Physical Location 809 First Street, Moriarty NM 87035 President, Antonio Manzanares
n New Mexico Federal Lands Council newmexicofederallandscouncil@gmail.com 3417 Avenida Charada NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107
President, Ty Bays
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, P.O. Box 7127 Albuquerque, NM 87194
Subscription price: 1 year hard copy and digital access $50, Digital access $30 Single issue price $10, Directory price $30 Subscriptions are non-refundable and may be purchased at www.aaalivestock.com
10 NMCGA President’s Message by Tom Paterson, President-Elect
12 Just the Facts ... & Then Some by Caren Cowan, Publisher New Mexico Stockman
16 New Mexico CowBelles Jingle Jangle
23 New Mexico Beef Council Bullhorn
26 News Update: Dunes Sagebrush Lizzard, Limit Exemptions in Retail Sale of Meats to Hotels, Restaurants, South Dakota on Cultivated Meats
28 Riding Herd by Lee Pitts
32 View from the Backside by Barry Denton
33 Beef It’s What’s for Dinner
34 New Mexico’s Old Times & Old Timers by Don Bullis
39 In Memoriam
45 New Mexico Federal Lands News by Jerry Schickedanz
49 Food & Fodder by Deanna Dickinson McCall
51 Marketplace
52 Seedstock Guide
55 Real Estate Guide
64 In The Arena by Sage Faulkner
76 Advertisers’ Index
FEATURES
18 Rising Beef Prices & Demand Fuel Big Change for the Dairy Industry by Taylor Leach, Dairy Herd Management
19 Economic Report: State’s Agriculture Industry Shows Growth
Source New Mexico Department of Agriculture
20 Recent Mexican Wolf Numbers Warrant a Change in Direction
Source US Fish & Wildlife Service
22 Interior Suspends Biden Solicitor’s Opinions, Including on Birds by Bobby Magill, Bloomberg Law
18 Dairy Feature
25 Wyoming’s Budd-Falen Returning to Interior by Rachel Gabel, The Fence Post Assistant Editor
25 $20,000 in Student Scholarships Offered by Purina Animal Nutrition
29 Cargill Pushes Back Against Using Beef Tallow to Replace Seed Oils by Frank Fuhrig, meatingplace.com
30 EPA Launches Biggest Deregulatory Action in U.S. History
Source EPA
36 Grass Tetany
Bob Larson, DVM, PhD Reproductive Pysiologist and Epidemiologist Beef Cattle Institute, KSU
37 Supreme Court Rules Utah Doesn’t Have a Right to Its Own Land by Kathleen Marquardt, American Policy Center
44 Grady Green Elected IBBA President for 2025–2026
46 Torching Teslas by Craig Rucke, CFACT
47 Administrator Zeldin Announces EPA Will Revise Waters of the United States Rule
Source EPA
48 Global Beef Demand Shifts Focus to Exports Over Domestic Markets in South America
Source RABO Bank
62 Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo Introduces Culture,Tradition by Zach Alvira, PSN Editor & Digital Media Specialist
66 Addison Kinser New Mexico High School Rodeo Association by Julie Carter
67 Bill Gates Says AI Will Eliminate Most Jobs Except For Coders, Energy Experts And Biologists by Rhoda Wilson, The Expose
68 Rayce Griggs New Mexico Junior High School Rodeo Association by Julie Carter
71 Hodges Livestock by Heather Smith Thomas
74 Water Based Versus Property Based BLM Grazing Permits by Mike Casabonne
on the cover
No cowboy is complete without a trusty dog. Edna Harper’s “Not Leaving Me Home” depicts one of those furry friends. Edna grew up in a world of cowboys, horses, western tack, and broad mountain vistas under a big sky. This is reflected in the images she paints and draws in her oils, watercolors, pastels, and pencil drawings. One of six daughters of a western New Mexico ranch family, Edna lived in Quemado, NM, as a child. There she absorbed the imagery of the West while she taught herself to draw and paint. Edna was encouraged by family and friends to enter her work in the local county fair. To her surprise, she won many awards including best of show. That was in 1980, she has been entering shows and winning awards ever since. Edna also learned the art of silversmithing from Frances Begay a noted silversmith. For this and Edna’s other work, contact her at PO Box 239, Elephant Butte, NM 87935, 505-240-3891, edna@ednaharper.com or visit ednaharper.com
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by Tom Patterson NMCGA President-Elect PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Bronson Corn President Roswell
Tom Paterson President-Elect Luna
Dave Kenneke NW Vice President Cimarron
Jeff Decker SE Vice President Lovington
Roy Farr SW Vice President Datil
Cliff Copeland NE Vice President Nara Visa
Becky King-Spindle Vice President at Large Moriarty
Shacey Sullivan Secretary/Treasurer Peralta
Loren Patterson Immediate Past President Corona
Randell Major Past President
Dear Cattle Growers and Friends,
As I write this, the Legislature is about to enter its final week. By the time you receive the Stockman, we should know the final results and the fate of the bills that went to the Governor’s desk.
Sixty days at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe is intense. Days start early. They go late. Our volunteer legislators are tired. They need and deserve a break. Please thank them for their service. On the merits, we’ll be distributing our legislative score cards during April so you can see how they voted on Cattle Growers’ priorities.
Throughout the legislative session, you’ve had a presence here. That continues a long Cattle Grower tradition. It’s a tradition that isn’t just about showing up and passively monitoring developments. It’s a tradition that includes active lobbying, which means going to the Roundhouse with the legislative positions you’ve authorized (policy from the ground up), developing our asks, helping sponsors carry those bills, reviewing bills, developing speaking points, testifying for or against bills, and meeting one-on-one with legislators and agency representatives about bills and modifications to them.
Is it worth it? Our weekly updates on Fridays have provided you with specific results on the status of the offensive and the defensive priorities we set. But there’s more to it. Throughout this session, there have been countless instances when the legislators in committee or on the floor of the Senate or House have referred to Cattle Growers or even asked bill sponsors if they have discussed the bill with Cattle Growers. Legislators know how to reach us with questions on bills, and they do.
They know that we come here to represent you on the production issues that matter to our industry and that matter to the rural communities in which we live. Your voice is heard. Our team doesn’t do it alone. Your response to calls to action is invaluable. We also work alongside allies to get the job done. We may not agree with those allies on all matters but when our interests align, we work together.
What next? After a short season of rest, our legislators start the cycle over again with interim committee meetings around the state. In January 2026, they’ll begin a 30-day session that will focus on the budget. For Cattle Growers’, we need to have our budget asks ready to go before a fall deadline, have facts and speaking points assembled, and have sponsors lined up to support us. Please be thinking about that and tell us.
My thanks to you, our passionate legislative team and particularly to our understanding families for your support and encouragement.
It’s time for me to go work cattle at Luna.
Sinceramente, Tom Paterson
JUST
THE FACTS ... & THEN SOME
by Caren Cowan, Publisher New Mexico Stockman
Wolves, Wolves, Wolves
We have often written about wolves in New Mexico and Arizona. Now other states are experiencing an intolerable level of wolf depredation in Colorado and California. Oregon has long had wolf problems. Hopefully a head is building that will create some positive actions for ranchers across the West.
Meanwhile back in New Mexico ‘tis the season for increased wolf activity. The Catron County Sheriff has put out a notice to the County’s residents noting “there has been a material increase in Mexican wolf activity county-wide.
“Mexican wolves have been seen sporadically near schools and developed areas, and pets have been snatched from front yards in
residential areas.”
According to the Sheriff, Wildlife Services’ efforts to haze the wolves away from residential areas and livestock have not been effective. Residents have been warned of this immediate health and safety hazard to individuals and property. Constant supervision of children and pets has been advised. In the past safe houses were constructed for children waiting on school buses.
A Special Meeting of the Catron County Board of County Commissioners has been called for April 3, 2025 to take necessary action to deal with these threats.
KRQE television has reported that at least one wolf has headed north of Interstate 40. As of March 27, the female was about 20 miles north of I-40 near Mount Taylor. The news report advised its viewers:
Because Mexican gray wolves are listed and protected as federally endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), landowners and members of the public cannot harm, trap, or kill them unless the wolf actively poses a threat to human safety. Violating the ESA can result in a civil penalty of up to $25,000 or a criminal penalty of up to $50,000 and one year in prison. If you see a Mexican wolf, leave it alone, and contact the Department of Game and Fish hotline at 1-800-432-4263.
The US Fish & Wildlife Services has jurisdiction over the wolf and is actively monitoring her location. The service issued the following statement regarding the wolf:
“Female wolf 2996 was captured in January as part of annual aerial count and capture operations. During efforts to release her, F2996 managed to escape her crate and self-released west of Show Low, Arizona. Since then, F2996 has made large dispersal movements across Arizona and New Mexico. She is currently approximately 20 miles north of I-40 and continues to make large movements. We are monitoring her movements to see if she returns to her pack. There are no plans to capture F2996 at this time.”
Confusion Reigns: Horse Protection Act
We have previously reported on the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Horse Protection Act regulatory revisions. Last month the word was that the comment period on the revisions had been extended to April 2, 2025.
Since then a federal court has vacated several of the provisions of the proposed regs, including the prohibition on all action devices, the banning of all substances, and the dermatologic conditions indicative of soring provision.
There will be no regulatory changes between last show season and the upcoming 2025 show season. APHIS is considering next steps, including an additional postponement, and we expect to solicit additional stakeholder input.
Here’s the confusing part. After making the previous statement, the USDA adds: USDA will implement or continue the following practices for the 2025 show season:
Ї USDA will exercise its enforcement discretion with regard to violations of the scar rule (9 CFR § 11.3(b)) as it did for the 2017 to 2023 show seasons.
USDA will only cite a scar rule non-compliance based on nonuniformly thickened epithelial tissue on the posterior surfaces of the pastern when hair loss is also present. The scar rule generally requires the pasterns to be free of evidence of inflammation, including areas of non-uniformly thickened tissue. Please see the full scar rule regulation 9 CFR § 11.2.
Ї When a horse is disqualified for non-compliance with the Horse Protection Regulations, horse industry organizations (HIOs) are reminded this disqualification is for the entire event.
Ї When a USDA Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO) inspects a horse and finds the horse unilaterally sore or finds an equipment non-compliance, the VMO may refer that horse to a Designated Qualified Person (DQP) for a second inspection. However, when a DQP inspects a horse and passes the horse as compliant, the VMO will not return the horse to a DQP for a re-inspection.
Ї USDA will alert HIOs to DQP performance concerns for follow-up. USDA also requires HIOs to enforce that only the horse, the rider, the groom, and the trainer are allowed in the warm-up area.
Ї As a reminder, all substances are prohibited on the extremities above the hoof of Tennessee Walking horses and racking horses except lubricants that are provided by event management and applied after the horse has been inspected. Fly spray, show sheen, and other similar substances may be applied to areas other than the extremities.
Ї USDA will continue using technologies such as on-site prohibited substance testing and digital radiography in addition to physical inspection procedures. We do not anticipate using ultrasound or thermography this season.
Ї APHIS encourages all participants in HPA-covered events to review the prohibitions contained in the regulations at www.ecfr.gov/current/ title-9/chapter-I/subchapter-A/ part-11#11.2 (9 CFR § 11.2). ▫
Cattle Handling - Ruth Woiwode, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Natural Resources Update - Karen Budd-Falen
Joint Luncheon - Topic: Aging in Rural New Mexico
NMCGA Board of Directors Meeting
MC M Elegant e Lodg e & Resort 10 7 Sierr a Blanc a Dr , Ruidoso , N M 88345
575 - 2 5 8 - 550 0
Characters
As the New Mexico CowBelles (NMCB)story continues to be told, the one thing we cannot do without is the characters, our local, state and associate members. And the partnerships with other organizations that help us be successful.
The characters in the NMCB story have such different backgrounds and personalities. The one thing they have in common in the story though is that they all have one common goal, promote and educate about beef.
What an incredible role we each get to play in doing this. We each get to bring our strengths and use them to help NMCB go forward in all that it is created to do. No matter where we live in the state or how we fit, each role is so important. And I hope that each of our members feel that their character is of vital importance to tell the story of NMCB.
We appreciate each one of you and we couldn’t do it without you! See y’all down the trail. Blessings,
–Corrina Casler, NM Cowbelles President
The Yucca CowBelles and Wool Growers held the monthly meeting February 25, 2025, in Artesia at CVE at 10:00 a.m. Ande Marbach was hostess. Meeting was called to order by President Joan Kincaid. There were 12 members in attendance. Kyler Bowerman led the Pledge of Allegiance. Karen Patterson read the CowBelle Creed. Minutes of previous meeting were read and approved. Tricia Monk gave Treasurers report. Correspondence was shared. Joan announced some yearbooks to be distributed. Grammy’s House donations were collected to be delivered after the meeting. Karen Patterson gave a report on Wool Judging in which Addison Folmar competed and placed first. Further discussion was had on 4-H and FFA activities and accomplishments. District meeting, to be hosted by Yucca in Artesia discussed and plans finalized. Everyone will bring a nice door prize. Quilt show at the Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center at 2:00 p.m. Carol Gutierrez has a few quilts on display there, including her Weather Quilt which is quite impressive. Meeting adjourned at 11:15. The program was presented by CowBelle Man of the Year, Eddy County Extension Agent Wayne Shockey who presented a very interesting and informative program using some of the fantastic new teaching resources that were purchased for Agriculture Science education to be used in the schools and other areas where there is
interest. He brought a model of a cow that came apart showing the muscular system, all organs and skeletal system of a cow, along with all the different cuts of meat. He also has all other livestock models including pigs. It was interesting he noted that pigs are not deemed livestock in New Mexico. It was an awesome program enjoyed by all. Respectfully submitted, Tina Kincaid Secretary
The Chamiza CowBelles’ March meeting was called to order by President Sharon Luna with 10 members present. Kelton led the Pledge of Allegiance while Sherry led Prayer and Creed. February’s minutes approved as presented. Nancy, currently in Wyoming, enjoying a new great grand baby, Isabella. Nancy will give the Treasurer’s report at the April meeting. Sharon gave a Legislative Report: Senator Woods is working a Vet Repay Program for those wishing to attend veterinary school. The livestock board, for the first time in 20 years, will be adjusting their fees. The biggest increase is about $20. They’ve also discussed making diseases found on ranches confidential. A new Secretary of Education was announced. Sharon nominated Julian Marta for “Man of the Year” and suggested Sara Marta be nominated for “Diamond in the Rough.” Sharon gave an update on billboard discussed several months ago. While she provided a heavy quote, it was discussed of splitting the cost with two other organizations. An update to come soon. Kelton has been revising the scholarship requirements. She discussed these revisions and reasons to support. That hard work resulted in the group adopting the revisions. She will be sending the application requirements to Julian Marta and the school counselor as soon as possible. To be on the Scholarship Committee, please get in touch with Kelton or Nancy. Ag Day is, April 25th at the Sherriff’s Posse Arena. Chamiza will check with Jenny Sheppard on how to help, but having personnel on the ground might be the best option. Jo Dell/Sherry reported last year (2024) the group raised $855 for the St. Paul’s Pantry. Attendees were saddened to hear of the loss of a ranching community staple and member of Chamiza Cowbelles, Gloria Peterson. She will be missed dearly within our lives. It was decided to donate up to $300 towards her memorial services. That date has not been set yet, as per a family member. A reminder – provide ideas as soon as possible on how the group can donate to support the fair this year. It will be voted on at the June meeting. The next meeting is April 3, 2025, 12 p.m. at Johnny B’s Restaurant. Remember to bring Bullocks receipts and a friend! Great things are happening, and all should be involved! The meeting was adjourned at 12:50 p.m. Destiny Sanders won
the door prize.
The Mesilla Valley CowBelles conducted monthly meeting virtually due to wind. From the January meeting: Dues due asap if they have not paid. Group received $1000 donation to use that for Beef education items. If you know of web sites that have beef education items, please send them to us. Fita & Mary Esther presenting @ Dona Ana Elementary: “Steak for a Few”. Cowboy Days at Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum: March 7 for school kids, March 8 for public. Women in Agriculture Conference will be in Ruidoso at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, April 30-May 2, 2025. More information: nmflb.org/ Get-Involved/Womens-Leadership-Program/ WALC-2025 . New Items: Pat Nowlin Scholarship applications are due April 15. Western District Workshop will be on April 5 in Silver City. See below for registration details and deadline to register. If anyone is interested, Mary Esther is suggesting traveling on Friday, spend the night, and return to Las Cruces Saturday after the workshop. Register at newmexicocowbelles.wildapricot.org/ event-6089850. Traci Curry shared: The National Ag in the Classroom Conference registration will be open soon: agclassroom. org/conference. Mary Esther is planning on attending and meeting is always a great way to learn about new resources for education. Maybe the CowBelles could sponsor attendees? We will be celebrating a NM teacher as a National Teacher of Excellence this year. Here are some other educational presentations along with supplemental resources for beef education: newmexico.agclassroom.org/ matrix/search_result/&search_term=beef. In particular there is a ranch starter kit that I always thought was interesting, but the resource page with it is geared for Utah. It would be great for the CowBelles to adapt one to NM. Also, teaching about ruminant animals is also a great way to help more people understand the value they bring to land use and food security. Submitted by Gretchen Lindsay
New Mexico CowBelles: Thank you to all who have submitted their news to Jingle Jangle. As a reminder, 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. Have a great year! ▫
Wayne Shockey, Eddy County Extension Agent
Rising Beef Prices & Demand Fuel Big Change for the Dairy Industry
by Taylor Leach, Dairy Herd Management Beef Demand Drives More Crossbreds
Despite the U.S. beef cattle inventory hitting a 64-year low, strong consumer demand has propelled beef prices to record highs throughout 2024 and into 2025.
“We’re sitting here today coming out of 2024 with higher per-capita beef consumption than we had in 2022, and we thought that was the cycle high. And yet, we are pushing record-high beef prices—demand is exceptionally good,” Lance Zimmerman, a senior beef analyst at RaboBank.
With beef prices remaining strong, dairy producers have fine-tuned their repro programs to capitalize on these market conditions. Many are utilizing sexed dairy semen on their highest-performing cows to ensure a steady supply of replacement heifers while breeding the rest of the herd with beef semen.
