New Mexico Ranching
For Additional Information Contact:
Utilizing and Managing New Mexico’s Rangelands
College of Agriculture and Home Economics
MSC 3AE
New Mexico State University
Cooperative Extension Service
P.O. Box 30003
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
(575) 646-3015
http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/
Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
AND
RANGE IMPROVEMENT TASK FORCE
“These projects are supported by Sub-grant #2004-GE-T4-0005-AgroGuard Training, awarded by the OEM
through a federal grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of State and Local
Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP). Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the OEM,
SLGCP or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”
New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action
employer and educator. NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
Live, Learn and Thrive.
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SOCIOECONOMICS OF RANCHING
New Mexico Vegetation & Land Ownership
in New Mexico is rangeland,
consisting primarily of native
shrubs, grasses, forbs, and
open stands of trees.
Annual precipitation varies from less than 10 inches over the
Rio Grande and San Juan Valleys, and much of the southern desert, to
more than 20 inches at higher elevations. New Mexico's rangelands
can generally be divided into grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, and
forests. The accompanying map shows the wide diversity of land
ownership that encompass these broad range categories.
Eastern New Mexico is gently rolling in topography, while
the central, northern and western portions are characterized by rugged
mountain terrain. These topographic variations result in diverse patterns of precipitation, temperature, and vegetation to create seven general vegetation or life zones.
Land ownership in New Mexico is as diverse as its vegetation communities and its Native American, Hispanic and Anglo cultures. Over half of the rangeland used in livestock production is state,
tribal, or federally-managed. Government agencies determine the
number of livestock allowed to graze on the lands they administer.
Much of the private land in New Mexico is cropland or urban. However, in the remote areas of New Mexico, most private land is owned
by ranchers. The majority of the State Trust lands are leased for livestock grazing, and the income the state generates from grazing leases
helps fund the state’s education system. There are approximately
3,500 State Trust Land leases in New Mexico that cover 8.7 million
acres. Most of the Native American lands are in the Northwestern
quadrant of New Mexico. Each Indian Reservation manages its own
grazing program. Most of these lands are open to grazing by tribal
members. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers almost 800 grazing leases with about 325,000 animals on more than 12
million acres, and the Forest Service administers over 800 grazing
allotments with about 100,000 grazing animals on 8 million acres.
Almost all ranching operations in New Mexico are family
business, and they are the socio-economic baseline for many communities in the state. There are approximately 6,800 beef and sheep
producers in New Mexico. Among the beef producers, almost 67
percent own less than 50 head of cows. However, there are nearly
200 ranches that have greater than 500 head.
In almost 25 percent of New Mexico counties, beef cattle
production is the largest economic output of all private industries.
In some counties, the beef industry alone provides 40 percent of the
total economic output. Statewide, the direct economic output of
beef cattle and sheep production is an estimated $977 million, with
a total economic activity of $2.1 billion. Ranches directly employ
over 8,200 people, with an additional 9,650 jobs within the industries that service cattle and sheep enterprises.
Ranching has been a relatively stable economic and cultural foundation for the majority of New Mexico communities. By
its very nature, ranching is a long-term commitment of investment
capital and personal devotion that provides economic stability to the
state.
BIOSECURITY ON NEW MEXICO’S RANCHES
The New Mexico ranching community is proactive in
managing risk to livestock from infectious diseases, which could
have devastating impacts on the food supply and the national economy. Today’s ranching operations have several resources that provide assistance and information to continuously improve ranch biosecurity plans. Programs such as the Beef Quality Assurance,
agrosecurity training, the AgroGuard rural neighborhood watch
system, and the New Mexico Agriculture Livestock Incident Response Teams have elevated New Mexico ranchers to the forefront
of biosecurity. With New Mexico’s location next to an international border, the state’s ranchers have been proactive in utilizing
effective programs to minimize the potential for the spread of livestock diseases. New Mexico’s ranchers are committed to producing
a strong and safe domestic food supply.
