted to be in restaurants with ground beef. Then COVID came along. We started feeding families. We were feeding 947 families in Indigenous communities in New Mexico and Arizona.”

He knows there are many more Northern New Mexico ranchers and farmers who could participate in the Santa Fe Farmers Market, Encinias said.

“This opportunity with the institute is an ability to use my skills and network.”      ▫

NKS

Adan Manuel Encinias is the new executive director of the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute.

VIEW FROM THE BACKSIDE

by Barry Denton

Standards

The Texas Longhorn is a breed that developed because of its hardiness to survive the harsh terrain and climates of the American Southwest. I was looking over the breed characteristics for the Texas Longhorn and here are a few things that determine whether you have a quality Texas Longhorn.

Ї Good length with moderate depth and thickness.

Ї Top of hips slightly higher than top of shoulders.

Ї Angular shaped body. Strong legs with free movement.

Ї Medium to small, short round ears, pigmented and fitted horizontally under horns or sloping slightly upward.

Ї Mealy mouthed or pigmented, wide

and symmetrical.

Ї Teeth correctly aligned.

There are many more characteristics on this list, but I thought I would just give you a few highlights to let you know what’s important to the breed.

Mr. Kent Harrell, Tulsa, Oklahoma was at a livestock auction just last year. He remarked to another rancher that he raised Longhorns.

The rancher replied that he was sorry that Mr. Harrell raised Longhorns because there was no money to be made in Longhorns. Mr. Harrell asked the rancher what a good cow of his would bring and the rancher said $2000.

Mr. Harrell couldn’t help himself and explained that he had just sold his Longhorn cow HR Rosette for $700,000. Mr. Harrell has been breeding Longhorns for over 40 years.

I guess standards do mean something after all. Standards are a great way to increase your odds of getting a good individual and a profit.

The American Longhorn is a breed that developed because of its hardiness to survive the harsh terrain and climates of the American southwest.

Back in 1980 I was just starting my horseshoeing business in Arizona. Because I was on my own and hungry I took on whatever horse came my way.

As a result, I got to shoe all the bad horses I could find. However, I was taught to shoe to a standard and as a result all the broncs I tied on the ground or tied the feet up on with a scotch hobble had to be shod correctly before I quit.

This went on for a few years so I got so I could do a pretty nice job on a bad horse. One day I got a job shoeing twenty some horses for a ranch in the middle of nowhere Arizona.

In those days I was tall and thin and pretty much the stereotype for starving Ethiopians. I arrived at the ranch and there was a big corral full of horses to work on.

The foreman advised me to turn the finished horses into a separate large corral. I slept in the back of the pickup that night and the next day I finished up the last few horses.

About 11:00 a.m. I drove up to the house to get paid as instructed. A very drunk lady met me at the door with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and asked, “What the f…. do you want?”

It took a while to convince her that I had shod all of her horses. She told me I was too damn skinny to be the horseshoer. Finally, she wrote me a check.

After about 90 days she called me back to reshoe. Remarkably, all the shoes were still on although thin as razor blades. If you get the feet flat, the shoes flat, and you hammer your shoes safe they will stay on. Learning and adhering to a standard was the reason for my success.

Today I read that Ivy League school Columbia in New York City no longer requires the SAT or ACT test for undergraduate admissions. This is just the beginning; soon all public academia will drop these standards. Dress codes and conduct standards have been dropped already at most government institutions.

Recently I was at a school board meeting and the school teachers in the audience were jeering and mocking any speaker they did not agree with. I was perplexed why the “Sergeant At Arms” was not called to remove them.

Contrary to leftist beliefs, removing standards does not improve life. It does promote mediocrity.      ▫

RANCH FOOD & FODDER

by Deanna Dickinson McCall

Easter is around the corner and for some reason coconut is often associated with Easter. It makes me wonder if this goes back to the old days, when things like coconut, pineapple, citrus fruit and dates were considered exotic and for special holidays. In our family and due to our faith, Easter is probably at the top of the list of holidays.

The first time my Granny went to California and experienced these special things that were abundant she was ecstatic. Date milkshakes, oranges growing on trees, fresh pineapples coming in on the boats. It was a far cry from West Texas ranch foods. She was a coconut lover and probably is where I got my love for it from. From German Chocolate Cake to her wonderful coconut pie.

I grew up with coconut pie as an Easter tradition. I learned to make pies from several folks, and when we were first married I made pies and sold them to restaurants. It was something I could do to help with the family income and not have to pay a babysitter to watch two little toddlers.

I’ve included the pie crust recipe I’ve always used. It really isn’t hard and will yield a great flaky crust. I know some folks are intimidated about making pies, especially ones with a scratch crust and a scratch filling. It may seem really daunting. Just remember practice makes perfect. Home-made crust is just so much better. If you really do want to use a store-bought crust that’s okay. Just make the filling; it is so worth the time.

Coconut Cream Pie

Crust:

1½ cups flour

½ tsp. salt

½ cup shortening or lard

4 to 5 TBS cold water

Directions:

Using a fork, stir flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. Cut in the shortening until it resembles a very coarse meal. Some small pea pieces are okay. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the water over the mixture and lightly toss with the fork. Repeat until all the water is used. Gather the dough up into a ball and place on a floured board. Gently flatten the dough a bit. Sprinkle a little more flour on the dough and on your rolling pin and roll out from the center until it is an inch or two larger than the bottom of the pie pan. Gently loosen the dough with a dull knife and loosely roll it over the rolling pin, then lift and place into the pie pan. Adjust the crust and flute or crimp the edges. Prick holes in the crust and bake at 450 for 10 to 15 minutes.

Filling:

2 or 3 eggs

2/3 cup of sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 TBS flour

2½ TBS cornstarch

3 cups of milk

½ cup flaked coconut

2 TBS butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Always use a whisk when making cream fillings. In a small bowl beat the eggs until lemon colored, set aside. In a saucepan mix the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk. Place on heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour a small amount into the beaten eggs. Place the saucepan back on the heat and pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Stir constantly, allowing it to thicken. Don’t raise the heat or stop whisking. When it has bubbled and become thick, remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Stir in coconut. Pour into the cooled pie shell.

You can place toasted coconut on top. Add a dollop of whipped cream when you serve.

Report Reveals Growing Ag Sector in NM’s Economy Beating PrePandemic Levels

On March 21, 2023, 25 food and agriculture groups released the seventh annual Feeding the Economy report, revealing food and agriculture industries and their suppliers contribute over $8.6 tril-

lion to the U.S. economy, nearly one-fifth of total national output and a 22 percent increase since the 2019 report.

Providing data on jobs, wages, and economic output, this farm-to-fork analysis illustrates the food and agriculture sector’s impact on local and nationwide economic activity. The data also underscores this sector’s resilience and reliability amid unprecedented global and domestic crises, including the commodity shock following the war in Ukraine and continued supply chain disruptions.

This year’s report shows the U.S. food and agriculture sector directly supports nearly

HEREFORD BULLS FOR SALE

23 million jobs, provides $927 billion in wages, and is particularly vital to rural communities across America. Notably, the 2023 report reveals that the manufacturing of agricultural products accounts for nearly one-fifth of total manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Overall, more than 46 million jobs are supported across the food and agriculture supply chain, increasing nearly 2 percent since the 2019 report despite the economic challenges and disruptions associated with the pandemic.