This approach results in crossbred calves better suited for beef production, offering improved feed efficiency, enhanced carcass characteristics, and greater market appeal compared to straight dairy steers.
The Ripple Effect
Even as more dairy producers adopt beefon-dairy breeding strategies, overall calf
numbers have remained stable. “We had a very prolific cow herd last year,” Zimmerman noted. “And I think part of that is due to the beef-on-dairy mix. We’re keeping these cattle viable longer and managing them more intentionally with better health, genetics, and overall care throughout the system.”
One notable outcome of this shift on the dairy side of the equation is a tighter supply of dairy replacement heifers, which has contributed to rising prices. “We have dairy replacement heifers that have hit $4,000 a head in some areas,” Zimmerman said, emphasizing the supply constraints caused by more selective breeding practices.
USDA data confirms this supply squeeze. The latest annual Cattle Report revealed that as of January 1, only 3.914 million dairy heifers were available nationwide—a 0.9 percent drop from the previous year and the lowest inventory recorded since 1978. Additionally, USDA made a significant downward revision to its 2024 estimate, cutting its projection by 108,000 heifers to 3.951 million.
Another factor influencing cattle supply is the ongoing decline in veal production. “We’ve seen a long-term trend of fewer calves going into veal production, and that’s expedited in recent years,” Zimmerman noted. This shift means that more dairy progeny calves are staying in the fed cattle supply, further reinforcing the beef-on-dairy movement.
Beef Demand Holds Strong
While the genetic landscape of the beef supply chain is transforming, consumer demand remains resilient. “The strength of demand has been incredible—beef demand is at 30-year highs,” Zimmerman said. He points out that, despite rising prices, beef remains relatively affordable compared to historical income ratios.
“In 2014- through 2015, the average consumer had to work 14 and a half minutes to afford a pound of beef. In 2024, they only had to work 13 minutes.”
With consumer demand for beef remaining strong, the beef-on-dairy sector has become a crucial asset to the beef industry. It has also helped dairy farmers diversify by adding a second source of income during a time when milk price margins continue to remain tight.
Economic Report: State’s Agriculture Industry Shows Growth
The ninth annual Feeding the Economy report, released today by a coalition of 36 food and agriculture organizations, highlights the significant economic contributions of New Mexico’s agricultural sector.
This comprehensive farm-to-fork economic analysis reveals substantial growth in key metrics despite ongoing challenges. According to the 2025 report, New Mexico’s food and agriculture industries generated:
Ї $45 billion in total economic impact (up 4.4 percent from $43.12 billion in 2024).
Ї $12.9 billion in wages (up 9.3 percent from $11.8 billion in 2024).
Ї $4.8 billion in business taxes.
Ї $301.8 million in exports (up 22.1 percent from $247.1 million in 2024).
Ї 253,529 jobs statewide.
“Our state’s food and agriculture industry is a thriving, integral component of the local economy, as this latest report shows increases in exports, wages and overall economic impact of the ag industry,” said New Mexico Agriculture Sec. 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.”
Nationally, the food and agriculture sectors contributed $9.5 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2025, representing 18.7 percent of total economic output. The report also notes that since the pandemic, the agriculture industry has demonstrated remarkable
resilience, increasing its economic output by nearly 25 percent despite global supply chain challenges.
The complete 2025 Feeding the Economy report, including detailed state-by-state analysis and additional statements from industry leaders, is available at: www.FeedingTheEconomy.com.
About the Feeding the Economy Report
The annual Feeding the Economy report is sponsored by a coalition of leading food and agriculture organizations including the American Farm Bureau Federation, FMI –The Food Industry Association, National Restaurant Association, and 33 other industry groups. The report provides comprehensive data on the economic contributions of the U.S. food and agriculture sectors from farm to fork.
DOJ Launches Task Force to Target Anticompetitive Food, Agriculture Regulations
by Chris Moore / meatingplace.com
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has launched the Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force to identify and challenge state and federal regulations that “hinder competition,” including in the food and agriculture sectors.
Citing rising grocery prices — up 27 percent by the end of the Biden administration — the division aims to eliminate rules that it says restrict farmers, ranchers and growers from increasing food production and lowering consumer costs. The task force will solicit public input and work with agencies to revise or remove these regulations.
The initiative follows two executive orders directing federal agencies to review and eliminate unnecessary regulations that create barriers to business growth. In addition to food and agriculture, the task force will target regulations in housing, transportation, healthcare and energy.
The public can submit comments through www.Regulations.gov by May 26. ▫
online at www.dairyproducersnm.com or email dponm1@gmail.com with questions or to receive forms/information
Recent Mexican Wolf Numbers Warrant a Change in Direction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released its Mexican wolf count as of December 31, 2024. The Service estimates that there are at least 286 Mexican wolves running wild in Arizona and New Mexico. That’s in addition to close to 350 wolves held in captivity.
The Service has said in the past that its estimate of wolves on the ground is probably understated by at least 10 percent. If so, the real number is closer to 315 wolves. Of those wolves, experience indicates that at least sixty percent of the wolves are in New Mexico. Of that number, approximately 90 percent are in Catron County.
According to New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association President-Elect Tom Paterson, a Catron County cattle rancher, “these numbers are not a surprise to the people who live and work in wolf country. These wolves are killing cattle. My latest wolf kill was a yearling steer, two weeks ago, 200 yards from
Hooper Cattle ompany
my house. But that is not all. These wolves are becoming so habituated that they are stalking our school in Reserve, wandering our streets, killing pets off our citizens’ front porches near Quemado and killing our children’s horses.”
The Service’s objective for the number of wolves on ground is 320 wolves. If the average is at least 320 wolves over four years, the Service will downlist the Mexican wolf to threatened status. If the average is at least 320 wolves on average over 8 years and if Mexico establishes a population of 200 wolves on average over 4 years, the Service will delist the Mexican wolf and turn management over to the States.
Paterson says that there are many questions the Service needs to answer:
“Given that there are now almost 320 wolves on the landscape, how does the Service plan to change its management to reduce the threat and losses from these wolves?
“More specifically, is the Service going to begin releasing location information so ranchers will know where the wolves are so we can protect our livestock and find our dead cattle? “
“Is the Service going to revoke its recently adopted evidentiary standards for Mexican wolf depredations and go back to the standards that had been in place for 20 years before the Service made it harder last fall to confirm such depredations?”
“Given all the threats to people and domesticated animals that these wolves present, is the Service willing to finally start issuing lethal removal orders for specific wolves?”
“Over the past few years, wolf recovery program costs have been running at approximately $4 million per year. What is the Service’s estimate of future wolf recovery program costs?”
“Finally, is the Service protecting crosses between wolves and coyotes or wolves and dogs? It’s abundantly clear that some percentage of these so-called wolves really aren’t and that taxpayers are subsidizing it.”
Paterson concluded, “these are questions that deserve thoughtful answers from the Service. Honest answers should warrant a change in direction.” ▫
Interior Suspends Biden Solicitor’s Opinions,
by Bobby Magill, Bloomberg Law
The Interior Department has suspended all 20 Biden administration Interior Solicitor’s memorandum opinions to allow for the Trump administration to review them for conflicts with its politicies. The suspension, which was effective Feb-
ruary 28 according to a memo posted online, affects the department’s “M-opinions,” legal opinions that guide Interior Department actions. The memo does not revoke the opinions.
The suspensions include Interior’s interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act • Legal For Trade •
and Stationary Scales •
of 1918, limits on offshore oil and gas leasing, the revocation of Twin Metals Minnesota LLC’s mineral leases for a proposed copper mine, wildlife refuge land exchanges, water rights at a Colorado national park, and various Native American rights questions, among other issues.
Biden administration M-opinions reflected its view of law regarding numerous regulations, decisions and policies, but they “may not reflect the best interpretation of applicable law and may conflict with current policy priorities,” according to the suspension memo, signed by Gregory Zerzan, a senior adviser exercising delegated authority of the Interior Solicitor.
The suspensions are effective until a review is complete, and Interior bureaus shouldn’t rely on them without guidance from the Solicitor’s Office, Zerzan wrote.
The Interior Department in an email called the suspensions a routine process that ensure the opinions align with Trump’s policies.
One of the most consequential of the suspended opinions is the Biden administration’s interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which blocked oil and gas companies from killing birds incidental to their drilling and fracking operations.
Ninety percent of migratory bird deaths are related to oil and gas operations, US Fish and Wildlife Service officials said in 2021. The agency permits some bird killings necessary for industrial activity, deaths known as “incidental take.”
The first Trump administration issued an M-opinion in 2017 saying the MBTA punishes only intentional bird killings, a reversal of the Interior Department’s century-old interpretation of the MBTA. A federal judge threw out that opinion in 2020, saying it fails to align with the act’s intent.
In one of the most sweeping uses of the MBTA, the Obama administration fined BP Plc $100 million for accidentally killing many thousands of birds as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. ▫
Beef Class at Eldorado High School
More than 130 students in Jerome Aragon’s culinary classes learned about beef basics. New Mexico Beef Council (NMBC) presented to four separate classes on Beef Nutrition, Tri-Tip Grilling, Cattle Ranching, and the Beef Industry in New Mexico. Carollann Romo, NMBC, engaged the students with an interactive Q&A game, explained the checkoff and how those dollars are spent to promote beef. Chef Noah Scanland gave a hands-on demonstration on the tri-tip cut, seasoning and cooking methods for grilling or smoking, internal temperatures for medium rare, and proper slicing against the grain. Eddie Behrends and Kayla Sjoberg from the New Mexico Livestock Board shared on the meat inspection program and humane cattle raising practices. Kate Schulz, NMBC’s Registered Dietician, discussed beef and healthy eating by creating a balanced plate, nutrition needs for teenagers, and how to look for lean beef cuts. The students plated up the grilled tritip, asparagus, and chimichurri; then served it up for all to enjoy.
(505) 841-9407
WWW.NMBEEF.COM
Local Chefs and Ranchers Throwdown at the Smackdown
A sold-out crowd in Santa Fe savored amazing flavors from grass-finished dishes created by local chefs at the inaugural foodie event put on by edible New Mexico in March. Chefs were paired with local grass-finished ranchers for this tasting competition featuring beef, lamb, and goat. Attendees were able to meet the ranchers and chefs behind the food that they were tasting and voting for. The New Mexico Beef Council sponsored this event and shared BEEF resources on cuts, recipes, pairings and nutrition. New Mexico CowBelle Beef Ambassadors Natalie Smith and Elia Encinias handed out spice rub for cooking steaks, local beef jerky samples, and a $5 off Beef Coupon. They did an amazing job representing the beef industry while interacting with booth visitors. Chef David Sellers from Horno Restaurant in Santa Fe and SILE Pastures Ranchers Sage and Andrea won the coveted People’s Choice Award for the delectable “Frikadelle Beef Sliders”.
SANTE FE RESTAURANT WEEK
Our capital city hosted their annual restaurant week and this year there was a beefy bonus with a $5 coupon for any beef item ordered by a couponholding customer. The goal was to encourage people to try new beef dishes and focus on beef on their special night out in Santa Fe. We also sponsored a beef cooking class with Chef Johnny Vee partnering with Trilogy Beef to teach people some new beef recipes and highlight beef in the kitchen classroom.
We've created a popular local beef directory. If you'd like to be included, please scan the QR code join today.
Wyoming’s Budd-Falen Returning to Interior
by Rachel Gabel, The Fence Post Assistant Editor
Wyoming private property rights attorney Karen Budd-Falen is, for the second time, headed to D.C. to a post with the Department of the Interior for President Trump. Budd-Falen said she has agreed to serve as the Department of the Interior’s associate deputy secretary.
During the first Trump administration, she served as the DOI’s deputy solicitor, where she provided counsel to DOI and former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.
“I was the attorney for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Park Service, so I was giving legal counsel on issues related to those two branches,” she said. “This time, I have a broader portfolio.”
As associate deputy secretary, she’ll be called on for issues within the DOI with the exception of oil and gas and Indian Affairs.
She previously also served the DOI during the Reagan administration as a special assistant. At that time, she worked on Bureau of Land Management wilderness policy, grazing fees for BLM land, and a program called asset management, identifying the small tracts of federally owned land that was expensive and difficult for BLM to manage. By identifying those small tracts that were often surrounded by privately owned land, land exchanges could be negotiated.
She said the Federal Land Management and Policy Act, passed in 1976, does not grant the authority for the sale of large tracts of federally owned land without Congressional approval or a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. It does allow for the exchange of public land for private land if the exchange is in the public interest, but the sale of huge tracts of land is outside the legal authority of federal agencies.
Property Rights Advocate
Budd-Falen has a long history as a private practice attorney defending private property rights. She anticipates that once she is in D.C. in the coming days, she will have questions about the BLM, Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Taylor Grazing Act
come across her desk.
“I know the secretary is interested in working on endangered species, particularly coming up with regulations that make it easier for private landowners to do voluntary agreements to protect endangered species,” she said. “Right now, if a landowner wants to do something voluntary for sage grouse or some other species, it takes an average of four years to get that through the bureaucracy. That’s just simply too long.”
Public Land Use
Budd-Falen isn’t looking forward to leaving the Wyoming ranch for the city, but said she is excited for the opportunity to work for a president and a secretary who are interested in working to make public lands more usable — not just for oil and gas, but for all users.
“I also think Interior has some regulations that are far afield from Congressional intent,” she said. “We’re going to be working on pulling that back, particularly with the Supreme Court decision of Loper, which withdrew the Chevron deference doctrine.”
Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo curtailed the power of federal agencies by overturning the 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Under the Chevron doctrine, a court was required to uphold the agency’s interpretation of a statute.
She said she’s pleased with the current and potential Interior staffers who are familiar with the working West, which isn’t always the case.
“Their heart may totally be in the right place, but unless you know how long it takes to get to Walmart from one of these little towns, none of this makes any sense,” she said.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Bergum was confirmed at the end of January, with more the half of Senate Democrats joining Republicans in a 79-18 vote. The former North Dakota governor has been tapped to boost fossil fuel production with a promise to “drill, baby, drill.” ▫
$20,000 in Student Scholarships Offered by Purina Animal Nutrition
Purina Animal Nutrition, along with the Land O’Lakes Foundation, has reopened its annual scholarship program designed to assist students with experience in livestock production and animal stewardship in pursuing their passions and furthering their education.
Undergraduate students and current high school seniors who have experience raising and caring for small or large livestock, equine and/or poultry are eligible to apply for a $5,000 scholarship. Four students will be awarded based on applications that illustrate the impact animal agriculture has had on their lives along with details on academic achievements, leadership skills, community involvement and a clear vision for their future.
Scholarship applications will be accepted March 18 through April 17, and awardees will be notified in June. Funds will be distributed for the Fall 2025 semester at their current or anticipated educational institution. The scholarship is open to all high school seniors who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic semester/term and undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.
To learn more about and apply to the Purina Animal Nutrition Scholarship, visit purinamills.com/ scholarship
ROSWELL LIVESTOCK AUCTION SALES, INC. & 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
ATTENTION RECEIVNG STATION CUSTOMERS, To be able to schedule trucking, all cattle need to be permitted by 1:00 p.m.
LORDSBURG, NM
20 Bar Livestock Highway #90 at NM #3 – East side of highway. Receiving cattle for transport 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month. Smiley Wooton, 575622-5580 office, 575-626-6253 cell.
PECOS, TX
Jason Heritage is now receiving cattle every Sunday. For information to unload contact Jason Heritage 575-840-9544 or Smiley Wooton 575-6266253. Receiving cattle every Sunday.
VAN HORN, TX
800 West 2nd, 5 blocks west of Courthouse. Bob Kinford, 432-284-1553. Receiving cattle 1st & 3rd Sundays.
MORIARTY, NM
Two blocks east and one block south of Tillery Chevrolet. Smiley Wooton 575-622-5580 office, 575-626-6253 mobile. Receiving cattle every Sunday
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. Smiley Wooton 575-626-6253.
by Labradoodle Bennington, III
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has filed in federal court to intervene in a suit filed by Texas to remove the endangered listing of the dunes sagebrush lizard. The suit was filed in September 2024.
The lizard was originally identified as a candidate for Endangered Species Act listing in 1982. In 2002 the Center submitted a petition to place the lizard on the endangered species list.
Prompted by the Center’s follow-up litigation, the US Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) proposed to protect the lizard in 2010. However, the agency denied the lizard protection after the Texas Comptroller’s Office developed a non-binding conservation agreement that purported to safeguard some of the animal’s habitat.
When that plan failed, in 2018, the Center again petitioned for protection and the Service issued an initial finding that a listing was warranted. But it took another lawsuit in 2022 to prompt a final rulemaking. In May 2024 the Service designated the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered.
The lizards are found in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico that includes part of the Permian Basin, which over the last decade has been one of world’s fastest-growing oil and gas fields. The 2.5-inch-long species has the second-smallest range of any lizard in North America, inhabiting a rare ecosystem where it hunts insects and spiders in wind-blown dunes. It burrows into the sand beneath low-lying shinnery oak shrubs for protection from extreme temperatures.
USDA To Limit Exemptions in Retail Sale of Meat to Hotels, Restaurants
by Chris Scott, meatingplace.com
Retail stores that sell meat and poultry products directly to hotels, restaurants and similar institutions will face new rules next month, according to an announcement from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The agency is setting new dollar limitations on the amount of meat and poultry products that stores can sell to these specific institutions without disqualifying themselves from exemptions from Federal inspection requirements. USDA already has a comprehensive statutory framework to make sure that meat products made for commerce are safe and properly labeled, FSIS said in the announcement.
Those regulations disqualify a retail store from exemption if the retail products exceed either 25 percent of the dollar value of the total retail product sales or the retail dollar limitation set by the FSIS Administrator. The retail dollar limitation is adjusted annually based on any changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the 2024 level for meat and poultry products climbed by 2.85 percent, or more than $500. The increase prompted the agency to increase the dollar limitation on sales to hotels, restaurants and similar institutions to $103,000 for meat and $74,800 for poultry and poultry products for calendar 2025, effective April 10.
South Dakota Beef Sector Applauds New State Law
by Lisa M. Keefe, meatingplace.com
CInitiative in South Dakota expressed appreciation for the new state law that will prohibit the use of state money for the research, production, promotion, sale or distribution of cultivated meat, though public universities are exempt and can use funds for research.