Socioeconomics & Biosecurity
About 80 percent of the land
WILDLIFE ON NEW MEXICO RANGELANDS
Diverse and productive wildlife populations are a result of
well-managed rangelands. Range livestock producers generally coexist with predators because they have adapted their operations to
minimize predatory losses, and have been allowed to control predators when they are too numerous.
Wildlife
It is impossible to generalize the impact of livestock grazing on wildlife because of the uniqueness of each grazing situation
and varying habitat requirements of diverse species of wildlife.
Improperly managed grazing of livestock or wildlife can negatively
impact habitat and many wildlife species. However, there are a
variety of potential benefits to wildlife habitat from managed livestock grazing. Livestock grazing can improve forage quality for
wildlife by removing coarse grasses and allowing more nutrientrich regrowth. Dense vegetation canopies can also be opened by
grazing livestock.
Ranchers and range managers have devised a number of
ways to collect, store and distribute water for livestock, to allow
their animals to spread out over the range. These rancherdeveloped waters are very beneficial to wildlife, especially in times
of drought. Additionally, the presence of developed livestock water
can improve the quality of surrounding habitat, often allowing some
wildlife species to expand into previously unsuitable areas.
Ranchers spend more time out on their rangelands than
anyone else, and know preferred watering locations, foraging areas,
nesting sites, fawning sites, and travel routes of wildlife. Ranchers,
often adjust their grazing to accommodate critical areas for state or
federally protected wildlife, and popular hunting or fishing areas.
Plus, a constant presence of ranching activities deters wildlife
poaching.
and are comprised primarily of grass-like plants.
These lands cannot support
row-crop agriculture nor
Rangeland & Forage Management
timber harvesting. The
primary product of rangelands is plant life suitable
for consumption by wild
and domestic herbivores.
RANGELAND & FORAGE MANAGEMENT
For thousands of years ranchers have harnessed the energy
of the sun stored in the green leaves of plants by using grazing animals. Grazing management is an art and science that entails managing wild and domestic animal grazing. Proper management involves managing timing, intensity, distribution, and duration of
grazing. No single grazing approach fits all vegetation communities and herbivore populations. In fact, a 2008 review of scientific
literature suggests that neither rotational nor continuous grazing
strategies were better from production or ecological perspectives.
Fences, water troughs, prescribed fire, and brush control are examples of range management tools that aid managers in optimizing
land usage and sustainability, while also benefiting wildlife, watershed functions, and meeting human needs. Land managers have
made significant strides in improving approaches to managing livestock on southwestern rangelands. Managers are better prepared
today than ever before to manage rangelands. They prepare and
follow grazing management plans, monitor impacts their management strategies have, and adapt their management accordingly.
Today’s grazing managers are ranchers, land managers,
and range professionals committed to providing food and fiber
products in a sustainable manner.
RANGE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
Most of the beef cattle and sheep in New Mexico rely on
range forages as their primary source of nutrients. Cow-calf operations maintain breeding herds that graze the rangelands all or most
of the year. Most calves are born in spring and graze with their
mothers until fall when they are weaned. During the winter when
the forage is dormant, supplemental feed is usually provided to the
cowherds. After weaning, calves enter growing programs where
they graze native rangelands, improved pastures, or are fed harvested forages and grains. Some ranchers purchase calves in the
spring, graze them on summer range until fall, and then sell the
calves at a heavier weight. Ultimately, most calves that are not kept
by the rancher as breeding replacements are placed in a feedyard.
In the feedyard they are slowly transitioned from a forage-based
diet to a higher energy, grain-based diet. After four to eight months
in a feedyard the calves are harvested for beef.
Diversity in rangelands and ranch resources yield differences in livestock management systems. Regardless of the management system, ranchers know that low-stress livestock handling and
management practices can impact animal well-being and ranch
profit, and they work diligently to avoid stressing their stock.
Livestock Production
Rangelands are often arid