December/January 2019 New Mexico Farm & Ranch

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NEW MEXICO FARM AND LIVESTOCK BUREAU®

Hartmans - Farm Family of the Year

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December / January 2019

NMF&LB President’s Column TRACTOR SEAT DAYDREAMING

BY CRAIG OGDEN

Finding Common Ground Another year has flown by in the blink of an eye. It seems as if we just got started, but now the year is closing down with plans being drawn for next year’s activities and challenges.

I want to thank all the staff, officers, state board and volunteers for their dedication and contributions for the benefit of our organization. I would also like to congratulate the outstanding people that we recognized during our annual meeting. It was particularly special that we honored both past President Bill McIlhaney and past Executive Secretary Bob Porter with the Ride for the Brand Award. We have been fortunate to have such outstanding honorees touch our lives in such a positive way. We have seen how noble people such as these influence our lives and how the other awardees will also influence our future. We are blessed to have this quality of genuine people in our mist.

There may be areas in which we don’t agree but common ground can often be found if we just look for it.

The 60-day session is quickly approaching with AgFest, Tuesday, February 5th. This is our chance to not only visit with our legislative representatives and share our concerns, but to also offer a lending hand if needed.

Just like a new crop year where you need to plan, prepare, plant and nurture your crop, so must we put similar efforts into legislative activities that will last much longer than one growing season.

“We are blessed to have this quality of genuine people in our mist...”

May you have a calm and joyful holiday season. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly.

Upon President Bush’s passing we heard countless stories about his life and the impact he made. One in particular caught my attention. When he lost his bid for re-election and was leaving the White House, he left a hand-written note on the desk in the Oval Office to Bill Clinton. He wished him success and for the success of the Nation. He also vowed his support of him in his endeavors as President.

The graciousness that was shown by him is a rarity in these times. It would be phenomenal if we as an organization could show such support for our newly elected officials.

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AFBF President’s Column BEYOND THE FENCEROWS

BY ZIPPY DUVALL

Farmers are Feeding our Growing Economy The U.S. economy is strong. The Gross Domestic Product has grown more than 3 percent this year. The contrast between the agriculture economy, which is struggling, and the overall economy can make it seem they’re on opposite tracks. But the data tell a different story: the broader economy is doing well in large part because of agriculture.

Consider these points: Agriculture and its related industries (things like food sales and other industries that wouldn’t exist or would be much smaller without agriculture) contribute $1.05 trillion to U.S. GDP, according to the latest data. That puts agriculture’s contribution to the overall economy at about 6 percent.

According to one study, members of the food and agriculture industries and their employees pay almost $900 billion in federal, state and local taxes, helping to support their communities and our nation.

Even though this is a challenging time for many farmers and ranchers, we are proud to celebrate America’s economic growth and proud of what we do each day to feed and fuel our nation.

Congress right now is putting the finishing touches on a new farm bill. It’s easy to think, based on its name, that the farm bill only benefits farmers. Of course, with nutrition programs making up about 80 percent of the farm bill, and commodity programs and crop insurance only accounting for about 15 percent, it’s obvious that there’s much more to the farm bill than farming. But even if you just focus on the portions of the farm bill that directly apply to farmers and ranchers, those programs are an investment in a significant piece of our national economy. A strong agriculture sector benefits many other sectors and fuels the economy overall— while also keeping food on our tables.

“A strong agriculture sector benefits many other sectors...”

Whether someone works on the farm, for a food manufacturing company, in a restaurant, or in a clothing or lumber store, that person’s job depends on American agriculture. They would not have anything to process, package, market, sell or serve if it wasn’t for farmers and ranchers. In fact, it is estimated that more than 43 million U.S. jobs are connected in some way to agriculture.

Counting the impact of things that farmers and ranchers need to be productive, such as equipment purchases and maintenance, fertilizer, crop protection products, research and development, and a range of services like financial services and transportation, America’s farmers and ranchers play an even bigger role in our nation’s economy.

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When I see reports about the surge in the U.S. economy, I think about the millions of farmers and ranchers who help make it happen—one seed, plant, tree, fish or animal at a time.