South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed HB1118 into law in February.
In a news release, Breeauna Sagdal, senior writer and research fellow for the Beef Ini-
tiative, said “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with South Dakota lawmakers, as well as our new federal partners through the MAHA coalition.”
Governor Rhoden had previously signed into law a bill that requires products made with cultivated meat to feature a prominent label stating as much.
by Lee Pitts
Good Grazin’
Researchers say Americans are dramatically changing our eating habits. For example, did you know that only 15 percent of our meals require the use of an oven? And the traditional three-meal-a-day regimen is disappearing faster than a cowboy’s wages. The fastest growing segment of our new diet is just that... fast food.
Pillsbury coined a phrase to describe this new breed of eaters, they call them “Chase and Grabbits” and they currently represent 26 percent of all eaters. These are young urbanites who live alone or with roommates. If married, they’re childless and both spouses work. They simply don’t have the time, money or desire to eat three traditional meals at home.
It’s not just cows that graze these days as
“grazing” has become the hottest trend amongst those of us who like to eat, which includes most of us. Grazing might be new to urbanites but it’s nothing new to cowboys. I’ve been on a lot of ranches and I gotta say I’ve only seen a handful of obese cowboys and I think I know why. Have you ever seen a Thermos or a lunch bucket tied to the saddle of a real cowboy? I haven’t. Most cowboys I know eat two meals a day. They might eat a big breakfast in the morning before heading out for the day or they might skip breakfast and have a big noonday meal. (Let’s get something straight right off the bat. In my neck of the woods the meal you eat at noon is called lunch but elsewhere it’s called dinner which we eat at supper, which I’ve never eaten in my life because I eat dinner. Got it? Good, I’m glad we got that straight.)
I call this trend of eating two meals a day the ‘Starve and Gorge Diet’. Neither my wife or I have ever been fat. My Doctor said that a man my age (73) should weigh what he weighed in high school, which was 155 pounds and that is what I weigh now. One of the keys to my being thin is I spent a lot of time at my Grandparent’s home and my wonderful Grandma, bless her beautiful soul, was not what you’d call a great cook. Her three favorite ingredients were salt, ketchup
and burnt. I swear she sometimes served up meals that would have killed a hog and I attribute this as to why my Grandpa and I were thin our entire adult lives.
As for my wife, she’s always maintained a fabulous figure and she does it by watching her carbs and skipping breakfast. And sometimes she even skips dinner if she has eaten a large meal at lunch. She doesn’t snack during the day and by following this diet she is in perfect health.
The Indians are also sporadic eaters and they say that we English uninvited interlopers are the only people on Earth who look at their watch to see if they are hungry. They make a good point. How many times have you promptly sat down to your evening meal when you just weren’t all that hungry but your wife had set the table for two with food for five and you had to eat every crumb or else your wife got hurt because you “didn’t like her cooking?” And the next day when you weighed yourself the scale groaned.
I used to travel with a guy who lived by the Starve and Gorge Diet and he usually ate only one meal a day that he usually got some poor sucker to pay for. (Me, in most cases.) Although he was skinny, the proprietors who owned the all-you-can-eat buffets that are popular in New Mexico cringed when they saw him coming and tried to hang up a
closed sign before he could enter. One such owner said that my buddy was the 12 best customers he ever had. He’s the only person I know who ate the 72-ounce steak at the Big Texan in Amarillo thereby getting it for free.
I thought of trying to do the same thing one time when I was in Amarillo and was so hungry I could eat a saddle blanket but my frugal nature prevented it because if you don’t eat the steak and all the fixins in one hour you have to pay for all of it. ▫
Cargill Pushes Back Against Using Beef Tallow to Replace Seed Oils
by Frank Fuhrig, meatingplace.com
One goal of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative may prove difficult to realize. That’s the message Cargill is sending when it when it comes to criticism of the use of cooking oils.
Kennedy, a long-time critic of seed oils, has praised beef tallow as a healthier cooking oil and has linked the abandonment of tallow in the 1990s to the rise in obesity.
In comments to Bloomberg, however, Cargill CTO Florian Schattenmann said that transitioning from seed oils to tallow would prove difficult for the current food market.
Seed-oil production, according to Schattenmann, is 20 times that of the edible-oil market, and “the next best alternatives together are, like, five percent of the total volumes.”
Only palm oil, Schattenmann continued, has the “size and scale” to meet current demand. According to USDA data, 75.6 million pounds of tallow were refined in December, compared to 1.2 billion pounds of soybean oil.
Refined seed oils are a common ingredient in many meat products, especially in the RTE and NTRE categories.
Cargill also told Meatingplace that it is innovating and growing its tallow business to provide consumers with additional options for their choosing. The company said it believes consumers should have options.
EPA Launches Biggest Deregulatory Action in U.S. History
Source: EPA
On March 12 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will undertake 31 historic actions in the
promise to unleash American energy, lower cost of living for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to states to make their own decisions.
“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
“Alongside President Trump, we are living up to our promises to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, and work handin-hand with our state partners to advance our shared mission,” added EPA Administrator Zeldin.
These historic actions will roll back trillions in regulatory costs and hidden “taxes”
American auto jobs. The Biden and Obama era regulations being reconsidered have suffocated nearly every single sector of the American economy.
EPA Administrator Zeldin announced the following actions:
UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY
Ї Reconsideration of regulations on power plants (Clean Power Plan 2.0)
Ї Reconsideration of regulations throttling the oil and gas industry (OOOO b/c)
Ї Reconsideration of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that improperly targeted coal-fired power plants (MATS)
Ї Reconsideration of mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that imposed significant costs on the American energy supply (GHG Reporting Program)
Reconsideration of limitations, guidelines and standards (ELG) for the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry to ensure low-cost electricity while protecting water resources
Reconsideration of wastewater regulations for coal power plants to help unleash American energy (Oil and
Reconsideration of Biden-Harris Administration Risk Management Program rule that made America’s oil and natural gas refin eries and chemical facilities less safe (Risk Management Program Rule)
LOWERING THE COST OF LIVING
Reconsideration of light-duty, mediumduty, and heavy-duty vehicle regulations that provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate (Car GHG
Reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and regulations and actions that rely on that Finding
Reconsideration of technology transition rule that forces companies to use certain technologies that increased costs on food at grocery stores and semiconductor manufacturing (Technology Transition Rule)
Reconsideration of Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality
opportunities for American manufacturing and small businesses
(PM 2.5 NAAQS)
Ї Reconsideration of multiple National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for American energy and manufacturing sectors (NESHAPs)
Ї Restructuring the Regional Haze Program that threatened the supply of affordable energy for American families (Regional Haze)
Ї Overhauling Biden-Harris Administration’s “Social Cost of Carbon”
Ї Redirecting enforcement resources to EPA’s core mission to relieve the economy of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens that drive up costs for American consumers (Enforcement Discretion)
Ї Terminating Biden’s Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency (EJ/ DEI)
ADVANCING COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM
Ї Ending so-called “Good Neighbor Plan” which the Biden-Harris Administration used to expand federal rules to more states and sectors beyond the program’s traditional focus and led to the rejection of nearly all State Implementation Plans
Ї Working with states and tribes to resolve massive backlog with State Implementation Plans and Tribal Implementation Plans that the Biden-Harris Administration refused to resolve (SIPs/TIPs)
Ї Reconsideration of exceptional events rulemaking to work with states to prioritize the allowance of prescribed fires within State and Tribal Implementation Plans (Exceptional Events)
Ї Reconstituting Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (SAB/CASAC)
Ї Prioritizing coal ash program to expedite state permit reviews and update coal ash regulations (CCR Rule)
Ї Utilizing enforcement discretion to further North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene
Iby Barry Denton
t is astounding what the new Department Of Government Efficiency known as DOGE has accomplished in just a few weeks. The amount of taxes squandered by your government is a disgrace to everyone involved.
DOGE has not yet entered any govern-
ment agency that has not wasted taxpayer money. Because of the continued success of DOGE in exposing waste and corruption, my suggestion is let’s start our own DOGE for state, county, and city governments. This needs to happen now!
You know that a local DOGE would find all kinds of wasted money. I find it remarkable that Elon Musk would donate his time and resources to help the American taxpayer.
The best part of this entire equation is that Elon Musk paid more taxes than anyone in the United States last year, a figure of ten billion dollars. Contrary to the Fake News, Musk’s approval rating is at 81 percent. It
We Know Agriculture...
Please call Colten Grau to arrange a visit. He’s working hard for our ag community and he’s eager to go to work for you!
Give us a chance to compete for your land and operating loans!
appears that the only people whom he has upset are the ones involved in wrongdoing.
I cannot wait to hear how deep the chaos will be at the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Many ranchers feel the USFS and BLM have been dishonest with them for the last 35 years or more.
I see that the United States Forest Service Chief Randy Moore has resigned after 45 years of service. Hopefully, his replacement will put ranchers and farmers first for a change.
We finally have a friend heading the Department of Agriculture named Brooke Rollins. Within a few days she dropped the price of eggs $1.85 per dozen with more to come. We know she is a fighter.
Back on the local scene, I hope we can get a DOGE for each state, city, and town. The fact is there will be little need for income tax if we clean up the corruption and waste in our local governments as well.
Between good oversight, efficient execution, and some tariffs it would easily take the American taxpayer off the hook. Can you imagine a politician from either party that says we do not need any more taxation?
It annoys me how easily your local politician spends your money, only because it is not his. The other thing that gets me is that many government employees that work for a service have no clue of what that word means.
It seems that they are being trained in entirely the wrong direction, to think they are superior to the taxpayers that provide their paycheck. Hopefully, this ends abruptly.
How many of you feel welcome and that you will have a positive outcome when you visit your local tax assessor’s office? I can’t believe that our very rural county has bullet proof glass at our tax office.
Keep in mind, no one has ever taken a shot or threatened our tax assessor here. How does that make one feel when you walk in to discuss a tax issue you are having?
As soon as you walk in the office they are telling you that you are a threat. That is what government service has turned into today. How ridiculous.
I do not think it ever occurred to them that providing a friendly, healthy, atmosphere would be the wise thing to do. None of us likes to pay taxes, but we do because it is the law of the land.
It would be even better if there was accountability by the people that we entrust with our tax dollars. That is a novel idea.
Taxes destroy freedom, no doubt. The politician’s interest ought to be to reduce them. Let’s get the local DOGE up and running! ▫
Mac Langford, President/CCO
Gordon Morris, Chairman of the Board/EVP
Colten Grau, Vice President
UCheesy Beef Artichoke Dip
40 Min. / 10 Servings / 250 Cal / 19g Protein
se leftover Beef Pot Roast to take this classic cheesy artichoke dip recipe to the next level.
Ingredients
12 ounces Cooked (Leftover) Beef Pot Roast, chopped
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, pepper, and garlic. Once smooth add in spinach, chopped Beef, and artichoke hearts; combine.
Coat a 9 X 9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Place mixture into baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture is bubbling and golden brown. Serve warm alongside fresh vegetables and tortilla chips.
Oil and Gas Development Issues
Water Rights/Water Quality/Water Disposal
OCD Hearings
Title/Boundary Disputes
Easements/ Access issues
Right-of-Way/Condemnation
Permitting/ Leasing BLM, Forest Service, State Lands
Mineral Development
Business Dissolution/ Probate Ranch Sales/ Leases/ Purchases Wind & Solar Leases/ Pollution/ Environmental Gas
Pete V. Domenici, Jr., Esq. 320 Gold Avenue SW – Suite 1000 Albuquerque, NM 87102
• We will be offering 20 yearling Angus bulls that boast some of the lowest birth weight EPDs in the industry along with some of the highest $EN
• A handful of 2-year-old Angus bulls will also be available
• Prior to the sale, bulls can be viewed in the pens next to the Bull barn off Knox St and Stewart St.
• Bull Sale will be held at the Landmark Mercantile Livestock Auction in Mesquite, NM — Noon on April 12, 2025.
• Bull Sale preview on Friday and the morning of the sale.
• Lunch will be provided
• See Department website for animal data and pictures as they become available
HORSE SALE and OPEN HOUSE: April 26, 2025
• Open house starts at 9:00am NMSU Horse Center, 400 W. Union, Mesilla Park, NM
• Opportunity to visit with Equine program faculty and students and check out educational facilities, stallions, and learn more about our horse program
• One 3-year-broke Gelding, Six 2-year Geldings, Three 2-year Fillies, Two Broodmares …. Lots of color in this year’s sale
• Horse Sale preview 10:30am to 12:00pm
• Horse Sale will start at 1:00pm
• Check out NMSU Horse Farm Facebook for updates
FOR CATTLE INFO CONTACT
Cattle viewing: ejs@nmsu.edu
Angus: Eric Scholljegerdes 575-646-1750 ejs@nmsu.edu
FOR UPDATES
aces.nmsu.edu/academics/anrs
by Don Bullis, New Mexico Author donbullis@msn.com
Frederick R. “Fred” Higgins was born in White County, Georgia in 1860 and left home at an early age and migrated west to the El Paso, Texas, as did many young men in the late 19th century. Legend holds that early-on he worked on a goat ranch. Legend offers no reason for his move to Roswell, New
Fred Higgins, New Mexico Lawman
Mexico, but it is known that he arrived there in 1890 and married Katie Rainbolt the same year. When he became a law enforcement officer is not certain, but he was definitely a Chaves County deputy sheriff and jailer by September 1896 when he participated in the hanging of murderer Antonio Gonzales, the only legal hanging in Chaves County history.
In October of the same year, Higgins is known to have been serving as a deputy U.S. Marshal when he participated in the pursuit of George Musgrave who had killed George Parker on a Chaves County ranch. It was not unusual for peace officers of the day to serve in more than one official capacity. Other members of that particular posse were Charlie Ballard and “Les” Dow, each of whom would make his own mark on New Mexico law enforcement.
Outlaw George Musgrave was a member of the so-called High Fives gang that ranged largely in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, and officers believed that he returned to his old haunts there after he killed Parker. By mid-November, the posse had managed to get ahead of the outlaws and that enabled them to set a trap at a ranch in southeastern Arizona.
Four outlaws rode right into it, and when ordered to surrender, the battle began. Outlaw Bob Hayes was killed and his partner, Will “Black Jack” Christian had his horse shot out from under him, but managed to escape, as did Musgrave and Christian’s brother, Tom. No one in the posse was injured beyond some splinters in the face when outlaw bullets hit the cedar fence behind which they were hiding.
One source credited Higgins with killing Hayes.
Possemen Ballard and Dow returned to New Mexico, and Les Dow was elected sheriff of Eddy County later that year. He took office on January 1, 1897, and was shot down on the street in Eddy (now Carlsbad) on February 18 of the same year, some said by former sheriff Dave Kemp.
Higgins remained in eastern Arizona looking for information as to the whereabouts of Musgrave and the Christian brothers. In April 1897, he received word that the gang was hiding on a goat ranch near Clifton, Arizona. Higgins and three other deputies approached the ranch during the early morning hours of April 18, and a sharp gunfight erupted during which Will Christian was killed. Musgrave escaped again.
Back in New Mexico, Higgins announced that he would run for Chaves County sheriff. He was elected in November 1898 by a vote of 402 to 162. He took office in January 1899.
Later that year, as a passenger on a train
in northeastern New Mexico, he witnessed the robbery of the express car and participated in the pursuit of the outlaws, among them Sam Ketchum, brother of Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum. Some sources believe that Higgins was in on the gunfight when the posse found the robbers at Turkey Canyon, near Cimarron. Other sources say he was probably not there.
Note: Will Christian and Tom Ketchum were both called “Black Jack,” and to add further confusion, Tom’s brother, Sam, also sometimes referred to himself as Black Jack. Another notable event during his tenure in office was the shooting death of his deputy, Will Rainbolt; who was also his brother-inlaw. At a time when Sheriff Higgins was out of town in February 1901, twenty-five-yearold deputy Rainbolt learned that a young cowboy named Oliver Hendricks was packing a gun at a dance being held in an abandoned house in Roswell. Rainbolt drove his buggy to the scene. He soon found Hendricks and arrested him, but before he could get the miscreant into his buggy, Hendricks’ brother, Nathan, arrived and objected to the arrest. Nathan drew his gun and shot Rainbolt before the officer reached his own gun, according to some. Rainbolt died at the scene. Sheriff Higgins hurried home and took up pursuit of the Hendricks brothers, but
Nathan was not captured until early 1903. Tried in November of that year, he was acquitted. Some said Rainbolt drew first. Will Rainbolt was the first Chaves County deputy to be killed in the line of duty.
Higgins ran for reelection the following year, and was defeated by Charles Ballard, the same man with whom he’d chased George Musgrave to Arizona.
In 1907, Higgins was appointed to the New Mexico Mounted Police which had been created only two years earlier. While working in that capacity at Las Cruces in February 1911, he arrested a couple of men and marched them off to jail. During some confusion at the lock-up, Higgins shot and killed jailer Tranquilino Lopez. While he was arrested and charged in the matter, a jury acquitted him of any crime. Everyone seemed to agree that it was simply an unfortunate accident.
What he did with the remainder of his life is not known, although he served as Roswell town marshal for a time. One source says he died in 1924 in California while another indicates that he lived on until 1941.
As one of his biographers wrote, he was “an effective, if sometimes controversial, peace officer.” ▫
Grass Tetany
Bob Larson, DVM, PhD
Reproductive physiologist and Epidemiologist Beef Cattle Institute, Kansas State University
Adisease associated with lush early-season grass in many parts of North America is Grass Tetany. This disease is also called Grass Staggers or Hypomagnesemia and is caused when blood levels of the mineral magnesium become low due to a combination of plant and animal factors. Observed most frequently in the early spring when soil temperatures are low and forage is growing fast, the grass has low levels of magnesium and sodium and high levels of potassium.
This combination can lead to low blood levels of magnesium and the affected cattle can show signs of nervous systems problems such as staggering, convulsions, and being down and unable to rise, and if not treated within a few hours, can result in death.
