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.

Profitable Livestock Production (Cibola County)

Plan Goal

Increase productivity and improve profitability of the Cibola County livestock producers by applying research-based practices through extension education to enhance and refine livestock producer enterprises.

Situation Statement

There are an estimated 317 farms within Cibola county, with the majority of livestock being 16,000 head of cattle (cow, calves and yearlings), 5,000 head of sheep (sheep and lambs), and lower numbers of horses, hogs, and goats. The size of livestock operations within the county can range from large ranches maintaining a large herd size, to extremely small operations that can consist of only a few acres and run a few head of livestock on them. Many ranches are on deeded private land, reservation land, Spanish land grants, government grazing permits, private leased land, or a combination of these. The majority of producers in Cibola County raise cattle, sheep or both. The Spanish land grants and the reservation lands have open range grazing where livestock from several producers may share the same pasture. Their annual management, success and sustainability greatly depends much on the weather, annual forage production, and gaining the highest price possible for their product.

Target Audience and Actions

The target audience is composed of the livestock producers and any others that are affiliated with the livestock industry within Cibola County. In order to service the educational needs of these county citizens outreach methods will be conducted. These methods will include but are not limited to workshops, presentations, extension publications, and personal communication and demonstrations.

Short-Term Objectives

Increase awareness to Cibola County livestock producers of new and alternative management practices and knowledge of current local and abroad issues livestock producers are facing through educational programs and direct communications.

Increase the number of Cibola County livestock producers using current technology and methods to evaluate production and financial aspects of cow-calf enterprises.

Medium-Term Objectives

Improve decision-making skills of Cibola County livestock producers through educational programs and outreach so that they are more confident in livestock management.

Cibola County cow-calf operations will improve profitability by following management recommendations.

Long-Term Objectives

Improve profitability of Cibola County cattle and sheep enterprises by lowering production costs and/or increasing gross revenue.

Evaluation Plan

Conduct evaluations through feedback from livestock producers and affiliates to the livestock industry in Cibola County. Conduct evaluations of workshops, presentations, and meeting by a variety of means including but not limited to surveys, discussions, and questioners. Long term interruptions can be made by researching past production records.