Profitable Livestock Production

This has been a difficult year. Only recived 2.2 inches of moisture and that occured on two days. 363 days witout rain. Assisted the local veternarin and NM Livestock board on animal welfare reviews at nine different locations. Conduced education activites with 20 differen rancher on feeding in a drought. Wrote 5 news paper articles on livestock production practices. Investigated the deaths of 27 horses and over 95 head of cattle throught out the years with the local alert verernariain.

Beef Industry Improvement Initiative
The Santa Fe County Agent continues to be involved with the steering committee of the Beef Industry Improvement-New Mexico (BII-NM) initiative since the fall of 2009. The committee is comprised of individuals from the Cooperative Extension Service, NM Beef Council, NM Cattle Growers Association, ranchers, La Montanita Food Coop, Farm to Table, NM Department of Agriculture and the NM Economic Development Department and meets on a somewhat regular basis. The committee continues to meet on a regular basis to brainstorm on issues that are hindering the beef industry in New Mexico and possible way that the industry can help itself address these issues.

New Mexico Youth Ranch Management Camp
The Agent along Extension Beef Cattle Specialist and other Extension faculty planned and conducted the first ever New Mexico Youth Ranch Management Camp at the Valles Caldera. While some of the steering committee members had already been thinking about doing this type of initiative, this was also a recommendation that had come forth from the Beef Industry Improvement initiative. Twenty-nine youth from throughout the state of New Mexico learning about herd health management, beef fabrication, beef in the global economy, nutrition, advanced technologies in breeding programs, low stress handling of cattle, range management, plant identification, public land policy, ranch horse demonstration, principles of wildlife management, wildlife damage management, understanding productions costs and parameter of cow/calf production, optimizing ranch resources for profitability, adding value to your calf crop, and direct sales of beef to the consumer. Furthermore, all of the participants were divided into groups and were assigned a particular are of the Valles Caldera as a hypothetical ranch. Each group had to develop a ranch management and as a group present it to a panel of judges comprised of ranch managers at the end of the week. All of the youth without hesitation worked on their respective plans every night and did an impressive job in their presentations. The winning team members received a jacket. The second place team members received a pocket knife with 2011 NMYRM Camp printed on the sides of them Each day the steering committee selected and recognized a participant with a “Top Hand” buckle for showing enthusiasm and expressing interest in the day’s activities. On the final day, seven additional youth were recognized with a pocket knife as being “honorable mention” Top Hand award recipients. . On the final day of the camp the mother of one of the youth thanked several of the committee member individually saying, “Thank you for accepting my son in to the camp. He hadn’t smiled like this in a long time.” One of the participants indicated, “It would be an honor to be able to go back home and eventually be the manager of the family ranch”. Another participant said, “ I really didn’t want to be here but my parents are the ones who made me come. At one time I thought I wanted to have a career in wildlife, but after coming to this camp I’m ready to go back to the ranch and become more involved.” One of the instructors from Texas who happened to be a ranch manager and was present all week was impressed with the caliber of youth participating in the camp. He wrote down a list of four or five names which he would share with some other ranch managers in Texas to offer these individuals an internship opportunity. The steering committee raised over $18,000 to be able to offer this event.

Northern New Mexico Stockmen's Assocation
Assistance was provided to the Northern New Mexico Stockmen’s Association in securing presenters for their annual meeting in January. The Agent having ties to the NMSU secured the Extension Specialists to present to the group of 76 ranchers present. One of the hot topics of the meeting had to do with dealing with Trichomoniasis in Breeding Bulls.
Nineteen Integrated Resource Management books (redbooks) were distributed to ranchers from throughout the county.

Livestock/Drought Management Workshops
The Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Agents in collaboration with the Northern New Mexico Stockmen’s Association, the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Farm Service Agency offered sponsored two drought management workshop in Alcalde and in Santa Fe in mid April in response to the drought condition in existence. Through these workshops participants were informed as to how the land management agencies determine how they are going to cut back livestock grazing numbers during a drought, what financial assistance is available, and with the assistance of specialists from NMSU participants were informed as to what to do to maintain healthy rangelands and proper nutrition management during the drought. Approximately 27 people attended the workshop in Alcalde and 13 in Santa Fe.

Sheep Shearing
In the absence of an Agent in Taos County, the Santa Fe Agent assisted in the coordination of sheep shearing in Taos for several small scale sheep producers.

Sheep Losses
The agent assisted a sheep producers who was have some three unexpected deathlosses of sheep. After careful examination of the hay being fed to the sheep the Agent suggested that the producer open up the bales a day or two in advance to let the hay dryout more due to the high moisture content that it was baled at. The producer followed the advice and has not experience any more losses.

This agent continues to class wool for a couple of Lincoln county sheep producers. This process enhances marketability by providing a more uniform, desirable product.

Assisted in conducting a sheep shearing school in December 2010. Six students learned proper technique, wool care and animal health issues at the school.

This agent continues to serve as superintendent at the NMSF wool show and work with Sheep to Shawl in the effort to provide a positive image of sheep and wool products to public.

This agent serves as coordinator of the Carrizozo Livestock Association, a producer group that monetarily supports Wildlife Services. Three such groups exist in the county. In addition, these groups provide support to Wildlife Services in maintaining county funding during the county budgeting process.

This office assisted in coordination of a seminar on problems and control measures for feral hogs. They are of increasing economic concern in many NM counties. Approximately 75 people were in attendance.

This was the driest year on record in New Mexico. Combined with one of the coldest temperature stretches in January and February, beef producers in Torrance County were challenged when it came to calving, dealing with noxious weeds and locating feed for the short-term. Approximately thirty calls were fielded from producers. The agent assisted in the identification and control methods for noxious weeds. The agent also assisted local producers in locating hay and feed products during the severe weather conditions.