Here are key findings for New Mexico:

Ї Total jobs: 257,697

Ї Total wages: $11.52 billion

Ї Total business taxes: $4.13 billion

Ї Exports: $275.03 million

Ї Total food and ag industry economic impact: $40.23 billion

“Our state’s food and agriculture industry continues to show resiliency,” said New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte. “When we sit down to eat a meal, it’s important to remember all the work it took to get that food from the farm to our plates.”

The strength and growth highlighted in this year’s report reinforce that agriculture is evolving and innovating to meet the demands of the 21st century. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, between 1948 and 2019, land use for agriculture decreased by 28 percent while land productivity grew nearly four times and labor productivity grew more than 10 times. In fact, agriculture’s total factor productivity growth rate is among the highest of U.S. sectors.

This latest report, along with additional quotes from sponsoring organizations, is available at www.FeedingTheEconomy. com.      ▫

ProRodeo Hall of Famer Olin Young, 86, passed away on February 23. Although he achieved great fame as a tie-down roper, Young won two world titles in steer roping in 1971 and ‘74 and qualified for the National Finals Rodeo a total of 27 times – 13 times for tie-down roping and 14 times for steer roping – from 1959 through 1980.

Most of Young’s competitors believe he would have won several more championships had he traveled more on ProRodeo’s steer roping circuit. Young called Peralta, New Mexico, home for years.

Also, in 1971, Young became the first man to win four average titles in tie-down roping at the National Finals Rodeo. Young also won the NFR average in 1959, and 196263. Young’s four average wins was equaled by Roy Cooper (1976, 1979, 1983, 1995); Joe Beaver (1987-88, 1992, 1996); Fred Whitfield (1991, 1997, 1999, 2002); and Caleb Smidt (2015, 2018, 2021, 2022).

He also won the average three times at the National Finals Steer Roping in 1967, 1974 and 1977. Not bad for a cowboy who didn’t even seriously start entering steer ropings until 1966.

Born in Lovington, on September 11, 1936, Young was a superb all-around athlete and New Mexico’s Athlete of the Year in 1970. Young entered his first rodeo in 1948, and first joined what was the RCA back then in 1954. He got his start in rodeo from his father Paul Young and ProRodeo Hall of Fame tiedown roper Troy Fort.

“What I like best about rodeoing is it is a way to make a living and enjoy it,” Young said in a rodeo questionnaire by the RCA.

The sandy-haired 6-footer was without a doubt one of the best to ever go down the rodeo trail. He was universally accepted as one of the finest horsemen in ProRodeo, learning from his father Paul and many other championship ropers.

Young served on the then Rodeo Cowboys Association Board of Directors for four years. His enormous talent was evident when he was inducted into the 1979 inaugural class of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado

ProRodeo Hall of Fame team roper Dale Smith, who served as president of the Rodeo Cowboys Association from 1962-69 and in 1971-72, then again from 1976-81 after it became the PRCA, praised Young in an old article in the ProRodeo Sports News. Smith

was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame with the inaugural class in 1979 with Young.

“Olin has been, and always will be, a credit to our sport,” Smith said in a 1971 article in the ProRodeo Sports News. “Fine cowboy and real gentlemen, he’s done more than his share in guiding our business, but I’m going to miss him anyway around the conference table.”

Pake McEntire, who roped against Young back in the day, shared plenty of fond memories of the ProRodeo Hall of Famer. McEntire qualified for the NFSR in 1974 and 1982.

Dan Fisher, who hails from Andrews, Texas, and is a 16-time qualifier for the NFSR – 1986-90, 1994, 1996-97, 2000, 2003-04, 2008-10, 2012-13 – knows Young’s name well. He took a moment to talk about Young’s horsemanship.

“He always made the horse look as good as the horse could look,” Fisher said. “If you bought a horse from Olin, you probably weren’t going to make him look better. Olin

made horses look as good as they could look, calf horses especially. He also was a real gentleman. I never knew anybody who didn’t like him. He was really nice to everybody.”

Mary Evelyn (Shipley) Dobry, 92, Lovington, passed away peacefully at her home on September 25, 2022. She was born December 8, 1929, to Oscar and Dona (Price) Shipley in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

She was the youngest of four children, living on her parents’ farm, where she developed her love for training horses with her father. At a young age, they began Roman trick riding and traveled the country performing as the opening act at many rodeos.

The day after her graduation from Chickasha High School, she married her love, James Raymond Dobry. Together they had four children, Wayne, Keith, Mary Denise, and Michael, and was a foster mother to three additional boys.

They moved several times throughout the years following James’s career in the military, before raising their family in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Mary established a successful career in real estate, owning her own brokerage and several rental properties, along with various other businesses in the surrounding area.

Her passion was buying businesses to reestablish and involving her children ensur-

ing they would always be close by and work together.

Her travels eventually landed her in Hobbs in 1986 where she would stumble upon the closed Western Sizzlin’. She had no intentions of staying in Hobbs, but quickly grew to love the town and people and decided to call it home.

She turned the closed business into a premier eating establishment, and later re-naming it Ranchers Steakhouse and Buffet. She was a beloved boss by many, making everyone a part of the family, and believing in each of them. The restaurant was awarded several awards throughout the years under her direction.

After establishing success in the restaurant, she moved to her next adventure, where she purchased a ranch north of Hobbs, now known as Lazy D Ranch. She renovated the

New to NMSU Spanky D Cat

AQHA Stallion sired by Palo Duro Cat (full brother to Sophisticated Cat), out of an own daughter of Docs Oak.

run-down barns and pens and began filling her pastures with cattle.

She became a premier breeding ranch for registered Red Angus, winning several National Shows including Fort Worth, Houston, Denver, Abilene, and Albuquerque. Mary held an annual Bull Sale at the ranch, where buyers came from all over the country in hopes to bring her genetics to their herd.

She had a passion for teaching children about agriculture and her knowledge of the cattle industry. In 2020, she was awarded a Lifetime Member Award from the Red Angus Association.

Although Ranchers Steakhouse proved a great source of income, the Lazy D Ranch was her true love. Later in life she taught herself to paint. Mary built her forever home on the property and included a horse barn and arena where she taught her grandchil-

dren how to ride, enjoyed the beautiful sunsets and sunrises, and left her legacy to continue.

Mary is survived by two sons, Wayne Dobry and wife Jeana, Ruidoso; Michael Dobry and wife Christy, Dallas; daughter Mary Denise Rice and husband Leonard, Lovington; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren along with her friends and family employees of Ranchers Steakhouse and Buffet.

Editor’s Note: Email caren@aaalivestock.com. Memorial donations may be sent to the Cattlegrowers’ Foundation, a 501(c)3, tax deductable charitable foundation serving the rights of ranch families and educating citizens on governmental actions, policies and practices. Cattlegrowers Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 7517, Albuquerque, NM 87194. The New Mexico Stockman runs memorials as a courtesy to its readers. If families & friends would like to see more detail, verbatim pieces must be emailed to us, & may be printed at 10¢ per word.

Mojo Beef Kabobs

Steak cubes are threaded on skewers with lime and onion then grilled to perfection. A sauce of citrus, herbs and spices provides the finishing touch.

30 Minutes

4 Servings

260 alories

22 G Protein

TEST KITCHEN TIPS:

Thread steak pieces onto skewers leaving small spaces between them. Loose or tight spacing can cause beef to cook unevenly.