Although young, growing animals can occasionally be diagnosed with Grass Tetany (particularly if grazing grasses associated with grain production such as wheat, rye, or barley), lactating cows are the most commonly affected. Milk contains relatively high levels of magnesium and cows in late preg-
nancy and early lactating cows have a high dietary requirement for the mineral. In addition, deficiencies of calcium or phosphorus, which are also required in high amounts in lactating cows, will increase the risk for Grass Tetany. If a heavy-milking cow is grazing forages that are low in magnesium, it can easily become deficient in magnesium.
In cases of Grass Tetany, soil levels of magnesium are typically not deficient. But soil temperature affects magnesium uptake into the plants, and grass tetany is associated with early spring before soil temperatures are consistently warm or occasionally when warm spring weather is followed by several days of cold weather. Cool season grass pastures, particularly if fertilized with nitrogen or a spring application of potash, are most commonly associated with Grass Tetany.
However, even cows on unfertilized native grass pastures can have the disease if heavy spring rains promote rapid early forage growth. Forages that are prone to causing grass tetany are deficient in magnesium and sodium and have an excess of potassium. Potassium, which can be very high in lush, early-growth forage, interferes with magnesium absorption from the gut, further decreasing the amount of magnesium available to the cow.
Cattlemens Livestock
The first signs you might see in a cow with Grass Tetany is nervousness, appearing overly-alert, and a stumbling gait. These signs progress to more evidence of restlessness and possibly aggressiveness. An affected cow’s gait may vary from being stiff-legged, to high-stepping, to staggering. An animal that has fallen and is unable to rise and has convulsions must be treated soon to prevent death. And in fact, because of the rapid course of the disease, simply finding dead cows with no previous signs of illness is commonly the first indication that you have a problem.
If cattle are identified early enough in the disease, treatment with a solution containing magnesium given into the vein will likely prevent death. If a cow has been down several hours, the outlook even with treatment is not as positive.
A cow that was down or staggering but that was treated successfully by injecting a solution with high levels of magnesium and other minerals directly into a vein can appear better for a few hours and then the condition can return. To avoid these relapses, additional magnesium is usually given by another route such as an oral paste, an enema with a magnesium sulfate or magnesium chloride solution, or subcutaneous administration of a high-magnesium solution.
As a preventive strategy, cattle (particularly late gestation and early lactation cows) grazing wheat, rye, or other cereal grain pastures or lush early-grow cool season grasses should be fed a mineral supplement that is high in magnesium for about 30 days prior to turn-out and while they are grazing forage that has a high risk of inducing Grass Tetany. It is important that cattle have a daily supply of high-magnesium minerals while Grass Tetany is a risk; so check mineral feeders frequently to avoid cattle running out of their magnesium source.
Magnesium oxide is the most common source of magnesium used in cattle mineral mixes, but cattle don’t like the taste and it must be mixed with molasses, grain, soybean meal, or other palatable feed. Magnesium supplementation should continue until soil temperatures remain consistently high and forage growth has slowed.
Grass Tetany is a serious disease of cattle that can result in rapid death in a few to many cows in a pasture. It is important to know the situations, forage types, and fertilization strategies that are most likely to be associated with Grass Tetany, and to have a plan to prevent problems with appropriate mineral supplementation. ▫
Supreme Court Rules
Utah Doesn’t Have a Right to Its Own Land
by Kathleen Marquardt, American Policy Center
In 2013, Utah submitted its Transfer of Public Lands Act to the federal government, calling on it “to fulfill its pledge
under the state’s Enabling Act to dispose of most federal lands in the state, some of which would be placed back to the state.
Eleven years later, in January of this year, the Supreme Court refused Utah’s filing to bring 18.5 million acres of its land and its resources under state control. This is unappropriated land – that is, land that is not designated as national monuments, national ports, or land held for military bases or held in trust for Indian reservations. The decision came in a brief order with no explanation of its reasoning.
This is about land and ownership. Should the federal government control our land or should we the People and our states?
Western states are handicapped vis-a-vis land ownership. The federal government owns over 46 percent of the land area in the 11 contiguous Western states, while it owns
only 4.2 percent of the land area in the eastern states.
About 70 percent of Utah’s total land area is under federal control. But this Act is about just 1/3 of the land in Utah, so the federal government would still control a good bit. The federal government controls nearly 70 percent of land in Utah, that is about 2/3 of the land in Utah.
Yet, on January 14th, the Supreme Court refused to let Utah file a seeking to bring 18.5 million acres of its land – which comprises only half of Utah’s land and its resources under state control. That doesn’t seem to be too much to ask.
The federal government manages about 640 million acres (2.6 million km2) of land in the United States, which is about 28 percent of the total land area of 2.27 billion acres. Most of that land is in the Western
2025 Horse Sale and Open House
Standing at NMSU
Spanky D Cat
AQHA Stallion sired by Palo Duro Cat (full brother to Sophisticated Cat), out of an own daughter of Docs Oak.
states that is 46.4 percent of the land area in the 11 contiguous Western states.
The case, State of Utah v. United States, brings into question 18.5 million acres of what the state is calling “unappropriated” lands — essentially lands Congress hasn’t set aside for a specific purpose — that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management across Utah.
The federal government controls nearly 70 percent of land in Utah, in comparison to eastern states where that number is closer to 1-3 percent. “Nothing in the text of the Constitution authorizes such an inequitable practice or relationship,” said Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.
Utah’s state leaders called the lawsuit “historic” — the state is better poised to manage land within its borders, they argued. The red tape that stymies forest management, permitting and industry would be gone, and local governments could generate more tax revenue.
What does the Constitution say about ownership of land in the U.S.?
“Article I, Enclave Clause Ї empowers the federal government with exclusive legislative authority like that exercised for Washington D.C. over “Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the
same shall be, for the erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, Dock-yards, and other needful Buildings.”
“The United States’ indefinite retention of huge swathes of Utah’s territory severely restricts Utah’s sovereignty—both absolutely and relative to its sister sovereigns—including its powers to tax, legislate, and exercise eminent domain.
“This Court’s original jurisdiction is designed to defuse that kind of dispute between domestic sovereigns. The issues are purely legal and surpassingly important, as Utah’s ample amicus support attests. And the federal government’s actions are flatly unconstitutional. While the Framers authorized the federal government to maintain enclaves, own property needed to carry out its Article I powers, and to “dispose of” acquired federal lands, they did not empower it to retain unappropriated lands within a State in perpetuity.
“The federal government’s policy of indefinitely retaining unappropriated lands deprives Utah of basic incidents of sovereignty over nearly one-third of the land within its borders. That diminution upsets not only the Constitution’s careful balance between federal and state power, but also the foundational principle that all States enjoy equal sovereignty. Utah’s constitutional
FIBERGLASS
claims against the United States are precisely the type of “high claims affecting state sovereignty” that call for an exercise of this Court’s original jurisdiction.
“While the environmental groups are telling us that this decision is the right one, we must understand that these groups were either formed by Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) to be spoilers in fights regarding property rights or older environmental groups bought out by them – same result: attacking property rights, whether those by state and local governments or by individuals.”
An institute that promotes the constitution values of faith, family, and freedom, Southerland Institute, came to the conclusion on Utah’s transfer of public lands act:
Only one-third of land in the state of Utah is locally owned. The other two-thirds is controlled from Washington, D.C. The transfer of Public Lands Act (HB 148) puts some of those federal lands back in state hands. The act demands that the United States Congress transfer public lands within the state of Utah back to the state by December 31, 2014, with the exception of national parks and monuments, certain wilderness and Department of Defense areas, and tribal lands). The act also requires Utah to pay the United States 95 percent of the proceeds from the sale of any land, while the remaining 5 percent is reserved for school funding in Utah in accordance with its Enabling Act.
For well over 80 years our government has used methods that are not compatible with free state operations – and it has accelerated over the last 10 years, weakening the states abilities to deal with the 10th Amendment. ▫
Edward Perry Atwood, 98, Lower Frisco-Reserve, New Mexico passed away on March 2, 2025 peacefully at his ranch home surrounded by his loving family. He was a retired rancher, often uplifting and inspiring family and friends by singing and playing guitar, saxophone, and piano.
He was born to Oscar T. Atwood and Genevieve Hightower Atwood in San Pedro, California on November 21, 1926. His parents and siblings moved to Reserve when he was 18 months old. Eddie was drafted into the US Army during World War II and served his country in Japan. His love of his Lord, faith, family and friends expressed a special code for living sincerely and abundantly.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara, married for nearly 71 years and five children: Brenda and husband, Dan Abercrombie, Duncan, Oklahoma; Shane and wife, Jan Atwood, Reserve; Lincoln and wife, Rhonda Atwood, Silver City; Ash and wife, Robin Atwood of Parker, Colorado (and part time in Reserve); Donna and husband, Bruce
Bawcom, Hillsboro, Oregon.
In addition to the five children, he is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
Great-grandchildren include: Via Caroline: Faylynn and Tyler Boles; Via Amber: Elia and Lillian Weeks; Via Leslie: Gwendolyn and Josiah Kirkes; Via Robert: Remington and Piper Abercrombie; Via Eddie Lee: Ashlyn, Shane, Trey and Trevor Atwood; Via Lacy: Bella, Lorna, Taren, and Danial III Adair; Via Shawna: Z. Julian and Zaylen
Atwood and Andilynn Earnhart; Via Ashli: Hayli and Jane Schultz.
He is also survived by one sister-in-law, Jean W. Atwood and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, you are invited to donate to your favorite charity. You’re also invited to send a note to Barbara: PO Box 508, Reserve, NM 87830.
Calvin Bailey, 80, Las Cruces, passed away peacefully on February 14, 2025, at Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, following a brief illness—exactly 55 years to the day after proposing to Debra Kirby, the love of his life.
Born and raised on the family ranch in Cuervo, New Mexico (east of Santa Rosa), Calvin was the ninth of eleven children of Paul and Mildred Bailey. Growing up on the ranch, he developed a deep appreciation for ranch life.
He went on to attend New Mexico State University, earning a degree in Animal Science in 1971. It was there he met Debra at the student union and their first outing was
a double date to an Aggie football game at the old Aggie Memorial Stadium. They married on August 29, 1970, and spent 54 and a half love-filled years together.
After graduating, Calvin became the ranch manager at the New Mexico State University Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (College Ranch), a position he held for 40 years until retiring in 2012. Over the years, many graduate students who worked under his guidance remained in touch, a testament to the lasting impact he had on their lives. Some even named their children after him.
Calvin’s greatest joy was his family—his children, Scott and Becky, and his grandchildren, Sarah, Savannah, Tavin, and Landon. He was their biggest supporter, always found on the sidelines of their games and events, cheering them on with pride.
A man of few words, Calvin spoke only when necessary—but when he did, his advice was always worth listening to.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Debra; his son, Scott (Shawna), Las Cruces; and his daughter, Becky Tucker (Toby), Dallas, Texas. He leaves behind his cherished grandchildren: Sarah and Savannah Bailey, Las Cruces, and Tavin and Landon Tucker of Dallas.
Also surviving him are his sisters, Maureen Young, Clovis, and Pearl Cavasos, Moriarty; his special nephew, Johnny Anderson, and his family of Las Cruces; his “adopted daughter” Mary Morgan of Las Cruces; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the New Mexico State University Animal
and Range Science Department, a place Calvin called home for many years.
Gloria Jean Petersen took the hand of an Angel and crossed the river on March 2, 2025. She will be missed by many but welcomed by many more. In her final moments, she was at her beloved home on the ranch in Winston, surrounded by loved ones.
Gloria’s passions and determination in life were countless. She was born near DeLacs, North Dakota, as the oldest of nine children. At the age of 13, she left home to attend high school in Minot, where she began her lifelong career in nursing. Starting as a Candy Striper at St. Joseph’s Hospital, she worked hard to complete her education while progressing through her nursing training. In 1953, Gloria completed her nursing degree at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco, California.
Her best friend and coworker introduced Gloria to her cousin, Donovan Petersen, while they were in nursing school, and they were married on June 10, 1955. Together, they worked demanding jobs – Gloria as an RN and Donovan as a US Customs Inspector at the Northgate Port of Entry on the US/ Canadian border.
They raised their family and established a farm and ranch on the Canadian side of the border. Most of their land was native prairie that had never been touched by a plow. And there were always plenty of rocks to pick!
During this time, Gloria continued nursing, raised six children, pulled calves, A.I.’d cows, and operated all the farm equipment. She retired from full-time nursing in
the 1990s to allow more time for ranch life. Gloria loved her big garden, beekeeping, and, most of all, her chickens.
In 1992, her son Paul and his family moved to New Mexico, marking the start of a new chapter in Gloria’s life. She and Donovan decided to sell the remainder of their cattle in Canada to allow for more time in New Mexico. Eventually, they sold the ranch in Canada and built a new home on a ranch south of Winston in 2002. Although she missed her old home on the prairie (though not the cold), she cherished life in Winston, NM, surrounded by family and friends of all ages.
Gloria was active in CowBelles for many years and was a member of the Sierra County Emergency Management team, participating in many FEMA Disaster Relief assignments. One of the highlights of her life was being awarded the Diamond in the Rough award in 2015 by NM Women in Agriculture.
Members and staff of Sierra Home Health and Hospice were some of her most cherished friends in her final years. Gloria will be forever loved and greatly missed until we meet again!
She is survived by her children: Juliana and Dennis Balyeat, Christine McDonald, Paul and Anita Petersen, Jon and Donna Petersen, Conrad and Melissa Petersen, and Jennifer and Chris Brower; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and three brothers and two sisters.
Glenn Laursen Brinkman, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and cattleman passed away on March 3, 2025.
Brinkman was born on October 29, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He spent his formative years in Harlston and Pascagoula, Mississippi. He graduated with a degree in forestry from Louisiana State University where he earned the Xi Sigma Pi Outstanding Sophomore Award and the forestry department’s Outstanding Senior Award.
He would meet and marry his wife, Carolyn Leslie on August 15, 1959. Their love story lasted for over 65 years. They met in Centreville, Alabama, where he worked for the Gulf States Paper Corporation as a forester. He moved with his family, including daughters Leslie and Katherine to the Dallas metroplex in 1962 to work for his brother Lloyd “Brink” Brinkman in his plastics manufacturing plant. In Dallas, their son, Paul “Pablo” was born.
He moved his family to the Texas Hill Country in 1969 where he began his impressive career as a cattleman beginning with the establishment of Brinks Brangus in 1968 when his brother, Lloyd, purchased the Riverby herd. Lloyd opened operations at Prison Canyon Ranch which included purchasing the Camp Verde store.
Glenn became the manager of their cattle operation and initially officed at the Camp Verde store where he had additional duties as postmaster. From their first sale in 1970, Brinks Brangus achieved unprecedented records. Glenn devoted himself totally to the endeavor of making Brinks Brangus the best in the industry with a concentration on genetics. Their motto was “Breeding the Best, Better”.
Recognized as an innovator, he secured a place in the history of beef cattle with the development of a superior animal. This striving for excellence led to many rewards and achievements.
In 1970, he was chairman of the committee that formed the Hill Country Brangus Breeders and produced the first Top of the Crop Sale in Kerrville. In the early years, he was on the board of the Performance Registry International (which preceded the Beef Improvement Federation).
His interest in genetics led to his studying different Zebu breeds and their contribution to Brangus. He visited every major Brahman breeder in the United States and many Nelore herds in Brazil. As a result of this study, he started a breeding up program from Angus and Zebu.
Glenn was the first Brangus breeder to utilize embryo transfer beginning that work in 1977. He started in-depth carcass evaluation with Kansas State University using ultrasound technology. This data was
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seminal in developing Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) for ribeye for the Brangus breed.
Because he was a perfectionist where keeping records was concerned, he developed a tagging system with a year code to identify all embryo transfer progeny. This system is known as the GB International Measuring System and is widely used by cattlemen.
Brinkman was past president of the Texas Brangus Breeders Association, the International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) 1983-1984 (also chairing the Brangus Publications, Inc.), and Beef Improvement Federation. He was the first to be named the IBBA Brangus Breeder of the Year in 1982, proof of his peers’ respect for him and his record. In 1997, the Beef Improvement Federation honored him with the Continuing Service Award. In 2005, he was the first recipient of the IBBA Pioneer Award.
In 1984, the Brinkman brothers moved Brinks to the Flint Hills of Kansas. Following the sale of the cattle herd in 1993, Glenn and Carolyn purchased a ranch outside of Athens, Texas where he began a new cattle breeding project, Angus Plus.
He is survived by his wife Carolyn Leslie Brinkman; his children and their spouses Leslie Brinkman-Greer (Paula), Katherine
Sutherlin (Brad), Paul “Pablo” Brinkman (Colleen); his grandchildren Kasey Sutherlin, Sam George, Aaron George (Jenna), Josh Sutherlin (fiancé Megan Lafleur), and Tucker Brinkman; his great-grandchildren Isaiah George and Eden George; his siblings Roy Brinkman (Jean), Carolyn Gordon (Wendell), and Harvey Brinkman (Carol); numerous nieces, nephews and their children and grandchildren.
Glenn Laursen Brinkman was a man of integrity and faith who gave freely of his knowledge and supported the life goals of his children and many in the Brangus industry. A celebration of his life was held on March 22nd. Donations may be made to the development of the International Junior Brangus Breeders Association: Glenn Brinkman Memorial Scholarship and mailed to Pablo Brinkman, 3928 Oak Park Drive, Kerrville, Texas, 78028.
Thomas “Tommy” Raymond Tatom, 75, Guthrie, Oklahoma passed away on February 7, 2025, in Oklahoma City. He was born on October 9, 1949, in Tucumcari, New Mexico to Douglas and EvaGene (Fowler) Tatom.
After graduating from high school in 1967, Tommy pursued higher education at New Mexico State University and West Texas State University, earning a Bachelor of
Science degree. He built a fulfilling career, eventually retiring in 2020 as a regional manager at Zinpro. Never one to sit still, he later followed his passion by founding Trav Jack, a company where he handcrafted boot jacks, a testament to his creativity and dedication.
Tommy met the love of his life, Linda Wileman, and on July 27, 1979, they began a beautiful journey together, full of love, laughter, and unwavering devotion. Their life together took them from Amarillo, Texas, to Guthrie, Oklahoma, where they built a home filled with warmth and cherished memories.