December / January 2019

Annual Meeting and Our Awardees

By Dalene Hodnett, NMF&LB Director of Communications

New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau members gathered from across the state for our 101st Annual Meeting.

It featured great speakers, an FFA discussion meet, the election of new State Board members, and provided the opportunity to honor those who do so much for our organization.

Our Farm Family of the Year was Don and Cheryl Hartman, shown here with their daughter-in-law Megan, grandson Mason and son Matthew.

Don and Cheryl were married in 1987. Cheryl’s father had a cotton farm and in the fall of 1988 he needed help with the harvest. Don helped him through harvest, cutting milo and picking cotton. This began Don’s career in farming as he rented land, purchased used equipment that required repair and traded labor for other expenses. Cheryl worked for the USDA in the Farm Service agency. The Hartman’s rented several farms in western Luna County and slowly began to expand. In 1992, with their first child on the way, Cheryl decided to be a stay at home mom while keeping the books for the farm. She became part time tractor driver, ran the module builder during harvest season, was the cook, chauffeur, and parts chaser. In 1994 their second child arrived, and they continued to expand. In 2003 the Hartmans made the decision to transition the farm’s water delivery system from furrow irrigation to subsurface drip irrigation. Pioneers in the field of drip irrigation, the Hartmans realized the additional yields that come with root site application of water. Now the Hartmans are 100% under drip irrigation, currently farming 500 acres of chile, onions, watermelons, small grains, and cover crops.

Don and Cheryl’s son Matthew graduated from NMSU with a degree in agronomy, his wife Megan graduated from NMSU with a degree in Ag business. They were married in 2013 and Matthew works on the farm while Megan stays at home to raise their son Mason while managing the farm’s food safety program.

The Hartmans got their start in Farm Bureau when they were asked to join by Ernie Hurt. Don and Cheryl were YF&R representatives and received the YF&R Achievement award in 1999. Currently Don is the president of Luna County Farm Bureau and Cheryl is a District Representative for the Women’s Leadership Program and recently became a member of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s Outreach Team. Don actively represents New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau in politics and as a member of the Deming Soil and Waster Conservation board. He is also secretary of the The Outstanding Farmers of America. The Hartmans have received many awards over the years including Conservation Farmer of the Year, Outstanding Farmers of America National Winner, Luna County Outstanding Ag Family of the Year and Border Foods Extra Mile Award. “Don and Cheryl are the epitome of an active, engaged Farm Bureau family,” said Chad Smith, CEO of NMF&LB. “It is our honor to recognize them with this award.”

Also recognized with the “Ride for the Brand” award were two pillars of our organization, Bill McIlhaney and Bob Porter. Bill was our president from 1985 to 1992 and spent those years single mindedly devoted to growing our organization. While president, Bill and his wife Linda owned a dairy in Albuquerque’s North Valley and were raising two children, Lisa and Steve. Bill has been quoted as saying “It was an honor to serve the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau as president, working with the dedicated volunteer members and staff on the many issues relative to enhancing our state’s agriculture. The unique structure of Farm Bureau makes it one

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of the most respected, workable volunteer organizations in the state.” Bill is shown here with his wife Linda and their family.

Bob was Executive Secretary for New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau from 1979 to 1995, although in total he served the organization for over 40 years. First as a field representative working with the bracero program, then when he proceeded John Augustine as executive vice president. Bob has been quoted as saying “I will be forever grateful for having had the privilege of being a part of this outstanding organization.”

Carlos Salazar was recognized as our Distinguished Service to Agriculture award winner. Carlos Salazar has dedicated long hours in collaborating with New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau and other state ag organizations as we become more active in commenting on national forest revision plans. Carlos has traveled many miles in the state and to Washington DC promoting and advocating for New Mexico agriculture. Carlos and his family are very proactive for private property rights and historical rights of the rancher on public lands.

“You can always find Carlos ready to defend his fellow farmers and ranchers regardless of race, gender and political affiliation,” says Donald Martinez, Rio Arriba County Farm & Livestock Bureau President.

Carlos is shown below with his wife Rita.