INGREDIENTS:

1 beef Top Sirloin Steak Boneless, cut 1 inch thick (1 pound)

1 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper

1 large lime, cut into 8 wedges

1 small red onion, cut into 8 thin wedges

1 container grape or cherry tomatoes (about 10 ounces)

Mojo Sauce:

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon salt

COOKING:

Whisk Mojo Sauce ingredients in small bowl. Set aside.

Cut beef Top Sirloin Steak into 1-1/4 inch pieces; season with pepper.

Alternately thread beef with lime and onion wedges evenly onto four 12-inch metal skewers. Thread tomatoes evenly onto four 12-inch metal skewers.

Cook’s Tip:

To make lime wedges, cut lime crosswise in half. Cut each half into quarters, forming wedges.

When cutting onion into wedges for kabobs, leave root end intact so wedges hold together during skewering.

Place kabobs on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill tomato kabobs, covered, about 2 to 4 minutes or until slightly softened, turning occasionally. Grill beef kabobs, covered, 8 to 10 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill 9 to 11 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Serve kabobs drizzled with sauce.

Recipe adapted from The Healthy Beef Cookbook, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

JANUARY — Wildlife; Gelbvieh; Joint Stockmen’s Convention Results

FEBRUARY — Beefmasters; Texas Longhorns

MARCH — Limousin; Santa Gertrudis

APRIL — Dairy

MAY — News of the Day

JUNE Sheepman of the Year

JULY — Directory of Agriculture

AUGUST — The Horse Industry

SEPTEMBER — Charolais; Fairs Across the Southwest

OCTOBER — Hereford; New Mexico State Fair Results

NOVEMBER — Cattleman of the Year; Angus; Brangus; Red Angus; Joint Stockmen’s Convention Preview

DECEMBER — Bull Buyers Guide

If you would like to see your breed featured, let us know –caren@aaalivestock.com

To Reserve Your Advertising Space, Contact Chris — chris@aaalivestock. com 505.243.9515 ext. 28

For Real Estate Advertising –caren@aaalivestock.com

2-Year Old Reg. Limousin Bulls

½ Angus bulls. All Solid Black Virgins

½ Corriente, ½ Angus

Bred Heifers & Young Pairs

Solid Black

Matt • 806/292-1035

Steve • 806/292-1039

Lockney, Texas • Claude, Texas

Columbus, New Mexico

PAUL McGILLIARD

Murney Associate Realtors

Cell: 417/839-5096 • 800/743-0336

Springfield, MO 65804

www.Paulmcgilliard.murney.com

AG LAND LOANS

As Low As 6% OPWKCAP 6%

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 6% Payments Scheduled on 25 Years

PIE TOWN, Goat Ranch Road Access, South of Wild Horse Ranch Subdivision. 20 acres $12,000, 40 acres $24,000. Beautiful views

DATIL, Herrington Canyon Road, Two 40 acre tracts. $24,000 each

CANADIAN RIVER, West of Ute Lake. Seven 40 acre (more or less) lots. Starting at $90,000

MILAGRO, 0000 Pecos Spur, Portrillo Creek Ranch Subdivision. 164 acres wide open space. Distant mountain views. Close to I-40. $94,000

SAN ANTONIO, 1496 State Road 1, 11 irrigated acres with adobe home, well and community water $305,000

Joe Stubblefield & Associates

13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX 806/622-3482 • cell 806/674-2062

joes3@suddenlink.net

Michael Perez Associates

Nara Visa, NM • 575-403-7970

SAN MARCIAL, Willow Springs Ranch, Winchester Road. 432 acres at the foothills of Chupadera Mountains $325,000

Paul Stout, Broker

575-760-5461 cell

575-456-2000 office

www.bigmesarealty.com

DOUBLE BAR R RANCH, NOGALES, AZ — 110 deeded, w/12,224 NF Grazing land, runs 380 yearlong, Great improvements, high rain area. Priced at $3,500,000

SOLD SOLD

TYLER RANCH/FARM — York Az, 544 deeded with 173 irrigated, along with 14,000 state and Blm lease land. 300 head mother cows yearlong. Priced @$2,300,000

I have many qualified Buyers looking for Ranches. Give me a call

If you are looking to Buy or Sell a Ranch or Farm in Southwestern NM or Southern AZ give us a call ...

Sam Hubbell, Qualifying Broker 520-609-2546

WANTED: Farms and Ranches — Broker has over 45 years experience working on and operating a family farm and has been a farm owner since 1988.

NMREL 17843

THE SAND CAMP RANCH is a quality desert ranch with an excellent grass cover and above average improvements. Located in southern Chaves County east of the productive Pecos River Valley. The ranch is comprised of 2,598 +/- deeded acres, 6,717 NM State Lease Acres, 23,653 Federal BLM Lease Acres and 480 acres Uncontrolled, 33,448 total acres (52.26 Sections). Grazing Capacity set by a Section 3 BLM grazing permit at 408 Animal Units Yearlong. The ranch is watered by three wells and an extensive pipeline system. This ranch is ready to go, no deferred maintenance. Price: $3,870, 000. Call or email for a brochure and an appointment to come take a look.

EIGHT MILE DRAW LAND 740 ± Acres of unimproved native grassland located four miles west of Roswell in the Six Mile Hill area with frontage along U.S. Highway 70/380. This parcel is fenced on three sides and adjoins 120 acres of additional land that may be purchased. Great investment. $600 per acre.

Scott McNally, Qualifying Broker

Bar M Real Estate, LLC

P.O. Box 428, Roswell, NM 88202 Office: 575-622-5867 Cell: 575-420-1237

Website: www.ranchesnm.com

Ba r M Real Es t a te

SERVING THE RANCHING INDUSTRY SINCE 1920

Skully Creek Ranch: 94 AU with 1,440 deeded acres, state and federal leases in Greenlee County approximately 40 miles northeast of Safford, Arizona. The ranch is located just over four miles off the paved highway along and lies along Skully Creek. The headquarters includes an adobe, two-story rustic ranch house overlooking the cottonwood lined Skully Creek Canyon with amazing views of Hells Peak in the distance. This is a real nice “off-gride” property with private, solar powered well. The deeded land location and physical features provide privacy and mountain views.Price: $1,600,000

Indian Springs Ranch: 52 AU with 1,480 deeded acres, BLM grazing lease in Cochise County approximately 14 miles northeast of San Simon, Arizona. The ranch is located just over 12 miles off the paved highway at the end of Indian Springs Road in the Peloncillo Mountains. Headquarters improvements include two ranch houses and horse corrals with shades. The ranch is very private and secluded with lots of water. Livestock water is provided by numerous springs and three private wells. The water wells are pumped via solar with water levels all less than 100’. Private land controls access to thousands of acres in the Peloncillo Wilderness. Price: $1,400,000

Goodwater Ranch: 15 miles east of Holbrook, AZ on the south side of I-40 and west of the Petrified Forest Park. 347 deeded acres with two irrigation wells and a fallow farm. The ranch has 200 head grazing capacity on state, blm and open range lands north of the Puerco River. Improvements include extensive set of working corrals and nice ranch headquarters with two houses and several outbuildings. Price: $1,300,000

NEWLISTING ESCROW

■ SMITH RANCH: 20 +/- section cattle ranch plus 335+/- acre farm located in Road Forks, N.M. The ranch has 12,983 +/- total acres, 3721+/- deeded, 3040+/- acres of NM state land, 6222 +/- acres of BLM, 94 AYL plus 6 horses, ranch has adequate water storage & pipelines, hdqtrs has Manufactured homes, shed row barns (equipment or commodity storage), plus livestock shades, corrals, cattle chute working facilities are covered cattle working facilities. The north farm 163 +/acres, the south farm 173+/- acres. Priced at $2,300,000

■ FLYING W MOUNTAIN RANCH: 345 AYL plus five horses located in the cedar mountains of Hachita, NM. 39.60± sections, 25,347± acres total, 1278± acres of deeded land, 3152± acres of state land, 20,917 acres of blm, four miles of newer fence, over 55,000 gallons of water storage, 17± miles of pipeline less than 20 years old, three wells plus one domestic well, four pastures plus three traps, seven dirt tanks, house, barns, corrals, semi-load

livestock scales. Priced at $2,900,000

SIDWELL FARM & RANCH REALTY, LLC

Tom Sidwell, Qualifying Broker 6237 State Highway 209, Tucumcari, NM 88401 • 575-403-6903 tom@sidwellfarmandranch.com • www.sidwellfarmandranch.com

Lifetime rancher who is familiar with federal land management policies

Buyers are looking for a ranch. If you have a ranch to sell, give me a call.

