Behind the Burger
Created by the New Mexico Beef Council, we are telling the stories behind the beef in New Mexico.
Behind the Burger
Generations On The Range: What It Takes To Raise Cattle And Community with Boe Lopez
Curiosity, service, and straight talk drive this deep dive with New Mexico rancher and board member Boe Lopez, who opens up about life on the range and the work behind a trustworthy beef supply. We trace his path from a family operation rooted in generations of grit to leadership roles that demand tough decisions, transparency, and constant learning. Along the way, Boe breaks down what most folks never see: how Beef Council dollars are governed, why promotion needs to be bold yet accountable, and how a hot air balloon turned into a surprisingly powerful conversation starter for producers and consumers.
We explore the real mechanics of herd health across New Mexico’s diverse terrain—from 5,900-foot headquarters to 8,500-foot summer leases—where weather, wildlife, and elevation shape daily choices. Bo explains practical nutrition and animal care: forage and fecal testing, targeted minerals and salt, vaccination protocols, and sunflower cake adjusted to temperature and grass growth. He connects those details to bigger themes like biosecurity during transport, veterinary partnerships, and the shared goal of healthy cows and calves that produce high-quality beef.
Economics and legacy thread through every story. Yes, prices are up, but so are inputs: diesel, fencing, minerals, equipment, and freight. Bo breaks down how thin margins, estate planning, and variable markets force families to think decades ahead so the next generation inherits opportunity, not a tax bill and a for-sale sign. Still, he’s clear about why it’s worth it: neighbors who show up without being asked, a faith-driven commitment to land and wildlife, and a lifestyle that rewards perseverance. He closes with practical advice for newcomers—start small, stop comparing, learn fast—and a simple favorite: a medium filet, no sauce, with salad and a baked potato.
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Welcome back to another episode of Behind the Burger. I'm Carolyn Romo, the executive director of the New Mexico Beef Council, and I am here with Bo Lopez, who sits on our board as an ex officio member and represents the state of New Mexico on the Cattleman's Beef Board. Bo, thank you for joining me.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you for having me. I I always think it's important to do these kinds of things and not always very good at them, but we make the best of them.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, I I so appreciate it. We uh we're at the here at the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau event. Um, and uh I kind of uh maybe voluntoled Bo. So thank you for being here. So first off, will you introduce yourself and give your background? Just talk about who's Bo.
SPEAKER_01:So Bo, uh just Bo's plain old Bo. Um I'm Bo Lopez from Springer, New Mexico, and um fortunate enough that uh we have a few little ranches and um some of them go back um generations. I mean, on my uh on my dad's side, um it was his mom's uh dad that started it on that side, and then on my mom's it was um my grandmother's dad um that started it on that side, and then um somehow uh through you know uh uh inheritance and other things and we've purchased and whatnot, and so we've been able to put put a little piece of land together and have our ranch that we're proud of, and um we just feel fortunate to get to do it, and so along the way we've been active um in in a lot of things. Um uh it was always preached to us, you know, to volunteer, to uh donate and to um give back. And so we we've my my family's done that. Uh my my my grandpa Charlie was um very active uh in Springer um things, and so uh in fact one of the streets is named after him in the Garcia Salazar Circle because he was instrumental in help getting um HUD housing in Springer, and then uh my Uncle Charlie was on various boards and councils, and that's how I uh started into politics is after his stroke. I uh he asked me if I wanted to run for his position and he would help me, and I did, and um I was uh in there on um I was elected in March and he passed away in May, so I kind of got cut short with that. But um overall, and then now currently um my mom has served on the beef council and she's uh on the school board, and so then of course I've served on the County Farm Bureau, the State Farm Bureau, the New Mexico Cattle Growers, uh now ex officio on the beef council. Um I'm on the soil commission, um chairman for the Colfax County Soil and Water Conservation District. I uh I'm on the advisory board for the ag group uh for the state land commissioner's office. So um, and then of course uh I've been trustee, mayor pro tem and mayor for the town of Springer. So uh just kind of wide variety of of experiences, backgrounds, but I think they've all been um successful because uh of the ag background and and the principles that we learned um within the ag community and it's honesty and hard work and respect. And I think those are things that have helped um me be successful in in all the endeavors I've I've adventured into.