Volunteers are an invaluable part of NMF&LB and this year’s Volunteer award winner was Maddy Haggard. As an NMSU Graduate Student, Maddy was looking to fulfill requirements for a creative component project and New Mexico Ag in the Classroom needed lesson plans pertaining to pecans. Maddy developed a pecan unit of 3 lesson plans for 3rd – 5th graders. Additionally, she arranged a field trip so that Las Cruces elementary school students visited a nearby orchard where they met with the owner, a pecan specialist and plant and soil scientists. Students were able to take what they had learned in the classroom and see it in “real life.” Maddy’s lesson plans were of such a high caliber that the National Ag in the Classroom Matrix adopted her curriculum for use in other states.

Speaking of making a difference in agricultural awareness, New Mexico Ag in the Classroom honored Cindy Shafer, their Teacher of the Year. Cindy is a fifth-grade teacher at Colinas del Norte Elementary in Rio Rancho and has for the last ten years found ways to cultivate a Page 5

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love of agriculture in her students. Students are engaged through hands-on activities related to farm irrigation systems and conservation technology, and Egg to Chick introduces students to the concept of embryology, candling, incubation process, hatching, care of live chicks and poultry production. As a result, a number of her students have started raising chickens for egg production and are learning business skills through egg sales. She recently instituted 4-H Fridays where students experience hands-on activities such as butter making where they learn about the dairy industry and food safety.

“We’re honored to recognize Ms. Shafer for incorporating agriculture in her classroom as one way to engage with students while teaching them where their food comes from,” says Traci Curry, NMAITC Southern Director. “She does an amazing job of making sure they understand the hard work of local farmers and ranchers.”

As we all know, the media has a great deal of influence and can either hurt or significantly help our cause. That’s why we honor a media person of the year, to recognize those that benefit our state’s farmers and ranchers and help spread the good word. Adrian Hedden has done just that. Adrian covers breaking news, local government, agricultural and environmental issues for the Carlsbad Current Argus. His long-form, in-depth articles on such issues as public lands use and drought keep his community informed and up to date. He covers many agricultural topics such as the Carlsbad BLM resource planning process, federal water projects, and projects restoring grass lands. We thank Adrian for all he does to spread awareness of agricultural issues in his community.

Community is what it’s all about for Crestina Armstrong, Taos County Farm & Livestock Bureau President. For the second year in a row her county was first to reach its membership goals. She gave a shout out to her daughter-inlaw, Tracy Trujillo, who works at the local hardware store and shares the benefits of membership with her customers.

In addition to a review of NMF&LB’s financial statement, the election of officers was also conducted at our Annual Meeting Business session. All officers were re-elected including President Craig Ogden, First Vice-President Larry Reagan and Second Vice-President Boe Lopez. Craig is a farmer and rancher from Loving, where he and his son Joseph own and operate Lookout Ag Enterprises. They grow a variety of forage crops and cotton. Craig graduated from NMSU in 1981 with a degree in Agricultural Business. He worked for the Federal Land Bank then returned to NMSU to get his master’s degree in Agricultural Economics. He taught

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“Annual Meeting” cont. on pg 8 December / January 2019

YF&R Hosts FFA Discussion Meet

the questions, suggesting solutions, and leading the debate,” said Tanner Anderson, Coordinator of NMF&LB’s Young Farmer & Rancher program. “He was a strong competitor and is an example of the great future held by FFA members.”

Also in the final four was Vanessa Motes of Cliff FFA, Delaney Johnson of Silver City FFA, and Dakota Belcher of Dora FFA. Truett received a $1,000 check which was sponsored by Farm Credit of New Mexico.

Next year the YF&R plans to hold regional discussion meets so look for a contest near you soon.

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Truett Shafer, Luna County 4-H member and Deming High School FFA student, won the New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Meet held during the Annual Meeting.

Twenty-two contestants from around the state debated questions such as “How can farmers implement market trends and develop responsive business plans to generate value-added ventures and farm profits?” and “How can the industry attract the best and brightest minds from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) into agricultural careers?”

“Truett did a great job of answering

December / January 2019

In Remembrance Dorthy Bess, long-time NMF&LB member and supporter of Ag in the Classroom and the Women’s Leadership Program, passed October 15, 2018 at the family ranch where she had lived for 71 years. Dorthy attended school in Tatum where she was the drum major for the high school band. After graduating in 1945, she attended college at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque where she met James Thomas Bess, a US Navy veteran who had returned to college following WWII. Returning to Lea County to begin ranching and build a life together, they married on June 17, 1947. They were married for 59 years, until his death in 2006.

