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Impact Report

For plan Profitable Livestock Production (McKinley County)
Date October 18, 2010, 9:40 pm
For Objective Medium-term Show medium-term objectives
Impact Report BQA Trainings There are well over 110,000 (horses, cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and chickens) animals on McKinley County Ranches and small farms. Livestock producers range from those with only a few animals on a few acres to a few large producers operating on extensive ranch holdings. The agricultural industry includes nearly 60% of all county residents. Of those 71.8% are Native American, 15.8% Anglo, 11.3% Hispanic, and 1.1% other. The majority of producers in McKinley County raise cattle, sheep or both. Many of these animals are produced on the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation has open range grazing where livestock from several producers may share the same pasture. In addition, shipping and marketing problems have risen due to the proximity of the land to points of sale. Culture and tradition also play a large part in production practices. The Beef Quality Assurance Program has been in existence since the 90's. Its focus is to demonstrate to producers best animal husbandry practices so that they can raise the safest and best product for consumers. Consumers are questioning where their food comes from more and more and agriculture activists are becoming more prevalent. Consequently, beef producers must continue to practice good animal handling and management skills. Agent trained and discussed BQA guidelines with 45 producers in McKinley County who wanted to become certified. As a result, they increased their understanding of vaccination protocols, the grading system, Beef Quality Audits, animal welfare issues, and other animal handling procedures by 50%. Southwest Indian Livestock Days Southwest Indian Livestock Days in an event conducted every other year by both New Mexico State University and the University of Arizona. The agents, specialist and ranchers get together and plan the event based on the needs of the Native American producers. This event is open to all tribal livestock producers in both states and on all tribal lands. Over 225 producers attended this event and participated in seminars related to BQA (Beef Quality Assurance), Rotational Grazing and solar power – just to name a few. Sheep Shearing Workshop Shearing sheep for their wool is becoming a lost art on the reservation. Most old time producers use hand shears for wool removal. Today, the agent and specialist are teaching producers how to use electric clippers for wool removal and how to properly shear the sheep in order to get top dollar for their wool. They are instructed on how to easily shear the sheep with the safety of the animal and producer in mind. They also learn how much faster the process is with electric clippers. Producers are also taught how to take care of their equipment and sharpen clipper blades. These workshops are very much hands on learning and classes are limited to 10 – 15 attendees. Phone Calls Agent has answered over 60 calls throughout the year with individuals asking about irrigated pastures and rangeland with grazing livestock. The heavy calls and frequent questions are arising from the current drought and the changes in Tribal grazing regulations. Agent has been able to utilize NMSU specialist and publications to assist in answering many questions. Workshops and seminars are being discussed with tribal officials at this time.