SPEAKER_00:Oh man, I I think that's that's wonderful. I think it's really uh really cool and probably one of my favorite things uh about you is that you are a volunteer in so many ways. You're putting yourself out there, and I know sometimes sometimes we're at home saying, Oh, we don't like the way something's going, right? Well, you're not at home saying that, right? You're involved, you're a voting member of organizations, you're you're uh trying to make an impact on on the world, and I think that's absolutely aspirational.
SPEAKER_01:Um many a times you you get a little pressure, some heat, you know, because you do have to make challenging decisions, um, being on these different um boards and uh being a part of different organizations and whatnot. But at the end of the day, um it's my opinion of that day um with the knowledge and the resources I had available to myself. And so it's not always a hundred percent right, and we're gonna have some things that sometimes we have to go back and revisit, but at the end of the day, um I've given it my best. And so that's all you can ask of anyone in any of these positions because um I encourage more people to get involved and actually take that step out there and do it. Um, it's easy to stay on the sidelines and critique. And uh, I used to be a critiquer, and when you get involved and you get more information and you know more about the background of things, um, it can change a perspective. And I think we've seen it happen even just on the Beef Council. I mean, I know us and others, you know, used to question the additional increases, and um, it's more than bumper stickers, and it's more than meals that that we're sponsoring. And um there's there's a whole lot of things that go on behind the scenes that I don't think a lot of people are aware of, and not many people will take the time to actually go investigate and do some research to see what what it is that um every you know their dollars actually really doing for them. And a lot of times uh we don't see it because it didn't just directly put a deposit an extra dollar into our account, but it it's the overhaul um environment that encompasses this whole umbrella uh of all the moving parts that the industry has to deal with and work with and um and sometimes the biggest part is communication and and telling the story.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And I think uh that that we if you do anything with good intentions and understand that it's okay to be wrong sometimes, we can change our minds, and like you said, we we're doing the best we can with the information we have now and uh and even you know with with specific to beef council is we're doing the best we can with with how we understand and and I'm always trying to say too that if someone has questions or comments, call me. You know, I put my cell phone out all kinds of places, let's talk, teach me, because I need to be and I want to be and open uh open to learning and and trying to be. That's why why I've been on ranches, right? I got to come to your ranch and why I because I think the the important thing is I should be learning. And in anything, right? That's a great life lesson if we understand that it's okay to be wrong, it's okay to change our minds. And any like definitive strong opinion sometimes is is dangerous, right? You have to find you have to understand there's both sides to every story, and that that I I always think back in my mind of a good example is when I was a kid, I thought this particular brand of truck was the truck, it was the coolest truck. And then I realized, you know, I grew up and like, well, I could only afford this truck. And then I grew up a little bit more. Well, well, this one's got more leg room, so that if I have to sit next to my kid in the backseat, this one's better. And so I still won't even put out there necessarily what truck I like because I don't know, it might change. And so just that like strong opinion on anything, the more we can learn to just be open to others' opinions uh and understand that we're not always right is is uh a way I strive to be.
SPEAKER_01:For sure, and compromise is a big part of anything that we deal with, and in a changing environment like um we see currently right now with what the beef um industry is experiencing, you know, we're having uh some very volatile days on the market, and um so it it is it has been uh I mean it's a great time to be in the industry, um, but at the same time it it still has had some ups and downs along the way. And so um that's kind of what we've got to remind ourselves is that's that's what we're putting into is to help um protect our industry uh against some of these um things that arise, you know. Just uh it's amazing what one sentence can do to change things and um and how they can use that for excuses and and uh how impactful it can really be on on a global market. So um that's where where we're at. But like I say, um that that's my whole goal on being a part of all these things is just to try to do our best to get the information out there, and um that's why we've invited you, you know, um earlier this year to our our uh beef promotion meeting that we had um in the Northeast um for the producers up there. And I think it was a great meeting that even though you know there's 25 people that show up, but in that group, there was some in there that had really strong questions for us, and um, and we answered them, and I think uh it left them with a better feeling of um where their dollars are going and and the justification behind collecting additional dollars. Um and I think they you know had a resource now where there's a phone number and a face to go with this phone number that when these questions come up, that they can actually call and get a solid answer or they can have uh our annual report available or those kinds of things to back up to show where it's really going and what we're really doing. And we're not just trying to um take more money from anyone and not give them some sort of benefit back.