Tom and Dorthy were inseparable and worked side by side every day to get the ranch started and keep it growing, starting with sheep because they couldn’t afford cows, and later switching to a cow-calf operation when finances improved.

Dorthy supported and worked alongside Tom, feeding and working cows, and also took on the traditional woman’s work. Everyone in this area knows the hardships that those in agriculture have to face and she faced them all. Dorthy loved the ranching life and looking at her beloved Angus cows and calves always brought a smile to her face.

She was always a strong supporter of agriculture. The lifestyle was important to her and she strongly supported the 4H and FFA projects of her grandchildren involving steers, pigs, lambs, and goats, and the baseball and rodeo events of her great-grandchildren. She was always an advocate for agriculture in Lea County serving on the Farm Service Agency Board, the Lea County Farm Bureau Board, and the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame Board. She was inducted into the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2015, and she and Tom were honored as the NM Farm Bureau Family of the Year in 1997. She was a life-long member of the Tatum United Methodist Church, and a member of NM Cattle Growers and Lovington Chapter # 35 Order of Eastern Star. Dorthy loved square dancing, her Appaloosa Horse Club, and the friends she made along the way. She and Tom traveled as far as Hawaii to square dancing conventions.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to the church that Dorthy loved, Tatum United Methodist Church, PO Box 385, Tatum, NM 88267.

“Annual Meeting” cont. from pg 6 Agricultural Economics for a year at West Texas State before returning to the farm in 1985. Craig has served as First Vice President for 4 years, Second Vice President before that and has been active in Farm Bureau for over 25 years. He has been married to his wife Teresa for 26 years. They have two children, Joseph and Linsey.

Larry Reagan was raised on a dry land wheat farm and cow calf operation in Eastern New Mexico. He graduated with a bachelors in Ag Business from New Mexico State University in 1984. He and Kathleen have two sons, Patrick a veterinarian in Clovis, and Sean a rancher near Ft. Sumner. He’s a fourth-generation rancher and lives on the ranch his grandfather bought in 1933. He has been a member of NMF&LB since 1997 and was elected to the State Board in 2010.

Boe Lopez is a fifth-generation rancher from Springer, New Mexico. He holds a bachelors degree in Finance and a minor in Spanish from the University of New Mexico. He also has a masters degree in Ag Business from New Mexico State University. He is currently Mayor of Springer and works for New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service. He has served on the State Board since 2011.

We thank these officers for their service. Additionally, we appreciate the dedication of these board members who retired; George Jackson, Matt Lansford, Linda Ritter and John Sweetser. We welcome those who were voted onto the board; Crystal Diamond, Travis Harris, Don Hartman, Steve Myrick and Stewart Rooks.

As always, thank you to those who attended the Annual Meeting, it’s a great educational meeting and a fun, family gathering.

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2018 New Mexico Beef Council Annual Report Building beef demand by inspiring, unifying and supporting an effective state and national checkoff partnership.

Dear Fellow Producer, “Nicely done, beef.” I love our new campaign theme – and so does our target market: millennials. It reaches out to diet trends and can put different twists into play. I have read such captions as “Nicely done, beef. You sculpt muscles better than Michelangelo.” My favorite is “Nicely done, beef. You always keep people coming back to dinner.” It is all about people purchasing our product to center on their families’ plates.

As we go to press this year, one of the issues we face is international tariffs that affect the competitiveness of our beef in foreign markets. We still do not know the full impact they will have on our industry, but your checkoff dollars are working hard just the same to promote our beef in countries around the world. We are not seeing the drop in the value or volume of U.S. beef internationally that other protein sources are seeing. Credit the checkoff as we go forward because producers have done an excellent job in showing they are good stewards who raise a sustainable product deserving of retaining – or even increasing – a portion of the market. Add to that the fact that the public loves the taste and versatility of beef, and I feel we will always be a great center to consumers’ dinner plates.