A man of many talents and passions, Tommy was a skilled pilot and a proud member of the Civil Air Patrol. He had an insatiable love for books, especially those about the military. Music was another of his great joys. He played the guitar with pride, cherishing his extensive collection. However, his greatest passion was his unwavering faith in his Savior, Jesus Christ. Never one to back down from a challenge, he completed seven full marathons, demonstrating his perseverance and strong spirit. Each fall, he also found joy in volunteering at the International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie.
Above all, family was his greatest joy. He was a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grandfather and great-grandfather. Left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife of 45 years, Linda, his children: Tim Tatom (Becky), Shawn Tatom (Alisa), Kendra Birchfield, and Chad Tatom, his siblings: Doug Tatom (Karen) and Christine Davis (John), as well as his six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, who were the light of his life.
The family asks that in honor of Tommy’s memory, you take a moment to read a good book, listen to a favorite song, or chase a dream with the same determination he carried throughout his life.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation (t2t.org).
Billy Frank Good, 82, Abilene, Texas, passed away on March 11, 2025. He was born on January 24, 1943, in Clovis, New Mexico, to Stanley and Margie (Moore) Good. He is survived by his brother, Ike Good, and sister, Carolyn Hestand. He also leaves behind his daughter, Shauna Cobb, and son-in-law
Bobby Cobb, granddaughters Sawyer Greer and Crosby Cobb, son Shay Good and daughter-in-law Amie Good, grandchildren Sage Good, Bradi Good, and son Clay Good, daughter-in-law Lesley Good, grandchildren Brycen Good and Graisyn Good. Addition-
ally, he is survived by three great-grandchildren.
Billy Frank grew up on the family ranch in Kenna, New Mexico. He married Tamara Fort and together they raised their family on their ranch in Caprock, New Mexico, before later moving to Texas.
Known affectionately as “Big’n” to many, Billy Frank enjoyed working cattle, riding good horses, and roping. He loved the Lord and cherished his family and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame (1 Thunderbird Circle, Hobbs, NM 88240).
Leslie Harrison (Bob) Mead, 99, Tucumcari, passed peacefully and quietly on March 22, 2025 in his home with his family. He was born on September 8th, 1929 in La Junta, Colorado to Lilly Vivian McDaniel Mead and Henry Harrison Mead. This was one month before the Stock Market crashed in October 1929.
When Bob was one year old, his father died of appendicitis after which his mother Lilly moved Bob and his sister Serena back to Tucumcari, New Mexico to live with his Grandmother Nellie, Grandfather James W. McDaniel, and Aunt Edna McDaniel until 1943 when he moved to House. In 1943, Bob’s mother, Lilly married George Griggs who had a son, Garland Griggs. In 1948, Bob graduated from House High School. During this year, his brother Carry G. Griggs was born.
During the Summer months, Bob lived with his Uncle Wes and Aunt Tina McDaniel in House where he learned to work on their corn and bean farm. Bob joined the 41st Armored Infantry Battalion in 1948, for one year. While he was on inactive duty, he worked on the farm in House, until the Korean Conflict broke out and was called up to the 321st Army Medical Depot. In 1951, Bob went to work for the Mountain Bell Telephone Company, starting on the Line Crew, installing telephone lines across New Mexico then worked in the switch office in Taos where he retired after working 32 years.
Bob and Joanne met in Trinidad, Colorado. They fell in love and were married in Taos on January 3, 1953. They celebrated their seventy-second Anniversary this year. They moved to Taos in 1957 and lived there 51 years. They had three children, Lynn Esther Mead-Boelke, Martin Leslie Mead, and Regan Curtis Mead. In 2013, they moved back to Tucumcari.
Bob and Joanne raised Registered Angus Cattle from 1957 to 2008. Bob was a member of the New Mexico Angus Association and was President for two years, was President of
The Taos Grazing Association, Membership Chairman for Taos Community for New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, and was President of the Tucumcari Bull Test for one year. Bob and Joanne have been members of First Baptist Churches for seventy years.
Bob was not afraid to take anything “on”. He rodeoed, raised Angus cattle and horses, rebuilt a Model A Ford and covered wagon, built southwestern style furniture, built and learned to play the fiddle; wrote and published two books (Get That Gate and Route 66 Through New Mexico), painted oil landscapes, carved Santos and Nutcrackers. The list goes on. He was a very talented man.
After moving back to Tucumcari, Bob enjoyed meeting people from all over the world at his ‘Two-Bit Museum and Trading Post’ where he sold odds, ends, and antiques. Bob loved to read books of all kinds and subjects. He read about one book a week despite his poor eyesight. He loved to tell stories and good jokes.
Bob is survived by his wife Joanne Mead, sister Serena Mead McDonald Goar and nephew Roy McDonald and wife Cathy, brother Carry Griggs, sister-in-law Linda Sollberger Griggs and daughter Amy Griggs, daughter Lynn Mead-Boelke, son-in-law Chris Boelke, and granddaughter Katelyn Ann Boelke, son Regan Mead, daughter-in-
law Melissa Mead, grandson Preston Mead and wife Breanna Hall Mead and great-grandchildren Clover, Rez, Haizen, and Poppy Mead, Grandson Wesley Mead and wife McCall White Mead and great-grandchildren Brooks and Palmer Mead, granddaughter Sara Mead Perkins and husband Kenton Perkins and great-granddaughter due in May 2025. Bob is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Russell Burris passed away as a result of a sudden heart attack on March 16, 2025. Russell, a well known gospel music player and fiddler, was a friend to all who knew him. We hope to have a full obituary in the May Stockman
Russell’s service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, April 5th at the Dona Ana Cowboy Church in Las Cruces, NM.
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.
ANIMAL & RANGE SCIENCES
The Department of Animal & Range Sciences is part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
Department of Animal & Range Sciences is part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
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 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/
Grady Green Elected IBBA President for 2025–2026
The International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) has elected Grady Green of El Dorado, Arkansas as its president for the 2025–2026 term. A lifelong cattleman, Green brings extensive experience in both registered and commercial Brangus operations.
He currently serves as president of Draggin’ M Ranch, one of the largest registrars of Brangus cattle in the U.S., and is an active member of CDP Brangus, a genetic marketing program comprised of six Brangus breeders.
Leadership in Quality Herefords
Green is serving his second term on the IBBA Board of Directors and has held several leadership positions within the IBBA, IBBA’s committees and the Southeast Brangus Breeders Association and Texas Brangus Breeders Association. In 2024, he was honored as the IBBA Breeder of the Year, the organization’s highest recognition.
Raised on the renowned Brinks Brangus and Camp Cooley Ranches, Green developed a passion for the breed early in life. As a high school student, he worked at Camp Cooley Ranch, where he managed up to 1,000 bulls on gain test, assisted with donor cow programs, and oversaw key aspects of ranch operations. This early hands-on experience gave him a deep understanding of cattle breeding, development, and marketing.
Since 2009, Green has served as the general manager of Draggin’ M Ranch, becoming president in 2024. He played a key role in founding CDP Brangus Partners and continues to oversee its programs and annual sales.
A 2009 graduate of the Texas Christian University Ranch Management School, Green lives on the ranch in El Dorado with his wife, Sara, and their two children.
The IBBA, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, was founded in 1949 to promote and advance the Brangus breed. For more information, visit gobrangus.com. ▫
Grady Green IBBA President
by Jerry Schickedanz
Heads Up
The views and opinions expressed do not represent those of the Board of Regents of NMSU nor the New Mexico Stockman
It has been an exciting past month watching and listening to the three-ring circus in Washington, D.C. I have not been able to keep up with the daily executive orders that are signed every day and sorting out what they may have in store for natural resource land management on federal lands. Some of the following items may be old news by the time you read this article, but not everybody keeps up with the daily news activities.
CLIMATE CHANGE is in the crosshairs of the Trump Administration efforts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in the federal budgets. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been directed to identify in their existing grants terms that include “climate science, climate crisis, clean energy, environmental quality and pollution.”
I suspect that by now all agencies have been given similar directives to identify climate change programs, research and policy. The new climate change policy will undoubtedly be based on a different emphasis for at least the next four years.
On inauguration day, President Trump issued the executive order “Unleashing American Energy” in which he included the directive to do away with the calculation that established a “social cost of carbon” per ton of emissions. The cost had been set by the previous administration at $190.00 per ton that was added to the cost of energy produced and passed on to the consumers.
White House Council of Environmental Quality issued an interim final rule withdrawing its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act.
The agency is accepting comments through March 27, 2025. ( federalregister.gov/ documents/2025/02/25/2025-03014/ removal-of-national-environmentalpolicy-act-implementing-regulations).
“GRAZE BABY GRAZE” may become a new rallying cry in the western public land states. The importance and positive aspects of grazing benefits to the natural order have taken a higher level of prominence in land management discussions. Grazing animals like cattle, sheep and goats have already been used to successfully reduce fuel accumulation that can create and intensify wildfire.
Senate Bill 602 Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act would add “Grazing for Wildfire Mitigation Initiative” to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s High Priority Research List. This will support research and development at land grant colleges and universities to develop techniques that promote wildfire mitigation, fuels reduction and post-fire recovery. NMSU is the land grant university in New Mexico and could benefit and contribute to such initiatives.
The Western Watershed Project lost a court case in the 9th Circuit Court. The lawsuit claimed that the Forest Service was endangering the Mexican Wolf population by increasing grazing on a Forest Service Allotment. The court ruled that the approved incremental grazing did not threaten the recovery of the Mexican Wolf, in fact the population increased during the time of concern.
DEATH TAX REPEAL hopefully this bill finally gets passed during this Congress. February 13, 2025, republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate introduced the Death Tax Repeal Act. The act would permanently eliminate the federal estate tax.
ROUND WATER TROUGHS
However, the directive could be changed by a future administration and the current congress is already at work to make the change permanent. Congress has just passed a Senate Joint Resolution 12 to reject the EPA’s “Waste Emissions charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems.”
Also, in the “Unleashing American Energy” was the directive for the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to rescind its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. On February 25, 2025, the
Some versions of this act have been introduced in Congress since 2015 but have failed to become law. Hopefully with this Congress, it will finally become law and be a significant factor in passing to future generations farms and ranches without having to sell the enterprise to pay the federal estate tax.
Keep your eyes on the horizon as many significant benefits to the production agricultural industry are coming. ▫
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Torching Teslas
by Craig Rucke, CFACT
The Left is torching electric vehicles. Can the news get any more bizarre?
That’s right, the same folks who scolded that the world will “burn” unless the government forces every one of us to buy an EV or stop driving, are now torching the world’s best EVs with Molotov cocktails.
“Wow, you guys like petty acts of domestic terrorism, huh?” asked bemused Daily Show host Jordan Klepper when his audience hooted, cheered and applauded a news clip reporting “multiple cases of possible arson targeting Teslas and cyber trucks.”
Could it be that the anti-America, anti-capitalist Left’s obsession with electric vehicles was never about saving the planet at all?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, America’s top entrepreneur, brought us reusable rockets, internet for all, amazing A.I., robots that
actually work, and much more.
Elon just rescued Butch and Suni, two astronauts who were stranded on the I.S.S. for over nine months.
EVs were nowhere until Elon showed the world they could be amazingly innovative and incredibly cool. Tesla EVs may very soon be fully self-driving.
Making EVs cool was a tall achievement considering that EVs suffer from short range, long charging times, heavy weight, prohibitive expense, batteries that burn uncontrollably and require scarce rare earths that are too often mined under appalling circumstances.
Despite those challenges, Elon’s Tesla is now mass producing electric vehicles that are solid choices for some. They are not the best choice for all. Elon’s cool with that.
You’d think the Left would be erecting monuments to the man who made their EV dreams come true. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Protesters used a Tesla EV to carve “DON’T BUY A TESLA” onto a beach in Wales. They included an image of a man extending his arm out straight. This, despite the bizarre notion that Elon telling an audience that his heart goes out to them was
somehow an authoritarian salute, has been massively debunked.
Tesla was removed from the Vancouver International Auto Show the day before it opened, reports The CBC. Organizers cited “safety” concerns. Tesla vehicles have also been removed from Vancouver’s EV subsidy program. “Safety” is frequently the rationale employed to justify institutions retaliating against free speech and has been used to silence speakers on college campuses.
Minnesota Governor and former V.P. candidate Tim Walsh has been celebrating the recent drop in Tesla’s stock price. As if rooting against an important company that created 80,000 American jobs was not bad enough, Walz and the Left’s cheering against Telsa requires shamelessly cherry picking their stock data. Tesla stock may be down from the high it achieved in January resulting from the “Trump bump,” but remains up nearly 34 percent over the last year and 18,000 percent since it went public!
The Left cannot forgive Elon for bringing free speech to X/Twitter, endorsing President Trump, and now for applying his unmatched talent to rooting out waste and making government more efficient.
As Congressman Wesley Hunt put it, “Musk, Musk, Musk, Musk, Musk, Musk Musk. What’s funny about it to me is, you’re mad at the guy that found the fraud, but not mad at the people who wasted YOUR money.”
Administrator Zeldin Announces EPA Will Revise Waters of the United States Rule
Source: EPA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced on March 12 that EPA will work with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to deliver on President’s Trump’s promise to review the definition of “waters of the United States.”
The agencies will move quickly to ensure that a revised definition follows the law, reduces red-tape, cuts overall permitting costs, and lowers the cost of doing business in communities across the country while protecting the nation’s navigable waters from pollution. Given the U.S. Supreme Court’s watershed decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, it is time for EPA to finally address this issue once and for all in a way that provides American farmers, landowners, businesses, and states with clear and simplified direction.
Administrator Zeldin was joined by Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman (R-AR), Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03), and Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall for the announcement.
“We want clean water for all Americans supported by clear and consistent rules for all states, farmers, and small businesses,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin. “The previous Administration’s definition of ‘waters of the United States’ placed unfair burdens on the American people and drove up the cost of doing business.
“Our goal is to protect America’s water resources consistent with the law of the land while empowering American farmers, landowners, entrepreneurs, and families to help Power the Great American Comeback.”
“Farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of the land and need water regulations that are clear and practical, not burdensome,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “Thank you, Administrator Zeldin, for your leadership on this critical rule. USDA supports EPA’s revisions to WOTUS that provide certainty and recognize the key role
that agriculture plays in protecting our natural resources. We’ll keep pushing for policies that let producers focus on what they do best—feeding, fueling and clothing our nation.”
The definition of “waters of the United States” guides Clean Water Act implementation, including whether farmers, landowners and businesses must secure costly permits before they can pursue a project. To date, EPA has failed to follow the law and implement the Supreme Court’s clear holding in Sackett. It is critical that Americans know which waters are subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act to grow our economy and lower costs for American families while protecting human health and the environment.
EPA will start its review by expeditiously obtaining input from stakeholders who were sidelined during the previous administration. The agency will seek targeted information on the key challenges that Americans are facing. The agency will also undertake a rulemaking process to revise the 2023 definition of “waters of the United States” with a focus on clarity, simplicity and improvements that will stand the test of time.
While this rulemaking process proceeds, the agency will provide guidance to those states implementing the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” to ensure consistency with the law of the land.
A priority for the Trump Administration will be working cooperatively with state partners, empowering them and local officials to protect their treasured water bodies while accelerating economic opportunity. As a result, decisions will be made efficiently and effectively while benefiting from local knowledge and expertise.
EPA’s review will be guided by the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, which stated that the Clean Water Act’s use of “waters” encompasses only those relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water forming streams, oceans, rivers and lakes.
The Sackett decision also clarified that wetlands would only be covered when having a continuous surface connection to waterbodies that are “waters of the United States” in their own right.
Global Beef Demand Shifts Focus to Exports Over Domestic Markets in South America
According to a recent RaboResearch report, as global beef demand rises, South American producers are prioritizing exports over domestic markets. Despite a projected contraction in production for 2025, export volumes continue to grow, driven by strong international demand, particularly from China. This shift is reshaping the dynamics of local consumption and pricing, with significant implications for the industry.
South American beef supply expected to contract in 2025
Production in the four largest South American beef-producing and exporting countries – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay – is anticipated to contract in 2025.
“We expect Brazil, which accounts for 63 percent of South America’s supply, to reduce its production by 500,000 metric tons this year,” says Angus Gidley-Baird, Senior Analyst – Animal Protein for RaboResearch. The high level of female slaughter, driven by strong prices through 2022 and 2023, is the main reason for declining production.
Export volumes continue to grow
Despite the production drop, declining consumer purchasing power and reduced domestic beef consumption have led processors to focus on export volume growth. This strategy has resulted in a decline in local
consumption across all four countries. Over the past decade, exports have significantly outpaced production increases, largely due to China’s rising demand for South American animal proteins since 2019. In 2024, South America supplied 76 percent of China’s total beef imports, with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay contributing, with 47 percent, 21 percent, and 8 percent, respectively.
Growth in exports at the expense of domestic supply likely to continue
The export market will be the primary focus for South American beef producers in the coming year. While beef consumption has a much larger share of South American diets when compared to other regions of the world, domestic economic pressures, increasing availability of other proteins and the increased demand from export markets has seen beef consumption per capita decline.
The weaker economic conditions and competition from export markets has seen the cost of beef increase. Between 2020 and 2024, the volume of beef that could be purchased on the basic wage dropped across all countries. In Brazil, the average consumer now gets 20 percent less beef on the basic wage than they did four years ago.
“We believe this trend will continue in the coming years, making more beef available for the export market. Poultry is already the largest consumed protein in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. But other proteins such as pork and seafood have smaller shares of the diet than in other markets and therefore in our view have the capacity to increase,” explains Gidley-Baird. However, the cultural appeal of beef remains strong and it is therefore not to be expected that per capita
continued on page 49 >>
RANCH FOOD & FODDER
by Deanna Dickinson McCall
Ialways try to have a nice Easter dinner. Try is the
key word here. Sometimes we’re branding or working cattle and we have a non-traditional Easter meal, or we vote to have a picnic meal with maybe a softball game or a roping, that requires fried chicken, potato salad, pickles, rolls, etc. What we do is dependent on the weather, ranch work and who is coming for Easter.
When I was a kid Easter dinner meant using the good china, my folks real silver utensils, a lace tablecloth and flowers on the table for a formal meal after church at Mom’s house in town. Easter dresses and hats, new shoes and little white gloves. While many of us no longer find that scenario practical, I compromised when I could for my own family. I got out the china, used cloth napkins, picked any spring flowers we had, and reminded everyone about good table manners when circumstances allowed.