100 Ranch

55,439 ± Total acres | $11,900,000 | Lincoln & Socorro Counties, New Mexico

15,941± Deeded acres, 9,208± State Lease acres, and 30,290± BLM acres, for a total of 55,439± acres. This is a true working cattle ranch with the added benefit of trophy bull elk, mule deer, antelope and oryx. The ranch supports a resident herd of elk with a recent 425 B&C bull elk taken on the property. The ranch is rated at 1,200 animal units under normal conditions. The topography is rolling to moderately steep and offers good winter protection with elevations ranging from 5,600 feet to 6,800 feet. The property is well watered by numerous wells and has adequate headquarter improvements. Price reduced to $11,900,000.

Laughlin Peak Ranch

32,467± Total acres | $49,396,410 | Colfax County, NM

UNDERCONTRACT

28,207± Deeded acres, 4,200± State Lease acres, and 40± acres Free Use for a total of 32,467± acres. Spanning an area of over 50 square miles, the scenic Laughlin Peak Ranch is located in some of the most productive livestock and hunting country in New Mexico. The ranch boasts an extensive population of elk, mule deer and antelope with approximately 50% of the ranch being utilized and protected exclusively for game habitat. No commercial hunting is allowed. The terrain is diverse with elevations ranging from 7,000 feet to over 8,800 feet on Laughlin Peak. The ranch has good functional headquarter improvements, plus camp improvements and the property is watered by wells, water lines, earthen ponds and springs. The property is competitively priced at $1,750 per deeded acre.

Domingo Ranch

4,880 ± Total acres | $1,599,600 | San Miguel & Guadalupe Co., NM

3,440± Deeded acres, 640± acres State Lease, and 800± acres BLM, for a total of 4,880± acres. This ranch is located 70 miles from Santa Fe and the property has a good turf of native pasture with a level to rolling terrain. Elevations are approximately 6,000 feet. Scattered juniper is found throughout the ranch and the property is watered by a main water well, waterlines and drinking troughs. The property features a beautiful adobe style home with landscaped yard compound.

$465 per deeded acre.

BROCHURES AVAILABLE ON ALL PROPERTIES

Pecos River Ranch

28,374± Total acres | $7,620,000 | DeBaca County, NM

15,228± Deeded acres plus 13,146± State Lease acres for a total of 28,374± acres. This working cattle ranch is approximately 10 miles south of Fort Sumner and features 11 miles of live water along the Pecos River with productive subirrigated bottom lands. The terrain is fairly level to rolling with most all of the property draining to the river bottom. Low bush mesquite is common with mixed native grasses including subirrigated sacaton meadows. Besides live water, the ranch is watered by solar wells, electric submersibles and windmills. The ranch has an extensive waterline network and there are several large dirt tanks on the property. Headquarter improvements are modest, but functional and the ranch has adequate shipping and working pens. $500 per deeded acre.

L Bar H Ranch

1,225± acres | $7,800,000 | Catron County, NM

1,225± Deeded acres together with 19,000± acres of USFS Grazing Permit for 300 AU’s. This scenic mountain and river bottom property is located in the western edge of New Mexico near the community of Alma. The clear flowing San Francisco River is the centerpiece of the ranch. Deep Creek, a major drainage with deep holes of water drains into the San Francisco. The ranch has 70 acres of water rights used to irrigate land adjacent to the river and near the headquarters. Large cottonwood and elm trees are found along the river drainages with piñon and juniper being common over much of the property. The ranch supports an excellent population of big game. Headquarter improvements include a hacienda-style home with guest house and outbuildings. $7,800,000.

Cowboy Mill Ranch

48,141± Total acres | $8,500,000 | Lincoln County, NM

19,822± Deeded acres, together with 28,319± BLM acres, for a total of 48,141±t acres. This working cattle ranch is located approximately 35 miles northeast of Capitan or 40 miles south of Vaughn. This ranch has a BLM allotment for 676 animal units. The terrain varies from fairly level to rolling and somewhat broken as the ranch drains to wide seasonal creek bottoms. Elevations range from 4,800 feet to 5,350 feet. The ranch is watered by approximately 10 wells, a network of water lines and dirt tanks. Improvements include a foreman’s house, shipping pens and outbuildings. $430 per deeded acre.

King Farm

5,020± Deeded acres plus 720± acres State Lease, for a total of 5,740± acres. This irrigated farm is located approximately 40 miles south of Santa Fe and the property has been under the same family ownership for over 100 years. Eighteen large capacity irrigation wells provide substantial irrigation water for 2,055 acres under pivot irrigation. The irrigated land is typically farmed in corn and alfalfa. Two nearby tracts, 917 acres and 1,120 acres, remain in native pasture. Both tracts have subdivision potential. This property is located in an area boasting an active market for water right sales, with recent sales of water rights approaching $10,000 per acre. $31,725,000.

5,740 ± Total acres | $31,725,000 | Santa Fe County, NM

RANCHES/FARMS

*NEW* 472+/- Ac Organic Apple Orchard, Willcox, AZ – Nicely improved HQ with 3 homes, workshops, and 24,075 +/- s.f. of processing facilities, including sorting, washing, cold storage buildings, retail space and truck scale. Over 400 acres planted to 10 different apple varieties and 10 acres of pears. 7 Irrigation wells, and 3 domestic wells. Property is being sold turnkey with all equipment. $8M Call Harry Owens or Nancy Belt

12.7+/- Irrigated Acres, Marana, AZ – Irrigated farmland in the heart of Marana, perfectly suited for development. Currently, planted in Alfalfa and at one time was planted to corn. Fields are fenced, flood irrigated from concrete ditches and gates from the Cortaro Irrigation District. Great location near Marana Stockyards for those interested in performance horse activities that involve livestock. $920,750

*PENDING* 98+/- Deeded Acre Farm, Bonita, AZ – Great little farm in a picture-perfect setting! Two small pivots with 35 acres of water rights. Nicely improved with a newer 3 BR, 2 BA Shultz doublewide mfg home; 3-sided hay/ machine shed, 1,560+/- s.f. shop with concrete floor and insulated ceiling, hay shed, Connex box, nice set of guardrail and steel corrals with crowding tub, squeeze and scale. 250 gpm irrigation well with 20 HP motor and 13,500+/- gallons of storage. Raise horses, finish out calves, small cow/calf operation or

homestead. Runs about 40 head of cattle. $750,000

*REDUCED* 120 +/- Acres of Farm Ground, Willcox, AZ –Located NW of Willcox in a good groundwater area. 2 Wells, center pivot, good soil. $444,000