The New Mexico Beef Council (NMBC) continues to use a digital advertising campaign that includes both display ads and native advertising – or advertising that presents itself as editorial or content on websites and blogs. The digital ads are strategically placed on websites that are frequented by users who focus on Food & Drink, Home & Garden, Cooking & Recipes, Social Networks, and Celebrities & Entertainment News. All the ads are geo-targeted to New Mexico, and have active links that direct the user to the NMBC website.

Results indicating that the ads have been extremely successful have prompted us to extend the campaign into 2019. We are also seeing increased use of our website for recipes and instructional videos. We are partnering with New Mexico State University College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)and New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau to maximize all of our resources in teaching youth and adults how to enjoy beef.

At the time of this letter, New Mexico has been designated a national disaster area for drought. We have seen some fall rain and pray it continues through the winter. Cattle producers are a resilient people who will find a way to regroup and rebuild. The beef checkoff is poised to do the same. We are resilient in changing economies to help our product remain a healthy, valuable source of protein and nutrients. The future of the beef industry depends heavily on the next generation of beef consumers, and your checkoff is seeing to it that they have the information they need to increase their confidence in you and your end-product, so beef remains on consumers’ tables. Please stay in touch with your council directors. Our contact information is listed in this report.

Blessings for rain and a healthy market, Tamara G. Hurt, Chairman New Mexico Beef Council

Directors FY 2017-2018 Tamara Hurt, Chairman, Producer, Deming 575-544-1191 Milford Denetclaw, Vice Chairman, Producer, Shiprock 575-368-5217 Dan Bell, Producer, Corona 575-849-4911 Matt Ferguson, Producer, Carrizozo, 575-491-9025 John Heckendorn, Purebred Producer, Moriarty 505-379-8212 Jim Hill, Feeder, Las Cruces, 575-993-9950 Susie Jones, Fluid Milk Producer, Veguita 505-459-8732 Zita Lopez, Secretary, Feeder, Springer, 575-447-1117 Kenneth McKenzie, Producer, Encino, 575-760-3260

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Ex-Officio Member Bill King, N.M. Cattleman’s Beef Board Representative, Moriarty 505-220-9909

New Mexico Beef Council Dina Reitzel, Executive Director NMBeef.com • 505-841-9407

December / January 2019

Reflecting Back on 2018

By Chad Smith, CEO

As we close out another successful year, I reflect back on what we have done, what we have accomplished, and more importantly our members. Without our dedicated members and volunteers who work tirelessly on and off the farm, what we do would not be possible. I thank you all for your commitment to New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau and for trusting in your organization to advocate for the future of New Mexico Agriculture!

As an organization, we have gone through many changes over the years. I appreciate your flexibility and patience in adapting to those changes. Without change and the ability to adapt to changing times we become stagnant. The County Farm Bureau structure has changed to emphasize and focus on what makes us great as an organization, our grassroots. In conversations with our membership and county leaders regarding change and the future, it is evident that there is a need to adapt to changing times. I know there are similar conversations taking place on the ground.

As we face the challenges of engaging members, growing the organization and getting our youth involved and engaged, these conversations continue to be vital.

We must be willing to try new things and do things differently. We have seen a decrease in attendance at summer conference and annual meetings. Many counties are experiencing the same decline at their county meetings and events. This must be recognized, accepted and remedied. In the past, means of communication were limited to mail correspondence, in person or by means of socialization at meetings. Fast forward to 2018 where technology is at the forefront of everything we do, and the possibilities are endless. It is the only way new generations of our youth know how to communicate. One may argue this is not a good thing. As with all things, there are pros and cons. I would say there are advantages and disadvantages to everything. With many new ways of communicating and adaptation to technology, it is difficult to argue that communication cannot be more efficient. There will always be communication challenges, however, technology has changed the way we communicate and the way we do business. We live in an era of instant gratification. The internet and endless information are at our fingertips and is a click away. For our younger generations, the days of showing up to a meeting to get information is a thing of the past.