SPEAKER_00:So Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And and I think uh for for the beef council, so um if if you know you're a consumer listening, we've probably talked about it before, but we every time a beef animal is sold in New Mexico, we get 50 cents to a dollar fifty, right? Well, some of that is optional and some producers aren't sure they want to give in to that money, and that's okay, right? My message has always been, um or in the last year, my message has been it's your money, it's your decision. And and we we respect that. And there's a 50 cents of the required dollar that has to come or that comes to us, right? So there's a required dollar, you have to spend it, and then there's 50 cents that stays in New Mexico. So even if you opt out or you don't want to send us more money, that's okay. That's a personal decision. And I still want you to pay attention to what we're doing at the beef council, because 50 cents of your money has to come to our organization. So 50 cents goes national as well, so you should be paying attention there too. But that 50 cents stays New Mexico, and so uh yeah, anytime we can talk to producers and just explain to them what we're doing, they have a right to know. Even even we were talking about the hot air balloon today with a producer, and he said, Oh, somebody was teasing me that it's my balloon, and I said, It is your balloon, it's your balloon, it's Bo's balloon, it's every board member's balloon, it's every rancher in New Mexico, it's their balloon, right? This this hot air balloon that's a beacon of beef that's a really fun advertising tool, it's it belongs to the ranchers, right? It doesn't belong to me, it doesn't just belong to the beef council, it's something so anything you can get behind, and that's obviously like a tangible asset. Um, but everything we do belongs to the ranchers, so so we're always open to feedback.
SPEAKER_01:So and I think that's been the one of the most beneficial um aspects of getting on the cattleman's beef board was seen on the national level of what really um is taking place and how the contractors have to apply and they have to present to individual committees. And um, it's not just um, you know, I I had some misconceptions and maybe some misinformation uh of how some of these things are taking place, and so um that's why we're on these boards. So we're open for people to contact us with their different ideas and perspectives of what we can take back to those meetings um on their behalf, and so I'm always open for that also because um, like I say, I don't have all the answers or all the ideas, and there's um lots and lots of smart people within our industry that have um great suggestions and recommendations, and so that's what what we're here for is it it it we need to have the dialogue, but at the same time, um when you don't participate and maybe you don't come to meetings or you don't take the time to shoot an email to someone or make a phone call or the text message or whatever your preferable way of communication is, um, then that's the ones that I have hard times whenever um you hear the negativity because I'm like, well, give us some something that I can take back to these meetings, and we're open to all of them. And like I say, I you you mentioned the balloon. I I think the balloon has had so much traction, and I don't think people really um thought it was gonna have that. But I see the social media posts with the balloons and the events that the balloon has been to, and um I mean it's thousands and hundreds of thousands of views and shares, and I'm like, this is what we want. We're we're at the end of the day, it's promotion, and so um maybe for some people it is kind of a different pill to swallow about a balloon and what's this gonna do for me. But at the end of the day, um, I mean, it was just at an international balloon fiesta a few months back that I mean, look at the numbers of the visitors that were here, and for us to be the balloon to get to carry the flag the one morning um to to start the event off and the publicity and the knowledge and just to even get the conversation starter started. And so if anything, the balloon's been a conversation starter.
SPEAKER_00:Big time.
SPEAKER_01:So maybe there's been people that maybe would never approach or or mention anything beef council-wise, but now the balloon at least has been the opening statement of the way to get into those kinds of conversations and maybe get more people engaged and involved and come come come have recommendations of where you'd like to see this balloon. And um, I I mean, I think we're responsible with it that you know, if we'd got the balloon that we'll be able to have the decals removed, and we can always sell the asset if we have to, so it's not a complete um, you know, loss, like if we bought a vehicle and depreciate or whatever. But anyway, so it's been uh I think uh sometimes people neglect that uh the time and effort and thought that goes into these decisions. It's not just uh we woke up one day and said we're buying a balloon and we proceed with it. I mean, it it took a lot on your part as far as uh a pilot, uh, you know, how's this balloon going to be? The insurance support, yeah, it's just all those things.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. No, I I love that. And that's that's a special favorite right now. Um uh well, you know, we we love the the work that we're doing at the beef council, and we so appreciate your support and your work you do as as an advocate in the industry too. But um maybe can we talk about um your ranch and and um things that like talk about the climate and the the um landscape of New Mexico and as a rancher, what that means. I think there's there's special things and we have images we can use to tell the story too, but how uh talk about the New Mexico's land and landscape and your your actual ranching practices.