*SOLD* 200-300 Head Cattle Ranch, Marana, AZ – 112.8 +/Deeded ac; 150+/- ac of pasture, 3,700+/- ac of sub-lease, 14 +/ac of farm fields, HQ on State Land. 2nd mfg home on deeded. 2 sets of good steel pipe corrals $1.9M

*SOLD* 2,373+/- Acre Farm, Animas, NM – Custom 2560 +/s.f. home built in 2008. 20-Acre pivot, 40’ x 60’ shop, 40’ x 50’ hay barn, fruit trees, chicken coop, garden area. Pivot produced 9.5 tons/ ac of alfalfa in 2020. 300 gpm well. 5 pastures with water piped to 2 storage tanks and drinkers in all pastures. Historically has run 40 head of cattle yearlong. $1.3M

Brad DeSpain 520-429-2806 Paul Ramirez 520-241-3333

*NEW* 0.14+/- Acre Building

Lot, Maricopa, AZ – A great opportunity to own a corner lot in the desirable community of Tortosa. Ideal for a small builder or buyer wishing to build their dream custom home. One of only two lots available in the area, the other lot is adjoining this one. Utilities to the lot, back block wall in place. $110,000

Scott

RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

■ KB RANCH - Kenney Co., TX – KB Ranch is a low fenced 802 +/- acre property that is surrounded by large ranches. The ranch has abundant whitetail and is also populated with turkey, dove, quail, hogs and varmint species. Axis are in the area and have been occasionally seen. The ranch lies approximately 9 miles south of Bracketville on TX 131 and is accessed by all weather Standart Road.

■ PRICE REDUCED! CEDARVALE, NM – 7,113acre ranch (5,152 ac. +/- Deeded – 1,961 ac. +/State Lease) well fenced & watered w/good pens, new barn.

*SOLD* 40+/- Acre Last Stand

HORSE PROPERTIES/LAND

*SOLD* 5+/- Acre Country Estate, Dewey Humbolt, AZ –Charming 2 BR, 3 BA 2-story home. Beautiful, vaulted wood ceilings, loft, floor to ceiling windows in the great room with expansive valley views. Includes 2-car detached garage, 1,092+/- s.f. metal shop building, railroad car, small barn, fenced and cross fenced. Online Auction to start 12/1 and will end with a soft close on 12/10. Contact Paul Ramirez for details or check out our webpage coming soon.

SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD

B&B Guest Ranch, Sonoita, AZ –An exceptional property in the grasslands of Sonoita, presently operating as a successful wedding & equestrian event venue. The Territorial, twostory 4 BR, 4.5 BA main home has 4,110 s.f., & custom features throughout. $1,675,000

■ PRICE REDUCED! UNION CO., NM – 2,091.72 ac. (1,771.72 Deeded, 320 ac. -/+ State Lease), well watered w/three wells, two sets of steel pens.

SOLD

*SOLD* 90+/- Acre HP Bar

Ranch, Benson, AZ – Perfect gentlemen’s ranch or private get-away. Backs up to USFS for endless riding possibilities. Fully fenced for cattle. 2 BR, 1 BA home; garage; steel barn w/two horse stalls, tack room & large hay storage; corrals; workshop. Expansive views. $595,000

SOLD PENDING

■ COLFAX COUNTY NM GETAWAY – 1,482.90 ac.+/- grassland (1,193.59 ac. +/- Deeded, 289.31 ac. State Lease), great location near all types of mountain recreation.

■ ANGUS, NM – 250 +/- acres with over a 1/2 mile of NM 48 frontage. Elevations from 6,800 to 7,200 feet. Two springs along creek. Ideal for future development or build your own getaway home.

■ PECOS CO. – 637 ac., Big water, State Classified Minerals.

■ CASTRO CO., TX – 592 ac. +/_- w/remodeled 4 bd./4 ½ bath home, 160 ac. under pivot. Balance is dryland & native grass.

■ CARSON CO., TX – 640 ac. +/- 5 mi. N of Panhandle on TX 207. 333 ac. +/- under 3 center pivot systems. One well produces 800 GPM. Permanent perimeter and cross fencing.

■ PALO DURO CREEK TREASURE – 941 acres +/- in Randall Co. NW of Canyon, Tx. STUNNING VIEWS OVER LOOKING PALO DURO CREEK. Turn key cow/calf operation w development potential. Property includes: 3/3/3 ranch style home, 4 wells, large shop plus shed, enclosed livestock working facility w/hydraulic chute, livestock pens & shed, miles of 5 & 6 barbed wire fence & over 7000’ of pipe fence. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS! Canyon School District.

■ DEAF SMITH CO., TX. – 651 ac. +/-, 7 miles N of Dawn, Tx., 1 mile E of FM 809. 349 acres native grass with well-maintained fencing and 302 acres of cultivated dry land.

Riding for the brand … is our time-honored tradition StockmensRealty.com I UCstockmensrealty.com *Each United Country Franchise office is independently owned and operated.

■ PRICE REDUCED! DALLAM CO, TX – 1,216.63 ac. +/- of CRP/ranchland w/irrigation, re-development potential, wells & pipelines already in place.

■ PRICE REDUCTION! TURN-KEY RESTAURANT - READY FOR BUSINESS! One of the best steak houses in the nation just out of Amarillo & Canyon at Umbarger, TX., state-of-the-art bldg., w/complete facilities.

O’NEILL LAND, llc

CAPULIN -SIERRA GRAND VIEW, Union County. NM. 520 +/- deeded acres with HQ 1.5 miles off highway, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home with landscaped yard and volcanic rock walls, nice outbuildings, 3 registered wells including 1 registered as an irrigation well and an excellent solar well. Close proximity to Des Moines, NM. $898,000

DES MOINES, 336.58 +/- Deeded

Acres Union County NM – 3 bedroom

erty, including installed septic system, with private views of mountains. 40 irrigable acres and a domestic water meter installed. Great to put down home and bring horses. $249,000 $239,000

SPECIALIZING IN FARMS, RANCHES AND LUXURY HOMES

SOLD

2 bath home, 32ft X 30ft metal building on slab. 62 ft X 12 ft metal barn, one big pasture off highway. Mixture of open grass range and trees. Less than two miles to town. $575,000

MIAMI DREAM, 14.70 +/- deeded acres . Approx 1,583 sq ft 2 bedroom 1 bath home. Real country living with barn wood siding, porches, recent remodel for remote workspace. Irrigation and horse facilities, 57 Wampler St., Miami, NM $370,000

MAXWELL 45, Excellent irrigated pasture with utilities in back of prop-

BAR LAZY 7 RANCH, Colfax County, Moreno Valley 594.38 +/- deeded acres, accessed off blacktop between Eagle Nest and Angel Fire. Historic headquarters. Currently used as summer grazing, pond and trees accessed off county road on rear of property as well. Presented “ASIS” New Survey, $4,000,000 $3,800,000

CIMARRON BUSINESS, Frontage opportunity, house, big shop and office buildings, easy view off Hwy 64. Formerly known as “The Porch.” $295,000

SPRINGER VIEW, 29.70 +/deeded acres. Large house being remodeled, shop, trees, old irrigation pond. All back off highway with great southern aspect. 311 Hwy 56, Colfax County. $209,000

MORE HUSTLE, LESS HASSLE

Rodeo Roundup

Rodeo Spring Season

Wow, in a rush of all things spring the first rodeo of the junior and high school season came on March 17-19, 2023, in Hobbs, NM. Throughout most of New Mexico, warm spring weather has been fleeting and it wasn’t much different in Hobbs. The kids were on fire, though, warming things right up after the winter break! Lovington will be next (March

30-April 2) followed by Gallup April 21-23 and Farmington will finish up the season May 12-14.