For an organization that has held strong because of our engaged members, volunteers, leaders, and GRASSROOTS, what does change look like? As we struggle to answer the questions of why and how we engage our youth, grow our membership and be an effective organization, one must consider the way we do business. While counties hold monthly, bi-monthly or even quarterly meetings to conduct the business of the county organization and face the challenge of getting members involved, how do we effectively carry out the mission of New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau? Our county organizations adapted to a change in structure this last year with the adoption of technology. While some were early adopters and others had difficulties, we want you to know that we heard your concerns and have since moved to address those concerns. I believe we must continue to be open minded and flexible to try different and new ways of doing business. We all have the same goal of making Farm Bureau bigger and better and the only way we get there is to be open to change. Whether we like or not, change is happening, and we can either adapt or get left behind. We are blessed to have many Farm Bureau members that can attest to how we have changed over the years. The Farm Bureau of today will not look like the same Farm Bureau 10, 20 or 100 years from now. The challenges we face in our industry and the manner in which we act will strengthen and make Farm Bureau bigger and better in 2019 and the years to follow.

2018 held strong for membership, hitting an all-time record high of over 19,500 members. Two years ago, I set a goal of achieving Navigator. Between the efforts of a great Farm Bureau staff, volunteers, members and our insurance company, 20,000 Page 10

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members is very achievable. One thing we must do as a federation is toot our own horn, something that we don’t do enough. We are all very humble, but we must show our value. The value of belonging. This is something I continue to strongly emphasize with our team in making sure everything we do proves value to our membership. That is not enough.

We must tell our members about it and communicate the value of their membership. What we do for our membership must be told by all. We have county organizations that conduct their business in the best interest of agriculture and are doing great things in their communities. We must communicate their story. There is no way our members can quantify the value of their membership if they do not know what we are doing and more importantly, why we do it.

November 1, 2018 marked the effective day of our dollar increase in membership dues. This was in response to the $1 increase by American Farm Bureau Federation. This increase proved to be challenging and many argue the change in dues should have increased more than $1. Would you pay more for membership? As with any membership, the return on investment should be evident. As an organization, we are strong advocates and strive to protect private property rights and advocate for agriculture in our counties, states and great nation. Many current and future members are not aware of the added value of joining our organization. So, in 2019, I challenge our counties to show the value, toot your own horn, let’s tell our membership what we are doing and how this benefits not only our agricultural community, but all those that utilize fuel, fiber, and food.

Farm Bureau had many great accomplishments in 2018. For starters, we were successful in many lawsuits in the courts.

We were involved in challenging the lawsuit that compromised the McKittrick Policy. Which protects our members who inadvertently shoot or kill an endangered species. Without this protection, those who may accidentally shoot a wolf that is mistaken as a coyote, could be prosecuted. Our challenge was successful, and we upheld the policy. We also intervened in the San Augustine Plains water transfer that was recently dismissed, however the battle continues and will likely continue for years to come. While we lost our agriculture exemption for workers comp, New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau along with other industry partners continue to look for reprieve for our members. From a legislative perspective, we had a great 2018 30-day legislative session. We were able to fend off harmful legislation and were key in passing the Pecan Licensure Act on behalf of our pecan growers. This act is designed to deter pecan theft. Our legislative outreach continues to grow.

In 2018, we hosted a Northern Ag tour with three of our newly elected officials showcasing agriculture in their district and discussed policy that is important to New Mexico agriculture. Similar to what we have done in the past with our YF&R Ag True Tours, these tours were smaller and more focused. The tour was a success and will be modeled for future tours. In addition to the tour, we hosted a great land commissioner candidate debate at our Summer Conference. We are currently working to host an Ag 101 the second week of the legislative session. We will invite all newly elected officials and the legislatures leadership for an opportunity to discuss the importance of New Mexico Agriculture and build those much-needed relationships. Matt Gonzales, our Director of Government Affairs, stayed busy throughout the interim representing our organization at many of the interim legislative committee meetings. We again held successful AgFest and Round House feed events. We are grateful to all of our industry partners who helped make AgFest a success and the agricultural community who worked to feed the entire roundhouse.