SPEAKER_01:So so as we all know, New Mexico has varying landscapes, and I mean we go um probably from a couple thousand feet in elevation to 10,000 feet in elevation, and so um it it varies, but where we're at, um we're we're like 5,900 feet at our headquarters, and then of course we're fortunate to have some leases that we um go to 8,500 feet, and so um there's there's things that come up with with all of those. Um I mean there's pine needles that you know the cattle get on those, they can abort their calves, and there's brisket disease that we contend with at elevations that high. Um, and then of course, you know, come back to headquarters and there's noxious weed problems, and um there's you know local wheat problems, or there's uh there's just a whole lot of varying things that that can take place. And so we're fortunate we we're on pretty much rolling heels. Um we do have some irrigated land on our place north of Springer, um, and then south of Springer and East of Springer, it's just uh kind of you know rolling hill kind of thing, but they're all similar in elevation. Uh we're larger uh a gramagrass variety um as far as our rangegrasses, and so um we have the normal things people contend with, you know, you have uh coyotes, you have prairie dogs, you have um all that stuff, you know, wildlife. I mean, we have everything from antelope to, you know, now we're seeing elk, you know, after the fires that have taken place, you know, in the last 10 years, it's really brought the wildlife from the higher country to the flats. And um, so they're they've they've established, you know, a new home there. And so it's different things that maybe we didn't have so much as we did in the high country, you know, dealing with the the elk being hard on the fences and you know, that kind of thing, bear, mountain lion, those kinds of things. But we now have them on where we're at. And so you adapt and you prepare and plan and um try to prevent any potential problems, but it's it's like with anything, it's just there'd be a day that sometimes it's more chaotic than others, and then um other days there you couldn't ask for anything better, and so our weather varies. I mean, we we'll hit a hundred in the summer uh for a few days, and sometimes for our lot more days than we would like to see, and then there's the winters that I mean they can be 20 below or or colder, and um, and of course we do receive some wind, and so that always is a factor into our snowstorms as far as drifts and whatnot. But um to me it's it's a perfect place to be. We get uh a little of every season, and so to me, when we're seem to be getting tired of one season, uh the next one's coming. And so, of course, it is New Mexico, and so you can have all four seasons in one day, and so it just that that's how it goes. But um, we're we're fortunate and you know, some we rely on pond water, others we have creeks through, and so um I think those are all blessings, and they're things that have been in our family for generations, and I just uh feel uh totally thrilled that that it's where it's at, and that we've been given this opportunity and looking to make improvements to continue to pass this on.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, absolutely. I think uh one of my favorite things to say is that the the amount of um expertise a rancher has to have in in you know grasses and then in um in weather, or even there's there's certain you know, lingo that kind of becomes almost like jargon in in ranching or in agriculture. It's rainfall and elevation that we talk about that so much, right? Well, if you talk to somebody who you know lives in an apartment and Kansas City and you tell them, I wonder what elevation we're at. That's not even, you know, or how much rainfall we get or whatever, you know, whatever it is, and not to back on Kansas City. I just lived there for a minute. But they uh you just those things that are so important to where you live and how you, you know, run your ranch as a as a business and a lifestyle. And um I just always think that's really interesting that that you can ask any person in agriculture and they're gonna know the average rainfall of of where they are, they're gonna know what elevation they're at, and and they're probably gonna know what breeds of grass, right? Where where I barely know what kind of grass is in my yard in town, right? I just know it's the you know, the ones you throw out and you mix it or whatever, you know. Um and I I always love that expertise in that having to be so in tune with the environment around you.