It seemed ham was usually served, or a
GLOBAL
leg of lamb when I was a child. It was a real, bone-in ham decorated with pineapple rings held in place by cloves, and with maraschino cherries in the center of the pineapple rings. If the leg of lamb was served it had slivers of garlic inserted into it and had a rich, deep brown crust. I was never that fond of the ham, I probably accidentally ate too many cloves. I still dislike cloves to this day. So, I try to make something different and new occasionally.
I have had various forms of this dish, called different names according to where it originated, Germany, Italy, etc. Braciole or Roulade are common names. The German style often has pickles and the sour tang common to many German beef dishes. I just love that it uses beef. It makes an elegant dish but uses one of the lesser, less expensive cuts. You can change the fillings according to your family’s tastes. It can be served over mashed potatoes or various noodles or pasta. The key to any of the recipes is to have the beef cut thin, very thin so it isn’t tough or chewy. I had a neighbor try it with really thin cube steak and she said it was really good.
For a pretty, inviting plate, serve the roulades on garlic red mashed potatoes, accompanied with fresh asparagus and a nice dinner roll. A fresh salad is also great and helps to cut the richness of the plate.
Garlic mashed red potatoes (or cooked noodles or pasta if preferred)
DIRECTIONS:
Mix onions, garlic, celery, parsley, and breadcrumbs in medium size bowl
Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese, blend well
Spread 1-2 tablespoons of filling on each slice of meat & sprinkle with olive oil
Roll up tightly and secure with toothpicks or string
Brown rolls in a small amount of olive oil
Add the stock, wine, and bay leaf
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes
Remove the meat rolls to a warm plate and reduce liquid
Place 2 rolls on mashed potatoes or pasta, spoon sauce over the rolls and potatoes
Garnish with parsley if desired ▫
consumption levels of beef drop much more. The industry will need to strike a balance between stronger pricing signals to grow export markets, licensing and carcass utilization. It may be the case that a more
Global beef outlook: Price disparities, production decline, and trade uncertainty
North American cattle prices are rising in 2025 due to low inventory and strong demand, while Southern Hemisphere producers operate at nearly half these prices. Brazilian cattle prices surged at the end of 2024 but are expected to drop in Q2 as supply increases. Global beef production is set to decline in 2025, with significant reductions expected in New Zealand and Brazil. Additionally, the new US administration’s tariff proposals on Mexico and Canada have introduced trade uncertainty, potentially impacting global markets.: ▫ << cont from pg 48
New Mexico Set To Create ‘Turquoise Alert’ System for Missing Indigenous People
by Bella Davis, New Mexico In Depth
New Mexico is set to become the fourth state to create an alert system meant to help find Native Americans who have gone missing. Governor Michelle Lujan
Grisham plans to sign Senate Bill 41 into law, establishing a Turquoise Alert system, according to her office, after the bill passed both chambers of the Legislature unanimously.
Operating much like the state’s Amber Alert system for abducted children, Turquoise Alerts would be issued for people who are enrolled in or eligible for enrollment in a federally or state-recognized tribe and are missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances or are at heightened risk due to health concerns or disabilities.
Colorado, California and Washington have established similar alerts. Since Washington’s system was created in 2022, 114 alerts had gone out as of August last year, and 111 of those people were located, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
Lawmakers in New Mexico have passed a couple other bills in recent years responding to a national crisis of Indigenous people disproportionately going missing and being killed. There are 186 Indigenous people missing from the state, according to the state Department of Justice, and the average number of days missing is 1,662, or about four and a half years.
The alert is especially needed on reservations, where jurisdictional confusion and understaffed law enforcement agencies are major obstacles to public safety, said Representative Michelle Paulene Abeyta (Diné), a Democrat from To’hajiilee and one of the bill’s sponsors.
“When someone goes missing, we’re combining our own resources outside of law enforcement and any actual government-run entity to try to locate our missing loved ones,” Abeyta said. “We know how important this is and how the lack of resources just isn’t fair for us and the jurisdictional issues that get in the way. It’s not right.”
In the ‘90s, when she was a child, Abeyta’s mother went missing. She was taken to a remote area and “beaten and left to die,” Abeyta said, before being found a few days later by a person who happened to be in the area. She was brought to a hospital and survived, but her recovery was difficult.
Abeyta and her co-sponsor Senator Angel Charley (Laguna/Zuni/Diné), D-Acoma, are “excited to see how this is going to help improve the lives of so many families that for a long time needed some type of solution, some type of resource to go to,” Abeyta said.
While helping solve logistical barriers, the alert system would also raise awareness about the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, Charley said in an interview.
Charley, who used to be the executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, referenced Ashlynne Mike, an 11-year-old Diné girl who was kid-
continued on page 55 >>
HEIFER BULLS
Corriente, ½ Angus Bred Heifers & Young Pairs
Lockney, Texas • Claude, Texas Columbus, New Mexico
John & Laura Conniff 1500 Snow Road, Las Cruces, NM 88005 575/644-2900 • john@conniffcattle.com www.conniffcattle.com
napped and murdered in northwestern New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, in 2016. Law enforcement didn’t issue an Amber Alert until the day after she went missing due to “misunderstandings and jurisdictional hurdles,” according to the Justice Department.
“You never know if coordination would have happened in a way that was quick and efficient” if there had been greater awareness at the time, Charley said. After lawmakers passed the bill, Ashlynne’s father contacted Charley, telling her he was going to write to Lujan Grisham and urge her to sign it.
“We do not want other families to go through the trauma we felt,” he wrote in a message Charley shared with New Mexico In Depth with his permission.
Indigenous advocates, tribal leaders and police, and lobbyists representing several pueblos also spoke in support of the bill during the session.
The bill requires the Department of Public Safety to develop a plan for getting alerts out as quickly as possible and keeping records on each alert, with information including the municipality where the missing person report was made, the date the alert was issued and the date the missing person is recovered.
FARMS FOR SALE IN PECOS VALLEY
480 ACRES WITH 337.15 ARTESIAN WATER RIGHTS WITH 106.6 SHALLOW WATER RIGHTS, CLOSED DAIRY FACILTY, PENS STILL IN EXISTENCE, PECAN ORCHARD, OLD PRIORITY DATES
480 ACRES WITH 300 ARTESIAN WATER RIGHTS WITH SHALLOW WATER RIGHTS 114 SHALLOW WATER RIGHTS, CLOSED DAIRY FACILITY, HOME, OLD PRIORITY DATES
60 ACRE HORSE FACILITY WITH 40 ACRES ARTESIAN WATER RIGHTS. OLD PRIORITY DATES, HORSE PADDOCKS, AMPLE STALLS, 3,166 SQUARE FOOT HOME, SMALL FEEDYARD ON DRYLAND
Contact Cherri Michelet Snyder – 575-626-1913 or Jan “JJ’’ Graham – 806-782-1986
For More Information, Michelet Homestead Realty, Roswell, NM
“Too many Native American families have faced crisis and the heartbreak of a loved one disappearing without the swift response they deserve,” Indian Affairs Secretary Josett Monette, whose agency developed the bill, said in a statement. “The Turquoise Alert system is a critical step forward in ensuring that missing Native American people are prioritized in the same way as other emergency alerts.” ▫ SCOTT MCNALLY, QUALIFYING
THE SAND CAMP RANCH
The election is over and there is optimism in the ranch real estate and cattle markets. It is time to invest in a quality cattle ranch. The Sand Camp Ranch fits the bill with an excellent grass cover and above average very functional improvements. It has been blessed with abundant moisture and is in excellent condition. Located in southern Chaves County east of the productive Pecos River Valley. The ranch is comprised of 2,380 +/- deeded acres, 6,074 NM State Lease Acres, 23,653 Federal BLM Lease Acres and 480 acres Uncontrolled, 32,107 +/- total acres (50.17 Sections). Grazing Capacity set by a Section 3 BLM grazing permit at a realistic 405 Animal Units Yearlong. The ranch is watered by five primary wells and an extensive interconnected pipeline system. This ranch is ready to go, no deferred maintenance. Price: $3,672,000 This is one of the better ranches in the area. It is nicely improved and well-watered. You won’t find anything comparable for the price. Call or email for a brochure and an appointment to come take a look.
Cherri Michelet Snyder Qualifying Broker 920 East 2nd, Roswell, NM 88201 • 575-623-8440
www.chassmiddleton.com
5016 122nd STREET LUBBOCK, TEXAS 79424 • 806-763-5331
Sam Middleton 817-304-0504 • Charlie Middleton 806-786-0313
Jim Welles 505-967-6562 • Dwain Nunez 505-263-7868
520-609-2546
P.O. Box 1039 Sonoita AZ 85637 — Serving NM/AZ — I Have Many Qualified Buyers
Buyers are looking for a ranch. If you have a ranch to sell, give me a call.
Lifetime rancher who is familiar with federal
Milky Ranch – Apache County, Arizona: 450 AU including 37,518 deeded acres with an additional 7,680 acres of Arizona State grazing lease located between Holbrook and Saint Johns, Arizona. The ranch is located directly off of US Highway 180 including seven miles of highway frontage. All access to the ranch is via private property and is contained behind locked gates and provides one-of-a-kind privacy with vast views of the National Park. Also included is an additional 7,270 deeded acres located outside the ranch fence. Price: $14,000,000
Hay Hollow Property – Navajo County, Arizona: 19,458 deeded acres located between Holbrook and Snowflake, Arizona along the Little Colorado River. Stunning views of painted desert scenery accessible by County roads yet great privacy and the feeling of seclusion. This could be a great investment or development property for solar, wind or residential use. Price: $6,500,000
80- Acre Mountain Retreat – Apache County, Arizona: 80 deeded acres located in the foothills of the White Mountains and overlooking the town of Eagar. Numerous building sites with amazing views over 100 miles & mountain side privacy yet only 5- minutes from town shopping and dining. The White Mountains provide year-round recreation including winter activities such as snow skiing and snowmobiling. Spring, summer and fall provide opportunities for hiking, fishing, camping & hunting. Property also includes 160-acres of Arizona State Lease land used for livestock grazing. Price: $799,000
CONTACT: ST. JOHNS OFFICE: TRAEGEN KNIGHT www.headquarterswest.com email: info@headquarterswest.com
RANCHES/FARMS
*SOLD* 472+/- Acre Organic Apple Orchard offered in 5 Tracts
Tract 1 – 158+/- Acre with approximately 131 ac of trees, 24,075+/- s.f. of apple processing facilities, cold storage, retail center, two homes, & wells.
Farm - Apache Grove, AZ –335+/- total acres along the scenic Gila River. 120+/- acres of decreed water rights. Pivot and pastures planted in Bermuda. Owner runs 150 head. One bedroom apartment over garage/ office, 30’ x 150’steel barn, plus smaller steel barn, shop/ feed room/tack room, excellent corrals, with squeeze chute, calf table and scale. Must see! $2.5M
*SOLD* 1883.45+/- Acres, McNeal, AZ – Frontier Roads. Good access, 2 registered wells, dirt tanks, fully fenced. Current owner runs 80+/- head seasonally $941,725 Reduced to $847,552 Call Paul Ramirez 520-241-3333.
150+/- Acre Farm, Willcox, AZ – 120 Acre full circle pivot with two wells. Ideal location for hay, pecans, pistachios, wine grape cultivation or other crops. Good water, productive soil. Convenient access to I-10. $525,000
*SOLD* 305+/- Acres of Land on Ash Creek Pearce, AZ –Excellent potential for agricultural development, qualifies for organic farming, cleared of Mesquites in 2010, good prospect for pecans, wine grapes, corn, cotton, hay. FAA approved landing strip, two domestic wells, fenced and cross fenced. Ask about the solar options available with this property. $457,000
*SOLD* 98+/- Deeded Acre Farm, Bonita, AZ – Great farm in a picture-perfect setting! Two small pivots with 35 acres of water rights. 3 BR, 2 BA Shultz mfg home; 3-sided hay/machine shed, 1,560+/- s.f. shop, 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. Runs about 40 head of cattle. $750,000
*SOLD* 200-300 Head Cattle Ranch, Marana, AZ – 112.8 +/- Deeded ac; 150+/- ac of pasture, 3,700+/- ac of sublease, 14 +/- ac of farm fields, HQ on State Land. 2nd mfg home on deeded. 2 sets of good steel pipe corrals $1.9M
*SEALED BID AUCTION* Hale Ranch, Patagonia, AZ – 218+/Acres and 60 Head USFS Grazing Allotment. Coming Soon. Subject to Sale Prior to Auction.
Brad DeSpain
520-429-2806
Paul Ramirez 520-241-3333
HORSE PROPERTIES/LAND
*SOLD* Auction 19+/- Ac, 3-BR, 2.5-BA, 2,220+/- s.f. Mountaintop Estate, Sonoita Hwy, Vail AZ –This estate comes complete with 360-degree wrap-around porches with million-dollar views of the surrounding mountains and city lights below. Open floor plan with soaring vaulted wood plank ceilings, granite countertops, solid wood doors, fireplace, all steel Kodiak home with 900+/- s.f. detached 3-car garage. This property will sell at Auction starting November 3, 2024. The online only auction will continue through December 3, 2024 and will start closing at 5:00 p.m.
*SOLD* Auction 10+/- Acre Country Estate in Scenic Sonoita, AZ – This country estate comes complete with a hilltop home, stunning mountain and grassland views, horse stable, large shop, orchard, chicken coop and water features and is the perfect sustainable property. This property sold as a result of our accelerated marketing program. Ask Paul Ramirez about that program today.
*SOLD * ONLIN E AUCTION , Pearce, AZ - Four offerings located in the grasslands at the foot of the beautiful Dragoon Mountains. Sold prior to Auction Lot 1 featured stunning, custom 3 BD, 2 BA territorial style home on 5.5 +/-. Sold Prior to Auction Lots 3, and 4 included 3 vacant, 1+ acre land parcels for a total of 3+/- acres each. Sold at Auction Lot 2 – 3- 1+/- acre lots for a total of 3+/- acres.
■ NE NEW MEXICO – 1,120 ac. +/- on pvmt. & on county roads, irrigated by ¼ mile pivot sprinklers, wells & underground pipe. One ¼ section in grass.
■ QUAY COUNTY ALFALFA AND LIVESTOCK – 255.474 ± acres a few miles southeast of Tucumcari, NM in Quay County. A total of 112.3 ± acres irrigated, 107 ± acres of native grassland, and 40 ± acres of dry farmland is combined with a 20’ x 80’ shop with concrete flooring and electricity.
■ TELL TX HALF SECTION – 320 ± acres just a few miles south of Tell, TX on the northern end of Cottle County. With the majority of the ranch being native pasture, it lends itself to grazing opportunities, hunting or recreational use. Along with perimeter and interior fencing, a 60 ± acre portion of the property is tilled ground.
■ UNION CO., NM – divided into three tracts for rotational grazing of 1,822 ac. +/- enrolled in the new Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program & 120 ac. +/- of the property in the standard CRP program. GCRP can be grazed year-round each year. Excellent fencing, one mile of hwy. frontage together with all-weather roads on the remainder, equipped with almost new set of steel working pens with scale, a second set of almost new working pens, watered by subs on electricity with pipelines furnishing water for drinkers in each pasture. Gramma & buffalo grasses. Broker owned.
■ UNION CO., NM – Just out of Clayton, a large feedyard w/four circles irrigated by ¼ mile sprinklers, five irr. wells, one domestic well for office & feedyard & just across the hwy. an 800 ac. grass lease.
■ MULESHOE HOME AND FARM – Irrigated farm of 160 ± acres with a 2017 built home in Bailey County 4.5 miles west of Muleshoe on FM 1760. The home has 3 br, 2 ba and an office. Other improvements on the property include a 4,032 sq.ft. pole barn with attached shed housing horse pens and cattle working pens. A 5 tower Zimmatic center pivot irrigates approximately 70 acres with three irrigation wells equipped with submersible pumps producing a total of approximately 150 GPM.
■ PRICE REDUCED! CHOICE 320 ac.+/-, irrigated farm, w/pivot sprinklers, irrigation wells & an older home which would be liveable or could be moved. Located on pvmt. in prime farming area of Castro Co., TX.
■ PRICE REDUCED! 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.
■ COCHRAN CO., TX. – 160 ac. +/- native grass, existing oil production. The tract is located roughly 21 miles north of Plains, Texas and 32 miles southwest of Whiteface, Texas. Mule deer in the area. Good small hunting, grazing ranch.
■ CASTRO CO., TX – 3 farms with good water, owner will sell and cash lease back: 1,319 ac. +/-, 2 half mile pivots; 1,715 ac. +/-, drip irrigated; 1,440 ac. +/-, drip irrigated.
■ 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 a creek. Ideal for future development or build your own getaway home.
■ CLAYTON, NM. – 44 acres located approx.. 2 miles south of Clayton, NM on Hwy 87 on the East side of the highway. This property has about ½ mile of highway frontage and would be great for residential housing, commercial development or addtl. RV development (adjoins the 16.75 ac. RV park).
■ CLAYTON, NM – 9 ac. +/- located on pvmt. behind a large convenience store on which has been partially begun infrastructure for an RV park. This property will also lend itself well as a large development such as new or existing businesses expanding their company.
■ DALLAM CO., TX – 480 acres in native grass in northeastern Dallam County. Possible wind potential.