Our Foundation is growing strong, we held two successful fundraisers and the program continues to grow its outreach. Brenda Logan joined Ag in the Classroom and has been a great addition to the team. Mrs. Logan worked hard to develop this year’s Yucky Worms ag literacy project. Valerie Huerta took on the role of Director of Organization and she has done an excellent job being a leader to our Regional Directors. She will prove invaluable in growing the effectiveness and efficiency of our field operations. We hosted a Farmers for Free Trade press confer-

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New Policies Passed by Voting Delegates One of the hallmarks of New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau is that we are a grassroots organization. As such, counties formulate resolutions which are then voted on by our delegates. Here are resolutions which were adopted by our voting delegates and are now part of our policy book: “We encourage the Department of Interior/Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service, and the New Mexico State Land Commissioner to establish a Grazing Advisory Council to represent the Federal, State, County, and Local full-time ranchers of no less than 50%, to assist with all issues related to any Federal and/or State lands; in order to facilitate the promotion of better relationships, communications, and to have much needed input on natural resource management policies.” (Luna 2018) The NMF&LB supports conservation practices on our lands. Farmers and Ranchers are already the best stewards of our private, state and federal lands. NMF&LB does not believe a new conservation property tax valuation is needed to address the perceived problem. However, any new land classification for conservation should include: o Conservation rate should not have a special tax valuation less than 50% of the current non-residential

rate and must be of no net loss to county; o Land must have been in agricultural production the five proceeding years to be eligible for program; o Land can be entered in the conservation schedule for no more than five years; Lands must return to at least 50% of agriculture production capacity; o Be capped at 160 acres to coincide with old homestead act; o Have conservation plans approved by soil and water conservation districts; Landowner should incur all costs associated with developing the plan.

The New Mexico Legislature should also create the program or act (within Taxation and Revenue Department) that oversees this conservation program for the State. There should also be: o A statewide liaison to administer program and work with assessors and conservation districts to ensure

compliance of conservation plans; o A program review each year by the legislature to ensure compliance.

This program should sunset after 10 years unless reauthorized by the legislature. (Committee 2018) The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) should be required to work on tributaries south of Caballo Lake to prevent future silt deposits and to remove silt annually from the Rio Grande in excess of annual silt deposits until the river channel south of Caballo Reservoir is returned to its engineered design elevations. (Doña Ana 2018) New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau will not endorse a political candidate without a two-thirds majority vote at the next regularly scheduled board meeting. (Eddy 2018) The right to repair one’s own equipment by amending the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to require agricultural equipment manufacturers to allow equipment owners and independent repair facilities to have access to the same agricultural equipment diagnostic and repair information made available to the manufacPage 12

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NEW MEXICO FARM & LIVESTOCK BUREAU

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Visit FordFarmBureauAdvantage.com or LincolnFarmBureauAdvantage.com or see your authorized Ford or Lincoln Dealer for qualifications and complete details. **NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. MUST BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF U.S. OR D.C., 21 YEARS OR OLDER WITH A VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE TO ENTER AND A CURRENT FARM BUREAU MEMBER. ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends 9/30/2019. For entry and official rules with complete eligibility, prize description and other details, visit FordFarmBureauAdvantage.com. Sponsored by Ford Motor Company, One American Road, Dearborn, MI 48126. ***Autodialed marketing messages will be sent to the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase or entry. Message and data rates may apply.

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turers’ dealers and authorized repair facilities. Any penalty for alterations should be limited to the voiding of the warranty, as well as the right of dealers to refuse services and trade on altered equipment. Any alterations to software should be limited to the owner’s personal use and should not be for distribution. (Valencia 2018)

We support reinstating Statute 30-8-13: Unlawfully permitting livestock upon public highways. In addition, there should be no liability to the livestock owner. (Curry 2018)

We support and endorse that firewood sales in New Mexico to be sold by the cord or fraction of a cord and enforced by New Mexico Department of Agriculture. (Rio Arriba 2018)

We oppose any attempt to increase the distribution percentage from the Land Grant Permanent Fund for any reason. We further oppose these funds be used for anything other than the original intent of the act. (Harding 2018) The New Mexico State Highway Department shall install and maintain either a 5-strand barbwire fence, or a fence of sufficient kind, to keep the specific kind of livestock off NM State highways right-of-way. (HOD 2018)

“Reflecting” cont. from pg 11

ence, emphasizing and putting the spotlight on free trade. Additionally, in 2018 New Mexico Farm & Livestock received the American Farm Bureau Federation State Awards of Excellence for our engagement and outreach activities. Amongst other internal organizational initiatives, we continue to represent our members and the organization at various state agency meetings, working with commissions and working groups to ensure we protect private property rights and advance the policy of our organization. We are all busy, but rest assured that we are representing your best interest and doing what we do best, ADVOCATING for New Mexico agriculture and New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau. We, on a continuous basis review our lessons learned and make unseen alterations to help make our organization bigger, better and more efficient.

