Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.

Impact Report

For plan Profitable Livestock Production (McKinley County)
Date October 31, 2011, 3:24 pm
For Objective Medium-term Show medium-term objectives
Impact Report PROFITABLE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION 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 25 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%. The next goal for the agent is to assist producers in establishing a relationship with the local vet’s in the area to progress to that next step in the BQA program. New Mexico Indian Livestock Days New Mexico Livestock Days is now an annual event for producers in NM, it’s not just for native producers anyone is welcome to attend. 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 livestock producers, as well as those on tribal lands. Over 235 producers attended this event and participated in seminars related to: Managing Fertility in Cows and Bulls, Trich and Grass Feed and other markets. A panel discussion was done on feral horse management – other tribal agencies talked openly about what they are doing to solve this problem on their tribal lands. A request from attendees last year was for hands-on break out sessions, 4 break-out sessions were conducted (Range and Water, Proper Vaccination and Handle techniques, Horse and Business and Estate Planning) these workshops were rotated so everyone had a chance to attend them. The agent spent time with committee members getting a logo developed for NM Indian Livestock program. A website was also developed that will house presentations from past conferences, pictures, videos and other educational materials. 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. This years events had 15 students and 100 sheep were sheared in the two-day training. Tribal elders were also in attendance this year to explain the importance and the history of sheep shearing and how it all ties into their culture. Phone Calls Agent has answered over 65 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. With the number of hoop house and backyard gardens increasing the agent has also seen an increase in basic horticulture questions coming into the office. Programming topic are being planned and considered for next year. A master gardener program was conducted several years ago, but wasn’t very successful – this is being reconsidered for this next year.