Please remember, you can always go to www.nmhsra.com for standings, schedule, forms and all other high school rodeo information.

A special thank you to the NM Stockman for sponsoring the NMHSRA!

A special thank you to Julie Carter Photography for providing the photos.

Congratulations to all the junior and high school youth on your first rodeo of the

& ECKEL

season, and may it be a great season filled with traveling mercies, great memories and lots of opportunities to show all your hard work!      ▫

Dalli Sunday, Hobbs

NMHSRA HOBBS RESULTS

All Around Cowboy:

Sterlin Mitchell

All Around Cowgirl:

Caydence Roberts

Bareback Riding:

Wacey Schalla

Bull Riding:

Damien Wood

Saddle Bronc: Jack Chase

Tie Down: Shane Smith

Steer Wrestling:

Tydon Tsosie

Team Roping:

Walker Dennis & Irvin Varela

Barrels: Caydence Roberts

Pole Bending:

Caydence Roberts

Goat Tying: Wacey Trujillo

Breakaway: Teagan Miller

Girls Cutting:

Caydence Roberts

Boys Cutting:

Sterlin Mitchell

Reined Cow Horse:

Sterlin Mitchell

Light Rifle: Dalli Cain

Trap Shooting: Lane Helmer

NMJHSRA HOBBS RESULTS

Boys All Around:

Dax Sullivan

Girls All Around:

Anistyn Abel

Steer Bareback:

Bronc Slade Thompson

Bull Riding: Shiloh Young

Tiedown: Dax Sullivan

Chute Dogging:

Trip Salusberry

Team Roping:

Casey Siow/Liam Powell

Girls Breakaway:

Kolbi Henard

Girls Goat Tying:

Anistyn Abel

Pole Bending:

Clair Biebelle

Barrel Racing:

Baye Boutwell

Boys Breakaway: Tate West

Ribbon Roping:

Dax Sullivan/

Baye Boutwell

Boys Goat Tying:

Tyan Gonzales

Light Rifle:

Zoey Cline      ▫

Rodeo Roundup

(above)Baye Boutwell

(below) Jones Allen, HS saddle bronc (below left) Slade Thompson, JH Chute Dogging

Rodeo Roundup National Intercollegiate

Rodeo Association

Grand Canyon Region Standings as of March 20, 2023

1. Central Arizona College, CAZC, 4,025.50

2. New Mexico State University, NMSU, 3,879.50

3. Mesalands Community College, MESACC, 2,361.00

4. Navajo Technical College, NAVAJO, 2,050.00

5. Cochise College, COCHSE, 366.00

6. Dine College, DINE, 209.00

WOMEN’S TEAM

New Mexico State University, NMSU, 2,991.00

Central Arizona College, CAZC, 2,501.83

Cochise College, COCHSE, 1,829.50 Mesalands Community College, MESACC, 414.50

5. Dine College, DINE, 303.50

MEN’S ALL-AROUND

1. Yazzie, Hiyo Myers, NAVAJO, 1,891.00

2. Sanborn, Sherrick Wade, NMSU, 1,136.00

3. Moreno, Brad A, CAZC, 882.00

4. Harwell, Clate Jacob, NMSU, 870.00

5. Senegal, Cameron Jon, MESACC, 639.00

6. Andersen, Cooper John, CAZC, 627.00

7. Reno, Justin Dalton, CAZC, 601.00

8. Hatch, Wade Shane, NMSU, 507.00

WOMEN’S ALL-AROUND

1. Kelton, Kenzie, CAZC, 814.00

2. Johnston, Baylee Marlena, NMSU, 642.00

Southwest Region Standings as of Mar 1, 2023

MEN’S TEAM

1. Western Texas College, WTXC, 2,340.00

2. Clarendon College, CLAREN, 2,330.00

3. Tarleton State University, TARLET, 1,937.50

4. South Plains College, SPLNS, 1,380.00

5. Weatherford College, WEATHR, 1,203.33

6. West Texas A&M University, WTXAMU, 1,152.50

7. Texas Tech University-Lubbock, TXTUL, 1,067.50

8. Cisco College, CISCO, 985.00

9. Sul Ross State University, SLROSS, 935.00

10. Ranger College, RANGER, 700

WOMEN’S TEAM

1. Tarleton State University, TARLET, 1,219.50

2. Cisco College, CISCO, 817.50

3. Texas Tech University-Lubbock, TXTUL, 763.33

4. Weatherford College, WEATHR, 757.50

5. South Plains College, SPLNS, 582.50

6. Frank Phillips College, FPC, 532.50

7. Eastern New Mexico University, ENMU, 383.75

8. West Texas A&M University, WTXAMU, 335.00

9. Ranger College, RANGER, 700.00

9. Clarendon College, CLAREN, 300.00

9. New Mexico Junior College, NMJC, 300.00

New Mexico 4-H Rodeo Schedule

Torrance County – J.P. Helms Arena, Mountainair, NM – April 29-30

Valencia County – Sheriff’s Posse Arena, Belen, NM) – May 20-21

Santa Fe County – Rodeo de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM) – June 3-4

San Juan County – McGee Park, Farmington, NM – July 8-9

The Quay County Rodeo – Quay County Fairgrounds, Tucumcari, NM – July 28-29

Doña Ana Couty – Landmark Arena, Las Cruces, NM – August 12-13

New Water for New Mexico

What Are Unconventional Sources of Water

John “Grizz” Deal

In our February 2023 column we discussed a new idea: treating unconventional sources of water for “fit for purpose” uses. New Mexico gets most of its water from increasingly depleted groundwater, along with surface water sources subject to drought. We cannot conserve what’s not there, so continued on page 71 >>

The Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF) is the largest water recycling facility of its kind in the United States and provides five different fit-for-purpose waters for customers ranging from cooling towers to groundwater recharge. The plant is a unique public-private partnership that leverages funds form a variety of sources.

looking for additional resources is a direct-action New Mexico can take to solve water scarcity in the state.

According to the EPA, “87 percent of New Mexico’s public water supply comes from groundwater. No other southwestern state gets such a large percentage of its domestic water from groundwater sources.”[i] Given the enormous dependence on water to create our food supply, it is ranchers and farmers that bear the biggest brunt of water scarcity in the state.

So, what are these unconventional sources of water we can leverage to create New Water? And will the fit-for-purpose treated water be safe?

It’s Just Science

There’s an old saw that goes “everyone is downstream from someone else,” and another “all water is recycled water.” Yes, New Water generally starts out as unusable for most purposes and depending on the source and type of the water, it can contain all manner of natural and man-made elements and compounds that make it unfit unless treated. To be simplistic, it’s just chemistry, and scientists have developed thousands of tests for millions of contaminants over the years. Those water quality tests are standardized by the EPA in the USA, and most analysis labs are required to follow the EPA de rigueur. Technicians performing the analysis must also past a comprehensive test to work at a lab.