■ PALO DURO CREEK TREASURE – 941 acres +/- in Randall Co. NW of Canyon, Tx. STUNNING VIEWS OVER LOOKING PALO DURO CREEK. Turn
GREAT WESTERN RANCH | QUEMADO, NM
Great Western Ranch offers 225,582± deeded acres, 279,219± leased acres, totaling 504,801± combined acres. A world-class, hybridized livestock and big game ranch that is well-watered and expertly managed. Approximately 790± square miles in size. Reduced to $115,000,000
LAND OF ENCHANTMENT RANCH | LAS VEGAS, NM
Land of Enchantment Ranch offers 12,700± deeded acres of diverse topography and numerous canyons, is heavily wooded, and is adjacent to the Santa Fe National Forest. Located ten miles southwest of Las Vegas and an hour from Santa Fe. Reduced to $13,250,000
LAKE SUMNER RANCH | FORT SUMNER, NM
Lake Sumner Ranch is a diverse 19,907± total acre working livestock ranch situated between Fort Sumner and Santa Rosa. Set along the Pecos River and Lake Sumner, it provides wildlife habitat and a unique grazing operation with supplement income. Reduced to $12,650,000
KUBACAK VINEYARDS | LUBBOCK, TX
A rare offering of 140± acre producing vineyard property in the desirable Texas High Plains American Viticultural Area. Meticulously maintained and improved with 60± acres of vines, consisting of 12 varietals of grapes known to produce award-winning wine. $6,500,000
MAXWELL PLACE, 39.65 +/- deeded acres, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 2 story home. Property is off pavement with big views of the mountain range, mature cottonwood trees, 1 apricot tree, irrigation rights, domestic water meter, older well, barns, useable outbuildings, including root cellar compliment this property. 461 Elm Tree Rd. Maxwell NM 87728 $499,00
UTE PARK DREAM, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 2,321 sq ft home built 2009 with amazing back covered porch and attached garage. 29665 HWY 64 Ute Park, NM 87729
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MIAMI 80+/- ACRES, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with water shares, roping arena, steel barn with shop. Other historic barns, Pipe corrals. Far enough off road to be private. Includes 80 shares of irrigation 2350 SHW 21, Miami NM 87729. $569,999
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
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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, $3,800,000
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Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo Introduces Culture, Tradition
by Zach Alvira, PSN Editor & Digital Media Specialist
Rodeo is a way of life in the Navajo Nation.
The people widely live off the land, raising sheep, cattle and other livestock from a young age. Window Rock, Ariz., a small town near the Arizona-New Mexico border, serves as the capital of the Navajo Nation.
It’s also where a staple in the community, the Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo, takes place three days out of the year.
“It’s special because it’s the hometown rodeo,” said Derrick Begay, an 11-time National Finals Rodeo qualifying team roper and native of the Navajo Nation. “The reason I do what I do today is because of Window Rock. That was the one that was closest to home where I could go and see all the big names … all the guys you would read about in magazines and see on TV.
“Having a PRORODEO put an interest in me to do that.”
The Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo wasn’t to the scale it is today just two years ago. The rodeo went through some difficult times, where it saw a decrease in participants due to other rodeos increasing their purses and payouts.
As Window Rock remained mostly stagnant, other rodeos began to expand, welcoming in cowboys who previously attended the Navajo Nation rodeo as they made changes to their routes.
Recognizing the need for change, the Navajo Nation Division for Natural Resources sought the help of Zion Enterprises in the spring of 2024. Zion leaders then turned to those with the most knowledge of rodeos in the area: the cowboys.
JANUARY
FEBRUARY — Beefmasters; Texas Longhorns
MARCH — Limousin; Santa Gertrudis
APRIL — Dairy
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
Begay was one of those who was asked for his input to improve the rodeo. He made two suggestions: change the date and increase the purse. A short time later, he was asked to be part of a group that now runs the rodeo and both of his suggestions were implemented.
“I was just giving them advice and next thing you know they were asking me to help run it,” Begay said. “I just kinda helped keep the show going. That was my deal with it last year.”
The Home of the Navajo was moved to May 30 and runs through June 2. Previously, it took place over Fourth of July Weekend.
Editor’s Note: Derrick Begay and his longtime heeler, Colter Todd, Willcox, Arizona, and their horses were the Champion Team Ropers at the 2025 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Together they netted $173,000 and rocketed them to the top of the PRCA World Standings for their event.
The purse, which previously sat at $45,000, doubled to $90,000. The number of participants also doubled from 250. Included in that group were the big-name cowboys that declined participation at Window Rock in previous years.
Steer roping was also introduced for the first time on the Navajo Nation last year. But most importantly, the rodeo was once again sharing the culture of the Navajo people. A group Begay says may hold the title of rodeo’s biggest fans.
“There are two different kinds of fans,” Begay said. “There are normal fans and there are fans that actually know a guy’s middle name, a guy’s wife, his kids. That’s the kind of fans the Navajo are. They know that information.”
Across the Navajo Nation, Begay said rodeos take place in every community at least once a year. Many are small, with mostly local participants competing. But each one holds a special place in the people’s hearts.
The Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo takes that to another level, where jewelry and textiles from the Navajo culture are introduced to the world. Many of those same pieces are found throughout rodeos across the country, including the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge in Las Vegas.
THOMPSON RANCH
EVERY WEDNESDAY @ 10:30
CATTLE
“Every community has its own,” Begay said. “Rodeo is built into who we are.” ▫
My Advice
Iusually try to avoid handing out advice, because, well, who wants advice from a gal who could write a book on how to get stuck and what not to do? However, I know my time as a high school rodeo mom is fixing to be over, and I have learned a lot, so the advice for anyone who is starting to junior high or high school rodeo with their children is here, unsolicited and free for the taking!
It seems like just yesterday we were flying down the back roads to Lindrith, New Mexoco, for a kid rodeo and our children’s feet barely reached their little stirrups. We managed to start a deep love for all things rodeo in our children at that point and soon needed to move up and on to the next level of youth rodeo. When we started junior high and high school rodeo, there was a lot to learn. We soon fell into our routine and started figuring out our world, and I am so thankful we got to do this with our kids! What an incredible experience and what a pile of good memories made.
As a roughie mom, there is a special opportunity for kinship. It isn’t easy being the mom of a roughie, and you have to pat yourself on the back just for being here. Your kid wants to do something that not many will do, and I don’t have much advice except to say I had to pray a lot and learn that they are going to hit the ground a bunch, especially the first year. My son went from saddle bronc minis and steers to horses, and that was a big step. Just nodding their face is something to be proud of! The learning curve is steep, stout, and long, but it will come. Supporting each other and the kids is important no matter what side of the arena you find yourself on!
We have a few cows at home, and so that meant there were times someone had to be at home, especially during spring calving. I hated missing those rodeos, and I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to be sitting at home, looking at cows and having my phone ding as someone sent a video of my kid in the arena for their event. You couldn’t have lifted my spirits any higher if you’d have zapped me right into the bleachers! If you are arena-side, and know someone missing it,
grab a video and send it on.
Extend grace when you get the opportunity. Everyone ends up facing some kind of challenge at some point. Sometimes there are very serious health issues for families, loss of irreplaceable horses, dysfunction, trucks and trailers that quit running, all kinds of things we may or may not know about. We are all in it together, and when we can remember to extend a little grace, we can offer a helping hand without even knowing it.
Say thanks! Gosh, nothing sucks worse than when someone makes a mistake, or something happens that is less than right. In the meantime, say thanks for the things that you appreciate. I can’t tell you how many times seeing someone saying thanks has made my day. These kids deserve the world, and when people step up to try and make that happen, well, that is special.
Finally, when someone says this time will fly by, know that it really does. Do everything you can to enjoy it. Everyone is different so that means different things for different families, but the memories made here during your kids junior/high school rodeo, they are special. I will never forget the parking lot roping contests, listening to Bobby sing and play guitar, the great food eaten together, Sunni’s dog Hank and my son’s love/hate relationship, all the kids looking so sharp for proms each year, extra kids piled in our trailer, all of it was special. I will always be thankful for this time and appreciate everyone who made it happen. If you are headed down this junior high/high school rodeo path, enjoy it!
Results for Lovington, NM March 20-23, 2025
High School
Boys All-Around
Ike Smith
Girls All-Around
Addison Kinser
Pole Bending
Channing
Robinson
Saddle Bronc
Hardy Osborn
Goat Tying
Wacey Trujillo
Calf Roping Gunnar
Tripton
Breakaway
Wacey Trujillo
Barrel Racing
Addison Kinser
Bull Riding
Lane Valenzuela
Pole Bending
Bristol Shiver
Steer Saddle Bronc
Catch Roberts
Boys Goat Tying
Rayce Griggs
Girls Goat Tying
Danley Triplett
Ribbon Roping
Jayden Padilla/ Reagan Barba
Steer Bareback
Jace Wild Green
Calf Roping
Rayce Griggs
Girls Breakaway
Macklee Cain
Boys Breakaway
Jax Jameson
Barrel Racing
Ame Biebelle
Team Roping
Paislee Foster/
Seth Lujan
Chute Dogging
Grydar Tipton
Long Rifle
Macklee Cain
Team Roping
Cash Chavez/
Ike Smith
Steer Wrestling Pike
Ketcham
Light Rifle
Zoey Cline
Reined Cow Horse
Ellie Powell
Boys Cutting
Tate White
Girls Cutting
Addison Kinser
Junior High
Boys All-Around
Rayce Griggs
Girls All-Around
Macklee Cain
Amy Biebelle
Enriquez, Faulkner and Miller family at 2024 HS rodeo
Faulkner family at a 2025 HS rodeo
Brody Encinias
Brycen Barnes
Catch Roberts
Channing Robinson
Gunnar Tipton
Hayden Wheeler, Cylee Jo Roberts
Izea Forrister
Jintrie Mirabal
Keelin Faulkner
Kasen May Pike Ketcham
Addison Kinser
New Mexico High School Rodeo Association
by Julie Carter
It’s a big deal and Capitan’s 18-year-old Addison Kinser is steady in the practice pen getting herself prepared for The American Rodeo happening April 11-12 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Addison roped (breakaway) her way for a chance at the $1 million prize by placing 2nd in the average in the Tulsa, Okla. qualifier. There she roped a 2.0, a 2.1 and then a 2.1 in the short go, indicating the level of “tough” the event was.
The busy homeschooled senior fits a lot into the day, including keeping 9-10 horses ridden, practiced and working every single day along with the usual barn chores of stall cleaning and feeding. She competes in Breakaway, Cutting, Barrels and Team Roping, and until this year also Reined Cow Horse. “I just had so many events, and I really wanted to focus more on the Breakaway because that’s key for my college rodeoing, so I dropped the reining event,” she said. Addison qualified for High School Nationals every year since she was a freshman and last year, she qualified in all four of her events except the Team Roping. She will attend Tarleton State in the fall majoring in Business, and be on the rodeo team.
And what does Addison do to get ready for any competition? She says it’s the same process no matter what the event. “I try to get my mindset right,” she said. “I work on that in the practice pen just like I work on the roping. I try to imagine myself in competition even when I’m practicing. For me, the mindset is everything. I used to get really nervous, and I was like, this is not going to work.” Addison says her roping coach and mentor, Marty Becker, really changed her mental game. “I rope with him a lot and that really helps me keep it all together. He has not only helped change my roping and brought it to another level, but we work on my mindset a
lot.”
“I have three breakaway horses right now, so I rope the sled quite a bit after an event, to slow them down, then ease them back to roping some calves,” Addison explains in describing her practice pen time. “I rope on all three horses every day, run a set, score quite a few and then run some more.” Her main breakaway horses are Jlo and Ruf. “I really do like them both, and sometimes it’s hard to decide which one to compete on,” she said. “But it was Jlo that qualified me for The American.” Addison’s mom Meghan is step for step with her every day at the arena, helping get it all done.
Gloria, 9, gets the call for the Cutting events. “She’s amazing,” said Addison. “Very solid and consistent and I really want to get some babies out of her when I’m done cutting this year.”
Addison imagines that the future generation of Gloria babies will be prospects for Breakaway futurities, not Cutting.
Addison’s soft quiet demeanor goes well with her strong genuine loyalty to whoever and whatever matters in her life. And right now, she’s very focused on what happens when she backs in the box at the next event. “I know I have to have a very clear mind. It’s then I know what happens next is unstoppable.” ▫
Jlo, 9, comes with a good story in that only two years ago she was a spoiled barrel horse but was cutting horse bred “so I knew she was cowy” Addison said. “I definitely had to work some of the ‘hot’ out of her, but she’s athletic, fast. I just was patient with her and here we are. She’s a really good one.”
Addson and Gloria competing in Artesia, Fall 2024. Photo by Julie Carter
Addison Kinzer
Bill Gates Says AI Will Eliminate Most Jobs Except
For Coders, Energy Experts And Biologists
by Rhoda Wilson, The Expose
In late March, CNBC reported that Bill Gates has “predicted” that within the next 10 years, advancements in artificial intelligence (“AI”) will significantly reduce the need for human involvement in many tasks, including those of doctors, teachers and people who are “growing food.” He made the remarks during an interview with Jimmy Fallon recently.
However, Indian news outlets are reporting more details. According to Business Standard, during the interview, Gates identified only three occupations that are likely to remain safe from a hostile AI takeover: coders, energy experts and biologists.
Gates believes coders are necessary because while AI can generate code, it makes errors that only human programmers can
correct. So, coders are needed to refine, debug and advance AI itself. But for how long will coders be useful?
Interestingly, writing for Windows Central, Kevin Okemwa said, “Over the past few months, I’ve covered multiple reports suggesting that coding might be dead in the water with the rapid prevalence of AI. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang discouraged the youth from exploring a career path in software engineering, suggesting they might have better luck in biology, education, manufacturing or farming.”
As for “energy experts,” Gates claims the complexity of managing power grids and critical infrastructure requires human oversight for safety and strategic decisions. Again, for how long? Because when the energy required to supply the Globalists’ control system is in place, will “energy experts” be required?
The third group whose jobs Gates deems worthy of saving are biologists. Gates “predicts” that biologists will remain essential in the face of AI advancements due to their unique skills in scientific discovery and critical thinking.
While AI can process vast datasets and aid in disease diagnosis, it lacks the ability to formulate groundbreaking hypotheses or make intuitive leaps in research. AI has yet
to master creativity, intuition and critical thinking – Gates is foolish if he thinks it ever will. Nevertheless, apparently, out of all the many roles people fulfill in the world, biologists are the only ones, according to Gates, who rely on these human qualities.
Importantly to Gates, these qualities are essential for pushing the boundaries of medical research and understanding life’s complexities. While AI excels in processing data and identifying patterns, so it is claimed, it cannot independently generate novel ideas or challenge conventional knowledge. Medical advancements often require years of trial and error, ethical considerations, and an in-depth understanding of human biology, which AI cannot fully replicate.
They may attempt to promote their agenda to the public as being “for our own good,” but in reality, it is anything but that. While we do not know the exact or full purpose for which Gates intends to use biologists, we can make some educated guesses. As we have learnt during the covid era, none of them are good.
If biologists have the creativity, intuition and critical thinking Gates aims to use to further his agenda, then they will know that when their usefulness to Gates comes to an end, they will share the same fate as doctors, farmers and teachers. ▫
Rayce Griggs
New Mexico Junior High School Rodeo Association
by Julie Carter
(Kendra’s dad), also a calf roper. When Rayce got Trygg, it was a big step up in horsepower. “I have to ride a lot better and push him harder,” Rayce said.
Not allowed to use Trygg in the Ribbon Roping, Rayce said he had to “make another one” when he decided to work that event. He had a pony he calls Pineapple that he’d done just about everything on including doctoring wheat cattle and dragging calves in the branding pen. Pineapple was drafted to the Ribbon Roping event for the year.
On the east side of the state in the suburbs of House, New Mexico a punchy 14-year-old cowboy is growing up on a hundred-year-old homestead doing what generations of family before him did, run cattle and do enough farming to keep them fed.
Rayce Griggs is the eldest of the three born to Canadian transplant Kendra and New Mexico native Lee Griggs. Rayce is followed by, or pestered by, depending on who you ask, his sisters Kollins, 11 and Kimber, 5. Kendra and Lee met in college, both rodeoed, so it’s the natural progression that their kids are doing the same. Rayce, however, will do anything to avoid spending any time in a tractor. He is determined there is no farmer blood in his veins, but he does get in on some of the associated work like the sprinkler systems.
Rayce’s Junior High rodeo events include Team Roping, Calf Roping, Goat Tying and Ribbon Roping. He entered his first roping when he was 6 and according to him, he just never did want to do anything else.
Rayce calf ropes off a Palomino gelding named Trygg, 14, that came from his grandfather
In January, Rayce lost his good head horse, The Hulk, when he “exploded” a flexor tendon. Last fall, they bought Boomer for a practice horse, so he was recruited to be Rayce’s main heading horse. “He’s a good horse and I rope well on him,” Rayce said. “So, we are using him.”
Rayce says he likes that rodeo is a family thing that they all do together. His sister Kollins is competing in Junior High, and although Kimber isn’t old enough yet, she’s all in when it comes to being at the arena and doing the coaching. Kendra says she tells them all what they are doing wrong and how they need to be doing it and is most often exactly correct.
Calling coyotes and doing some hunting fills up any “hobby” time Rayce might have. He has a sidekick German Shepherd named Duke. “He doesn’t do much, but he’s a good dog,” Rayce explained. According to his family, Rayce is a “candy Nazi” and what kind really isn’t a factor. “He’s just addicted to candy,” Kendra said. Rayce didn’t confirm or deny.
In the rodeo hero department Rayce quickly offered, “I look up to my dad a lot,” he said. “I always thought Trevor Brazile was good too.”
Rayce wasn’t quite sure what the word was for his prep time before competing, but agreed “visualizing” is what he did. “I just think about what I’m going to do and run it through my mind,” he said. “Thinking about the score and the cattle, if they’re slow, those kinds of things.”
Lee said Rayce is probably one of the happiest kids around and has a good attitude about everything he does. “He has a work ethic and a very strong desire to win.” Kendra described his kind heart and how much fun he is to be around.
Rayce thinks he’s ready for the high school years coming up soon, at least in the arena. “I think I am,” he said. “I’m pretty excited.” In the meantime, he has his sights set on qualifying in all his events for a return trip to the JH National Finals in June. ▫
Rayce Griggs and Haize Price. Photo by Julie Carter
NASS Reinstates Select Data Collection Programs &
Reports
Issued March 19, 2025, by the Agricultural Statistics Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is reinstating the July Cattle report, as well as County Estimates for Crops and Livestock. The county estimate reinstatement is effective for the 2024 crop season for the row crops (corn, cotton, peanuts, rice, sorghum, soybeans) and for the 2025 crop season for the small grain crops (barley, oats, wheat).