In 2019 we will host a team of CEO’s, Administrators and AFBF staff who will conduct a peer review of New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau. The team will look at everything we do and how we do it, they will interview members, staff and the Board of Directors. Following their analysis, they will compile a report that will be received by the Board of Directors at our June/July board retreat. The Board of Directors will then engage in developing a short- and long-term strategic plan based on the results of the peer review which will then be aligned with a staff developed strategic plan. We are excited about this opportunity and about the future opportunities for the organization. We look forward to sharing our vision for the future at the upcoming 2019 Annual Meeting. We are always looking at how we can improve and better serve our members and so if you ever have any suggestions, please reach out to us. This is your organization and we welcome any input you might have.

As we toast this past year good-bye and ring in the New Year, I share with you a pride in our membership and our organization. We thank you all for what you do and look forward to working with you in 2019. We wish you and your families a joyous holiday season and a very happy New Year! Cheers!

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New Mexico Farm & Ranch

December / January 2019

No one can see into the future.

And even if you could, you’d want to be prepared for what’s coming.

That’s what we’re here for – to help protect the future you can and can’t see.

Let’s sit down, face-to-face and talk about your future as you imagine it. You talk and we’ll listen – one-on-one, the way we’ve done it for more than 75 years.

Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company,* Western Agricultural Insurance Company,* Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company*/West Des Moines, IA. *Company providers of Farm Bureau Financial Services M205 (10-18)

NewMexicoF&R_1218Final.indd 1

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New Mexico Farm & Ranch

fbfs.com 11/8/18 10:47 AM

December / January 2019

Non-profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Las Cruces, N.M. Permit No.2093

2220 N. Telshor Las Cruces, NM 88011 ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED

NEW MEXICO FARM & LIVESTOCK BUREAU Since 1917 . . . a Leader in New Mexico

ISSN 0028-6192 2220 N. TELSHOR BLVD. • LAS CRUCES, NM 88011 575.532.4700 • FAX: 575.532.4710 PUBLISHER: New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau New Mexico Farm & Ranch is published monthly. Yearly subscription is $24.00.

New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau members receive a complimentary subscription with yearly dues.

U.S. Postage PAID, bulk rate, PERMIT #31, Las Cruces, NM 88001. FORWARDING/ RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED, ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED. OFFICERS Craig Ogden President, Loving Larry Reagan 1st Vice President, Ft. Sumner Boe Lopez 2nd Vice President, Springer Chad Smith Chief Executive Officer Page 16

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New Mexico Farm & Ranch

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Burl Brown, Des Moines Bud Deerman, La Mesa Crystal Diamond, Elephant Butte Jim Ellett, Hope Duane Frost, Claunch Travis Harris, San Antonio Don Hartman, Deming Gary Hathorn, Flora Vista Leon Hemann, McDonald John Jackson, Lake Arthur Deena Kinman, Elida Donald Martinez, El Rito Steve Myrick, Clovis Tommy Ortiz, Las Vegas Stewart Rooks, Gila Troy Sauble, Maxwell Casey Spradley, Cuba Tom Wilton, Ft. Sumner Anita Hand, Chair Women’s Leadership Committee Andy Ellett, Chair Young Farmer & Rancher Committee REGIONAL DIRECTORS Tanner Anderson Benjie Segovia

Valerie Huerta Director of Organization Matthew Gonzales Director of Government Affairs Brenda Logan Director, Northern Region Ag in the Classroom Traci Curry Director, Southern Region Ag in the Classroom Francisco Hatay Marketing Coordinator Dalene Hodnett Director of Communications and Media Relations Cecilia Diaz-Johnson Bookkeeper Theresa Widner Director of Membership Services Eva Hernandez Executive Administrative Assistant

December / January 2019