To treat a specific body or kind of water you must have a lab run dozens of chemical analyses, so that a treatment plan (or “train”) can be developed to ensure the input (influent) water is of the quality desired at output (effluent). If you are interested in the nitty gritte’ you can view the EPA testing methods here: https://www.epa.gov/measurements-modeling/index-epa-test-methods

Sources of Unconventional Water Resources

The EPA National Water Reuse Action Plan[ii] focuses on fit-for-purpose treatment and reuse of wastewater in five major areas:

Ї Thermo-electric cooling water

Ї Agricultural wastewater

Ї Municipal wastewater

Ї Oil & Gas produced water

Ї Storm water

Let’s take a look at each of these sources and how they might impact our ability to increase the water supply in New Mexico.

Thermo-electric Cooling Water

Depending on the source of energy, gen-

erating electrical power usually involves burning something to boil water, to make steam, to turn a turbine, to get electricity. While “renewables” are dramatically increasing, making steam to turn a turbine is the most dominant way to generate electricity on the planet. Whether nuclear, coal, natural gas, or thermal solar all use steam to generate electricity.

Recycling electric generation plant water should be easy, since as a separate plant it would seem easy to create a “closed loop” of water use, capture, treatment, and reuse. In

fact, the majority of power plants in the United States use “closed cycle” or “recirculating” cooling systems. But part of these systems involves additional cooling water and cooling towers exposed to the air, so some water is lost as steam. It’s still in our atmosphere and will eventually fall back down as rain, but this cycle is why power plants “consume” water.

You might think that running a giant fan to cool the water would save water, but that

“dry method” requires electricity, and the energy balance is such that it usually makes more sense to use the “wet” method of cooling.

Given the existing climate in New Mexico, recycling thermo-electric cooling water for New Water is limited.

Agricultural Wastewater

This source of New Water is also an obvious case for conservation. The use of direct drip irrigation systems would save New Mexico about 50 percent of its irrigation water. New Mexico State University is collaborating with an Israeli firm to test a specific system[iii], and other advanced systems such as Grow Guru[iv] match soil conditions, weather, and machine learning to provide crops a very specific amount of water required to grow that plant.

On the capture and reuse side, agricultural irrigation water from confined animal operations and from over irrigation runoff is contaminated by chemicals in fertilizer, pesticides, and animal slurry. The dominant and difficult to treat contaminants are nitrogen and phosphorus that must be treated before it can be used as New Water. Farmers work hard to minimize the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, not only because they can create a contaminated runoff, but to minimize the cost of their use. Ag water as a source of New Water presents not only treatment challenges. The capture of runoff and confinement of specific sources of wastewater for recycling requires infrastructure to be built and maintained.

Municipal Wastewater and Storm Water

These two categories can be taken together and for recycling purposes broken into three broad categories. Direct reuse of municipal wastewater requires the highest

level of treatment since that water is going back to the tap in your home. This is obviously the most expensive recycling of domestic wastewater.

Indirect recycling involves less treatment and then the water is diluted via lakes and streams and the water table. Non-potable reuse requires the least treatment and provides water for grass and other non-edible plants as well as for industry.

Groundwater is water under the ground, in the water table and other strata. Surface water is the water in lakes, rivers, and streams, as well as what is running down the street. Recycling municipal wastewater has already taken off in California and in some small towns in America where the arid conditions almost dictate capturing and treating their water to make New Water. The biggest impediment is available capital to redesign water transport and treatment systems. The other issue is one of public perception concerning direct potable reuse. As you can imagine, the feeling of the public on this topic varies all over the world and even within communities both large and small. Educating the public concerning the efficacy of treatment systems and the safety of their water supply is key to adopting this kind of New Water.

Brackish Groundwater and Oil & Gas Produced Water

By far the largest source of New Water in New Mexico is from oil and gas formation water and from the vast resources of brackish groundwater in the state. Every barrel (bbl) of oil and cubic feet of natural gas also produces water from the formation. The amount of water brought to the surface depends on the age of the well and the formation itself and can vary from one bbl of water per bbl of oil to 90 bbls of water per bbl of oil. In New Mexico oil wells generate around seven bbls of water per bbl of oil.

For over a hundred years industry has

been piping or trucking this “produced water” to what are now known as EPA designated Class II disposal wells. These disposal wells are insulated from the water table in both casement and in depth (thousands of feet deep). (Produced water is not to be confused with hydraulic fracturing flowback, which is a water-based fluid used to move proppant into the formation and is recovered during well completion.)

The amount of produced water varies by state and region but is estimated to be billions of gallons a day. While produced water is contaminated with everything you find in an oil well, treating this formation water to a fit for purpose level is effective, and due to technical advancements, now becoming ever more affordable.

New Mexico is also blessed with vast underground sources of brackish groundwater. “Brackish” is defined as water containing from 1,000 to 10,000 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS) most often in the form of salts like sodium chloride (table salt) and scalants such as calcium. While fresh water is considered less than 500 ppm TDS, treating this source of New Water to fit for purpose uses, including irrigation and drinking water, is now becoming a reality.

We will dig deeper into brackish groundwater and produced water and treatment as sources of New Water in columns that follow.

About the author: John R Grizz Deal is vice president of New Mexico Desalination Association (www. NMDesal.org), a 501-c-6 charity and CEO of IX Water, a spin-out from Los Alamos National Laboratory. The mission of both entities is to help solve regional water stress and drought.

[i] www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-02/documents/ ws-ourwater-new-mexico-state-fact-sheet.pdf

[ii] www.epa.gov/waterreuse/water-reuse-action-plan

[iii] www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/education/ nmsu/2020/12/26/nmsu-collaborates-israeli-companiesstudy-water-saving-tech/4046891 001

[iv] www.groguru.com

www.westbasin.org/water-supplies/recycled-water/ facilities     ▫

by Frank Dubois

The Blob, the Ocean,

the Drought & the Pen

In addition to the BLM, FS, USFWS, NPS, and the EPA, what do we have to worry about?

Oh, just a giant blob, the ocean floor, a severe water shortage and Biden’s pen.

The Blob

A five-thousand-mile wide blob of seaweed is heading for the Florida coast. Sargassum is the variety of seaweed. This “gargantuan” mass is formed in the Atlantic Ocean and will eventually “dump smelly and

potentially dangerous” concoction on the beaches of Florida and other Gulf Coast states. It is estimated to arrive in July, right during the height of the tourist season.

Ocean Floor

Plenty of research has been done on the warming of surface waters, and how in the Pacific Ocean it has disrupted West Coast marine ecosystems, depressed salmon returns and damaged commercial fisheries.

New research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that these marine heat waves also occur deep underwater. The NOAA researchers found these deep underwater heat waves on the continental shelves around North America “tend to persist longer than their surface counterparts” and send “larger warming signals.”

Supposedly 90 percent of the excess heat from global warming is absorbed by the oceans and these marine heatwaves are

occurring 50 percent more often in the last decade, warming the oceans by 1.5C.

These underwater marine heat waves have been linked to the invasion of lionfish, coral bleaching and the decline of reef fish, changes in the survival rates of Atlantic cod and “the disappearance of near-shore lobster populations.”

Water

Our city friends are learning what a drought is.

Here we are talking about drinking water. A new United Nations report says 1 billion people currently face water shortages, and they predict 1.7 to 2.4 billion will, within the next three decades, face similar shortages, as the urban water demand will increase by eighty percent by 2050.

The Pen

President Biden is not letting his pen gather dust.

His department of Interior appointees have just put sixteen million acres of federal property off limits to oil and gas development. These federal land and water acres are in Alaska. Thirteen million acres are located within the National Petroleum Reserve, and 2.8 million acres are in the Beaufort Sea. They also announced that Biden intends to limit future fossil fuel development on five different “special areas”, and prevent installation of a pipeline in northern Alaska.