Following are scheduled release dates:
Ї County Estimates – corn, sorghum, soybeans: May 6
Ї County Estimates – cotton: May 12
Ї County Estimates – cattle: May 13
Ї County Estimates – rice, peanuts: May 23
Ї July Cattle: July 25
The full calendar of NASS reports is available at nass. usda.gov/Publications. ▫
Villanueva •
Each Bull Purchased is Worth One Entry to win a Savage Axis II 6.5 Creedmoor w/Scope.
Plan advertisingyourfor the coming year!
If
15-Year Low for Meat Cold Storage Could Impact Spring/ Summer Prices
by Chris Moore, meatingplace.com
The total supply of beef, pork, chicken and turkey in cold storage at the end of February stood at 1.937 billion pounds, down 3.8 percent from last year and 10.3 percent below the five-year average, according to the USDA’s most recent data.
June 7th
& BBQ June 12
Rodeo June 13
Show Rodeo June 14 Morning Slack Open Show Rodeo. Contact Information: FB Gallup Lions Club galluplions.com
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
This marks the lowest February inventory since 2010, signaling potential supply constraints heading into spring. High storage costs, tight raw material availability and uncertain export markets have contributed to the decline, Daily Livestock Report said.
Beef inventories totaled 428.1 million pounds, down 2.3 percent year-over-year and 13.6 percent below the five-year average. A combination of lower cow slaughter rates and steady domestic demand has prevented inventory buildup, supporting a bullish price outlook.
Pork supplies also remained tight, with total inventory at 423.1 million pounds—the lowest February level in 25 years. Belly stocks were 24 percent lower than last year, though a 17 percent month-over-month increase suggests processors are preparing for potential supply constraints in late spring and summer. Ham storage showed year-over-year growth, while loin inventories declined due to reduced exports.
The tight cold storage supplies across multiple proteins are adding upward pressure on prices as demand increases heading into the warmer months.
Editor’s note: To request a free copy of Len Steiner’s book, “What Works and What Doesn’t: Successes, Failures and Lessons Learned from a Career in the Food Industry,” send an email to: freebook@steinerconsulting.com ▫
Hodges Livestock
by Heather Smith Thomas
Hodges Ranch has been raising livestock in Sterling County in Texas since 1889. Kade Hodges is 6th generation. “It was my great-great-great-grandfather and his family who settled in what is now Sterling County in the late 1880s, but he didn’t officially start ranching in the county until 1889 when he purchased a couple sections of land. He and his family raised cattle and horses until about 1907 when they bought their first sheep,” says Kade.
“They started with Merino wool sheep, and then in about 1928 they purchased their first registered Rambouillet ram. The family raised wool sheep for more than 100 years, until about 2016, when they decided to transition to just hair sheep,” he says. Hair sheep were brought to the ranch in the late 1990s by Clinton Hodges and his wife, Joyce (Kade’s grandparents). These sheep were purchased directly from the original Royal White flock developed by the late Bill Hoag.
“Bill Hoag developed the Royal White breed in west Texas. My grandparents purchased some of the rams and ewes that Mr. Hoag sold.” Clinton and Joyce, along with their son Wesley, were instrumental in introducing hair sheep to West Texas. Wesley, his wife Karen, and their children continue to operate on land that includes parcels of the original homestead.
Today Kade and his wife Morgan specialize in raising Royal White hair sheep, known for their productivity, hardiness, and profitability. “These sheep blend the growth, performance and carcass traits of the Dorper with the hardiness, maternal traits, and parasite resistance of the St. Croix,” says Kade. They are a composite breed.
“The St. Croix hair sheep were already here in the U.S. and they are an excellent maternal breed,” says Morgan. “They are great mamas and very hardy and heat tolerant.” When the Dorper sheep were imported a bit later, people in arid regions like Texas became interested in them also.
“My dad has been a great mentor,” says Kade. “He is always there for us, and helps us out whenever he can. He’s only a phone call away when we want to pick his brain, or we drive over to his house to just say Hi.” Morgan says Kade’s dad is essentially Superman. “He can build or fix anything or figure out how to do something. Kade’s mother is a CPA and one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met. They are an awesome asset to our team, and wonderful mentors. My parents have been integral to our success, as well. My dad was a livestock extension specialist in New Mexico and then became the director of King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management. He is now head of the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M. He is wonderful at coming up with ideas and strategies and has been a great help to us. My mom has also been a great supporter of what we do. Her creativity and encouragement have been a huge contributor to our success.”
Morgan and Kade have done well with their sheep and they also have a sheep and goat feedlot where they formulate the rations and mix the feed to finish out a portion of their sheep and goats each year.
“The hair sheep are significantly hardier and handle the heat better than wool sheep. We don’t have to shear them and they are more resistant to parasites. They also have more twins and will also breed out of season more consistently,” he says. This means more total lambs.
With more than 25 years of experience with these sheep, the Hodges family has now sold their Royal White genetics to at least 25 states across the U.S. “We add more states to that list every year,” says Kade.
“We are committed to finding ways to efficiently and sustainably raise livestock. We both have undergraduate and graduate degrees
The Dorper is a South African breed developed by crossing the Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian sheep. The breed was created in the 1930s through the efforts of the South African Department of Agriculture to breed a meat sheep suitable to the more arid regions of South Africa. Some of these sheep were brought to the U.S. in the 1950s. “They brought many advantages, for hair sheep, with excellent growth, muscling, and ability to thrive in dry regions like west Texas and New Mexico. They became very popular, very quickly,” Kade says. Now Kade and Morgan just raise Royal White haired sheep, commercial Angus cross-cattle and commercial Spanish-Boer cross goats.
Morgan, Kade & Weston
Hodges livestock
American Solar Grazing Association
This organization is a community of farmers, solar developers, and innovators who are shaping the future of solar energy and farming. The American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) is the leading voice of the solar grazing industry, with over 800 members across 45 states representing a diverse group of farmers and solar developers.
ASGA members facilitates research, provides essential education, and develops best practices that support shepherds and solar developers to effectively manage solar installations and create new agribusiness profits. The ASGA provides essential resources and education to support farmers who are building a sustainable future by grazing animals under solar panels. ASGA works to promote the growth of solar grazing and the benefits of dual-use solar and agricultural projects.
The ASGA is a not-for-profit trade association founded for, and managed by, sheep farmers who became solar grazers. ASGA is accepting memberships and developing a directory and forum where farmers can connect with solar projects that need vegetation management–creating networking systems for the exchange of ideas and innovation, providing educational materials, and facilitating connections between solar developers and farmers.
This membership-based organization hosts members from around the country and the world, representing farmers, ranchers, researchers and solar energy firms. The members’ network and discussion forum provides ASGA members exclusive access to extensive resources on grazing and a growing community to learn with. This is the first farmer-focused agrivoltaics organization in the U.S, and the strongest and largest one globally.
Livestock are a very effective vegetative management tool for community and utility solar energy systems. Cattle are grazed in some solar projects, but typically it is sheep that are used to control vegetation growth because they can easily maneuver underneath and around solar arrays. Many of the solar companies want to keep agriculture involved.
“Grazing is an excellent fit for solar farms because vegetation height has to be managed, first because the people need to be able to see what they are walking through, and also to reduce fire risk,” Morgan says. “Our personal passion with this program is that we want to keep these areas in agriculture production.”
“There have been pilot projects to try to figure out how to run cattle in solar farms, and be cost effective for them,” Kade says. “There are also projects with apiaries, and in some areas are trying to figure out ways to continue to do row-crop production between the panels.” ▫
in the animal science field. Our educational background and industry experience drive our passion to provide livestock-based solutions that benefit the community, our livestock, and the environment,” he says.
In 2024, the Hodges faced a major challenge, losing leased acreage. Determined to find a solution, they saw an opportunity to expand their business and started offering vegetation management services to solar farms through targeted sheep grazing. Kade and Morgan are members of the American Solar Grazing Association, an organization that facilitates vegetation management through dual use of sheep and mechanical mowing. They offer these services to solar farms, using targeted sheep grazing. “We are now a contractor and assist in providing vegetation management services for solar farms under photovoltaic array,” says Kade.
“Our job is to keep the grass under the solar panels below a certain height. We work with a mowing company in a hybrid grazing/ mowing model; we handle the sheep grazing side of things and the other company handles mowing. The purpose of the sheep is to minimize the amount of mowing that has to be done, while at the same time keeping this land in ag production and reduce fire risk,” he says.
“Grazing sheep under photovoltaic array is not a new concept. It has been going in in eastern and northeastern regions of the U.S. for at least a decade, but here in Texas doing it on a utility scale (600 to 1000-plus acre sites) is relatively new. We bring in the sheep and rotate them around, targeting the places the grass needs to be shortened the most. Typically the mowing follows up behind the sheep to clean up wherever they were unable to get it down short enough, or to mow down whatever the sheep don’t eat. There are a few weeds they won’t eat,” he says.
“This has given us a unique opportunity to diversify our operation,” Morgan said. “Although these locations are more than six hours away from our headquarters, this helps us manage risk when drought conditions arise in our home county, by being able to raise sheep in an area with greater average rainfall.”
On their home place, Kade and Morgan manage their ewes and nannies on an accelerated program; they have three lamb and kid crops in two years. “We implement a hybrid range and confinement system where sheep and goats are on pasture for five months and raise their offspring in our dry lot for three months,” Morgan said. “This enables us to refine our genetic selection, provide our pastures with adequate rest periods and allows us to run more animal units while maintaining the same fixed costs.”
“Our goal is to do the lambing barn work so the producers who buy from us don’t have to. We are identifying the ewes that can consistently lamb a set of twins and raise that set of twins. We want ewes that have good udders and can lamb easily,” she says.
“Lambing and kidding in the feedlot, we can also protect the lambs and kids from predators, and at the same time give our pastures a rest. Kade and I both have a background in ruminant nutrition so we are able to formulate our own rations and mix our own feed.”
Another goal is to preserve the family’s ranching legacy and pass a successful business to their children. “With the arrival of our first child, Weston, we are more dedicated than ever to do our best, accomplish our goals and live a life that carries out God’s will for our lives,” says Morgan.
Weston Clay Hodges is now 6 months old, named after Kade’s dad Wesley and Kade’s late grandfather Clinton. “We just put those names together to come up with Weston, and his middle name Clay is after my dad,” says Morgan.
Kade works part-time for his family’s ranch (Hodges Ranch) and assists in daily operations and management decisions. “Morgan and I help my dad, as well as operating our own business (Hodges Livestock). Our mission is to be good stewards of God’s creation while
raising productive and profitable livestock for both consumers and fellow ranchers,” Kade said.
“We’re lifelong learners and constantly evaluating new research to find ways to improve our operation. We view change as a constant in our industry and in our lives, and we adapt by searching for new opportunities and creative solutions.”
He and Morgan both serve on the Coke-Sterling County Farm Bureau board of directors and are involved in Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) events and activities at the county, state and national level. Morgan also served as the vice chair of Texas Farm Bureau’s YF&R 2024 Advisory Committee. Both of them are also active members in their community and church.
“Working alongside one another to chase our dreams has been a wonderful journey,” Morgan said. “We want to keep expanding our traditional ranching business as well as the solar grazing business, but we would not be where we are today without the help of our family, friends, and the good Lord’s help as well,” she says.
“We have a website, an Instagram and a Facebook page. People are welcome to follow along with us there. We have commercial rams and ewes available for sale.”
Outstanding Young Farmer & Rancher Contest
Kade and Morgan were finalists in the Texas Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Young Farmer & Rancher Contest. This competition recognizes young men and women ages 18 to 35 who are involved
in agriculture and earn more than 50 percent of their primary income from a farm or ranch enterprise.
“The Texas Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher program does a great job of cultivating young leaders in agriculture. They have many opportunities for young farmers and ranchers. We applied for that contest, and made it to the top three, to receive an interview. They came out to our place for a few hours and we showed them around, talked about our goals, where we are going and where we’ve been. We were honored to receive that award for Texas in December of 2024. With that we received a $60,000 member-dealer voucher, which we were able to spend on a new pickup!” Morgan says.
From that competition they progressed to the American Farm Bureau’s national version, which is called their Achievement Award. “We made the top 10, made it through an interview process and were honored to be selected as the winners for the nation.” This award was presented to them in January.
Hodges sheep grazing under solar panels
Hodges feedlot
Water Based Versus Property Based BLM Grazing Permits
by Mike Casabonne
In order to qualify to lease Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered grazing land or hold a grazing permit the applicant must own or control “Base Property”. BLM regulations define Base Property as: (1) Land that has the capability to produce crops or forage that can be used to support authorized livestock for a specified period of the year, or (2) water that is suitable for consumption by livestock and is available and accessible, to the authorized livestock when the public lands are used for livestock grazing.
In discussing BLM regulatory issues, New Mexico, Arizona and the southern part of Nevada are considered “water based states” and most of the other western states are considered “property based”. The reason there is a difference is because there are more seasonal BLM permits in the property based states and more year-long permits in New Mexico and Arizona.
The seasonal versus year-long distinction causes significant differences in the organization and operation of ranches. A major one is the development and ownership of improvements. Year-long grazing operations are typically intermingled land status and the permittee has constructed most if not all the improvements on the ranch, usually some on the private land part of the ranch and often the majority on the BLM lands.
Until the mid 1990s when President Bill Clinton’s Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt changed the BLM grazing regulations, most improvements placed on the federal land by ranchers were authorized by Section 4 of the Taylor Grazing Act. Section 4 allowed the improvement to be owned by the permittee. If the permit was revoked and transferred to another rancher, the original owner of the improvement had to be compensated for his investment in improving the value of the
permit. Secretary Babbitt eliminated Section 4 permits and replaced them with Cooperative Agreements with the BLM holding partial title to the improvement even if the permittee fully funded and constructed it.
Seasonal permits typically have few if any permittee constructed and owned improvements on BLM land. Land status is usually 100 percent federal. The qualifying private base property may be contiguous to it or not and most of the fences, corrals, and manmade water facilities are on the private base property, not the BLM administered land. In some cases, the BLM constructs some of the improvements necessary for the livestock operation on the federal land.
The intermingled land status difference is also significant. On year-long operations, BLM grazing management also controls grazing on the intermingled private land. As long as the permittee and the BLM agree on the management plan there is no problem. But if there is a conflict, the BLM can control grazing management on the intermingled private land by default because there is no practical way to separate the two.
On a seasonal operation, the BLM may change the length of the grazing season or the numbers allowed but the permittee is still in control of the private land base property. That gives the operator more latitude in dealing with grazing restrictions that may be placed on the seasonal use BLM land. Seasonal BLM operators’ private property rights are not compromised. Year-long permit holder’s private property rights often are.
Year-long operators generally pay more in grazing fees and operating expenses than seasonal operators. Because they are on the federal land all year, their BLM animal unit month (AUM) usage is more than the seasonal operator who is only on the federal land for the grazing season.
Any regulation that limits the options of a permittee to make management decisions impacts only the separate federal land part of the seasonal permit operator’s business. For the year-long operator, it impacts the whole operation possibly to the point of eroding his equity in the ranch.
Seasonal and year-long operators on BLM lands have a lot of common interests in how the BLM administers grazing. But there are some significant differences that should be considered if changes are proposed to grazing regulations. ▫
A Lazy 6 Angus Ranch 53, 69
AgTrust Farm Credit . . . 2
American Heritage Bank / Colten Grau 32
American International
Charolais 53
Bar G Feedyard . . . . 27
Bar M Real Estate 55, 60
Beaverhead Outdoors . . 57
Bill King Ranch 7
BJM Sales & Service Inc 51
Border Tank Resources 45
Bradley 3 Ranch, Ltd 52
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Brushmaster 51
C Bar Ranch 53
Carter Brangus 40, 52
Carter’s Custom Cuts . . 75
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Cattlemen’s Lvsk Auction Co 36
Cauthorn & Griffin Insurance . 8
Chas S Middleton & Son 56
Clark Anvil Ranch 54
Clovis Livestock Auction . 29
Conniff Cattle Co , LLC 53
Corvus, LLC (formerly Aerotech) 13
Cox Ranch Herefords . . 53
D-I
Dairy Farmers of America 18
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Five States Lvsk Auction 42
4 Rivers Equipment . . . . 3
4G Mountain Angus 34, 52
Genex / Candy Trujillo . . 52
Grau Charolais 52, 61
Grau Ranch 52, 79
Hall & Hall . . . . . . 59
Harrison Quarter Horses 51
Hartzog Angus Ranch . . 53
Headquarters West / Traegen Knight . . . . 56
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Henard Ranch . . . . 31
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J-N
J & J Auctioneers 65
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Landmark Mercantile Livestock Auction . . . 63
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Lazy D Ranch Red Angus . 54
Lazy J&G Sales 51
Lonestar Stockyards, LLC 30
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Manzano Angus . . . . 53
McPherson Heifer Bulls 53
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Michelet Homestead Realty 55
Mid-Year Convention 14, 15
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NM Federal Lands Council 62
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O-U
O’Neill Land 60
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Overland Stock Yard 17
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Perez Cattle Company . . 52
Pinnacle Solar Power, LLC 47
Pratt Farms . . . . . . 47
Republic Ranches, LLC 56
Rio Grande Scales & Equipment 13, 51
Roswell Livestock & Farm Supply . . . . . . 18
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Running Creek Ranch . . 54
Rusty’s Weigh Scales & Service . . . . . . 74
Santa Rita Ranch 53
Scott Land 58
Select Sires Member Cooperative 54
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Skaarer Brangus . . . 39, 52
Sonsray 5
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Stockmen’s United Country Real Estate 58
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The Ranches . . . . . 43
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2 Bar Angus 52
United Fiberglass, Inc . . 38 USA Ranch 54
V-Z
Verde Real Estate . . . . 60
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THANK YOU TO ALL OUR BUYERS THIS YEAR — FROM MEXICO TO FLORIDA!
GRAU GRAU RANCH RANCH
THEY’RE BETTER BECAUSE THEIR SIRES & GRANDSIRES ARE GRAU RANCH BRED
Grau Ranch bull sired the Grand Champion Carcass steer in San Antonio in the production division with 87 head entered. The calf was a purebred Charolais steer.
STATISTICS ARE:
Quality Grade: Prime plus Yield Grade: 2.3
Ribeye: 16.5
Fat thickness: .4
Dressing %: 62%
The Calf was fed and entered by Andrew Louis Jones from Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch.
These kinds of calves weigh more and bring more money than the others.