Most recently, Biden put his pen to work to create two new national monuments. The first is a half-million acres in the Spirit Mountain area of southern Nevada. The other is a 6,600 acre area near El Paso, Texas.

We are always interested in the grazing language each President uses in his proclamation creating a national monument. For the large monument in Nevada, the language is:

Livestock grazing has not been permitted in the monument area since 2006, and the Secretary shall not issue any new grazing permits or leases on such lands.

Pretty straight forward, no grazing allowed.

I don’t know how they will do it, but somehow livestock will be listed as one of the causes of the water shortage, the large invasion of seaweed, and the heat waves on the ocean floor.

Until next time, be a nuisance to the devil and don’t forget to check that cinch.

Frank DuBois was the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003, is the author of a blog: The Westerner (www.thewesterner.blogspot.com) and is the founder of The DuBois Rodeo Scholarship and The DuBois Western Heritage Foundation ▫

Just in time for Mother’s Day!

Only Dino Cornay can convey this kind of Western Spirit in words and art...

The Button

by Dino Cornay

On the other side of nowhere, out beyond the urban sprawl, A life exists unknown to most, though few will heed the call

Careers and opportunities prevail, and most depart, Yet some remain with what they’ve known, that dwells deep in their heart

The sons and daughters, born and bred, on ranches of this nation, Deep family ties, a way of life, embraced for generations

The proving ground reveals the weak, while sifting grain from chaff, Exposing those without the grit, required to hone their craft

The cuts, the scrapes, the rope burned hands, he’ll try and try again, As youth gives way to hardened steel, the learning never ends

The ghosts of those that came before, the strong, the old, the young, They rode the range when it was wild, before barbed wire was strung

Their spirits permeate his path, they gallop by his side, And place their hand upon each man and woman born to ride

The smoke from countless branding fires, the incense of the range, From heated iron on hair and hide, traditions never change

The rain, the hail, the dust and drought, at times enduring winters, When mother nature pours her wrath, upon the saints and sinners

The observer sees but romance, daring feats, and charming grin, Yet the glamour fades to powder, in a cold December wind

Will trust his horse, and drop his loop, in many heated battles,

At times ride home in dark of night, from long hours in the saddle

He’ll inhale the scent of horse sweat on the stifling canyon floor, And will taste hard ground that greets him, from a horse declaring war

Will ride the rim, and rattle rocks, high lope across the plain, Most noble in his element, to ride and feel the reins

Will love that special horse, so brave and fearless, strong and fast, Then help him at the end, as he prepares to breathe his last

The “Sunday Riding” fallacy, belies the naked truth, That brutal miles will steal away each vestige of his youth

16 X 20

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Yet what he’ll see, within the years, of God’s predestined plan, Will yield a panorama, starkly beautiful and grand He’ll watch the big floodwater flow, and feel life giving rain, Will see the eagle soar, and hear the coyote’s wild refrain

So many times with eastward gaze, he’ll ride into the dawn, As daybreak sky explodes with light, till grip of night is gone

He’ll master skills a ranch requires, though none can take the place, Of feeling well bred horses move through miles of open space

At times will second guess his path, and choices that he’ll make, Yet find it’s deep within his core, and damn sure hard to shake

Yet through it all, the code persists, he’ll sign up till the end, And through each joy and sorrow, stay the course, and never bend

The sentinel of a way of life, surviving many tests,

As talons from encroaching waves, engulf his sacred west

From the Kansas Flint Hills prairie, Colorado and beyond, Every legacy endures within his breed, until they’re gone

As pages turn, will know his path, work hard to make a hand, As the button takes the polish........And the boy becomes a man © Copyright 2022

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Feedlot Inventories are Falling

How Far & How Long?

by Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, Cow-Calf Corner

The latest USDA Cattle on Feed report showed March 1 feedlot inventories at 11.645 million head, down 4.5 percent year over year and the lowest March inventory since 2017. Placements in February were down 7.2 percent year over year and the sixth consecutive monthly decrease in placements. In fact, placements were down 10 of the past 12 months. February marketings were down 4.9 percent from one year earlier.

Figure 1 shows monthly inventory totals (blue line) and a 12-month moving average (MA) of monthly feedlot inventories (green line) since 2011. While monthly feedlot totals vary seasonally, the moving average removes the normal seasonality so that changes month to month indicate the underlying trend in feedlot production. March

2023 was the sixth consecutive month of declining feedlot inventories year over year. With feedlot totals decreasing since October, the MA peaked in September 2022 at 11.8 million head, dropping to 11.63 million head as of this latest report, the lowest level since October 2020.

Declining feedlot production leads immediately to two questions. How low will feedlot inventories go in the coming months? And when will the low happen? Figure 1 may provide some indications of what to expect. The previous multi-year low in the feedlot inventory MA was in October 2014, after drought-forced herd liquidation in 2011-2013. The current beef cow herd is slightly smaller

THOMPSON RANCH

than the 2014 herd level. The beef cow herd is likely to drop a bit more in 2023. It is reasonable to expect that average feedlot inventories will drop close to the 2014 low of 10.375 million head or possibly even lower at some point in the coming months.

The question of when that low will happen is trickier. Although there are expectations for diminishing drought conditions in 2023, the drought continues for now and it’s not clear whether liquidation will be pushed even further this year. The smallest calf crop of the next few years will be in 2024 at the earliest. Feedlot inventories will decline through 2023 with the low in 2024 or beyond. Figure 1 shows that the feedlot inventory MA decreased from August 2012 until October 2014 following the previous drought episode. This suggests that the coming feedlot low might not happen until late 2024 or later.

This leads to a third question of how long low feedlot inventories will persist. Figure 1 shows that, from the MA low in October 2014, average feedlot inventories increased very slowly until the fall of 2017 before increasing more rapidly through 2018 and 2019. Feedlot inventories remained relatively low for about three years. This was the period of herd rebuilding when heifer retention was at the highest levels, with replacement heifer inventories peaking in 2016 and 2017. Not until heifer retention slowed after 2017, were additional heifers available for feedlot placement. The number of heifers in feedlots on January 1 increased by 23 percent from 2017 to 2019.

It appears that the 2012-2017 period is a useful analog for the next few years regarding feedlot inventories. The current state of cattle inventories, especially the cow herd size, replacement heifer inventories and expected calf crops are generally analogous to the previous period beginning in late 2012. In fact, the current situation reflects a more severe depletion of female inventories compared to the 2012-2017 period. Based on the analog period, feedlot inventories will likely decline from the feedlot inventory MA peak in September 2022 to a level similar to the 2014 low in the coming months and remain relatively low for the next four years or longer.      ▫

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Hobbs, NM

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Cowboy’s Corner

Lovington, NM

Wayne Banks • 575-396-5663

Creighton’s at The Fort Fort Sumner, NM

Garland Creighton, 575-760-6149

Creighton’s Town & Country Portales, NM

Garland Creighton, 575-356-3665

Dickinson Implement Co. Tucumcari, NM

Dwight Haller, 575-461-2740

Double D Animal Nutrition

Artesia, NM

Don Spearman • 575-302-9280

Lincoln County Mercantile

Capitan, NM

Rance Rogers, 575-354-4260

One Stop Feed, Inc.

Clovis, NM

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Purina Animal Nutrition

Eastern NM

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Western NM

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Roswell, NM

575-622-9164

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