SPEAKER_01:And you just have to be a resourceful person. I mean, you have to be part mechanic, part contractor, plumber, electrician, uh soil scientist kind of thing. Um, and and combine them all. I mean, and I'm not good at all of those, um, but I mean there are people that that are, and those are the ones that I like um to associate myself with because I can learn from them so many things, and it's it's from all different ages. I mean, I I've learned from from the 90 and 100-year-olds. Um I I have an aunt right now that's a hundred. I mean, that was one of the last ones born on the ranch in Springer, and um, there was 18 of them. And so um they're just tough people, and the stories that they tell and things, you know, that they mention when visiting with them, I'm like, I have it pretty easy that you take for granted because you get spoiled with the modern day conveniences.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Well, and I think that goes back to what you said about your advocacy and your career and your uh all the things you do come back to learning from agriculture, right? That open-mindedness, that toughness, that willing to learn anything and adapt that all helps you be, you know, a better person when you're out in in those uh industry organizations or political situations.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and definitely working cattle will toughen anyone up because you know it's a stressful situation. And so, yeah, sometimes there's some, you know, screaming, yelling, whatever it is, but I mean it it's all building you to build character, and I mean there's gonna be good days and bad days, and um sometimes you just have to suck it up for lack of a better word. And the ag industry definitely does a good job of that. And so when I went to get into politics, I think that's why I had a little tougher skin because I had already, you know, been exposed to a lot of this stuff and critiques and whatnot. And so at the end of the day, you just have to be like, what can I do better tomorrow? And we go on with it because you can't dwell on what happened uh in the past. We'll be stuck and get left behind.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That thick skin is important. Um I think there's even jokes too about working cattle with a with a family member or a spouse or something about if you can make it through that, you can make it through anything. And I only know we only have, you know, seven headed coriani team roping cattle team roping series, but we uh even that I know that me and my husband are all well, there's words said, but we manage in this just seven, right? I couldn't imagine uh a real ranch that'd be a that'll be a sight for for someone one day. Will you talk about your cattle? What kind of cattle do you run? And then how do you care for their well-being?
SPEAKER_01:What what are some ways you kind of already talked about that, but so we we run a majority of them are are black Angus. Um uh we do have some Charlotte cattle, and then of course we have some Hereford uh influence and so and a Hereford cow. Um but uh they're a pretty hardy breed. I mean, um they're they're they pretty much take care of themselves, but we do our part, so we you know, annually we preg test and so we um vaccinate them and all in preparation to keep them healthier and um ultimate goal is to keep the mama cow healthy so we can have a healthy calf too. Um I think if you do um some pre-planning and you know keep up with the vaccination programs and uh mineral and vitamin programs and those kinds of things, ultimately um it helps make everything smoother. I think if we can our goal is always to have a healthy animal so we can have a healthy product um to sell. And so that's why um it's not always cheap. I mean, people I think take for granted what what these vaccines cost and what um you know the thought that has to go into it of what vaccination program you need to have on your different ranch, because um, like we mentioned, it it's varying landscapes across the state. And so um we we make sure we always have a mineral out, uh salt's important in our program. Uh we we you know vaccinate for respiratory things, for shipping fevers, because you, you know, as you're saying, we we do uh take ours on a 40-mile little trek and then you know a five-mile hike up the hill there. And so we're we're renting uh trucks, you know, we we have them come help us haul our cattle, and so we don't know what's been in those trucks um that we're gonna be putting our cows in. So we want to make sure that they have all their vaccines um to where, you know, whatever is in there that we we don't have no sick sickness as a result of it. And most of them are are clean trucks and whatnot. But but overall, you know, we want to make sure that that we're doing our part to make them successful. And so um that's why we do test our grass um for protein. Um and then we do the the nutbile stuff with the fecal samples and we send those off so we can get a report back and it'll kind of show us what if with there's some deficiencies so we can get those addressed with our mineral or our cake. Um, you know, when we do buy our cake, uh it's a sunflower cake, and then we we we add a trace mineral to that too. Um so I think it's just like like with anything, I think just making sure we're doing our homework to test all these things, and that way we you know, we work closely with our vet uh also and um a few vets actually, and we're always open to um new things. And I mean the the companies, you know, they are always developing new things or changing patents and maybe something's newer that I'm not quite aware of, but we work on that. So um that's that's how we handle our situation. So and if you know something dies, we try to do a necropsy on it to see what what it was. Um was it was it a weed, was it um, you know, water. I mean, we've had different things happen along the way. I mean, we've had some alkali poisoning and they lose their sight for a few days, and so we have to hand feed some and it comes back, and it's just uh shocking how resilient the animals really are.
SPEAKER_00:Uh you talked about a couple things, and I just wanted to just just in case we have consumers. I know we have a lot of producers listening, but the hope is we also have consumers listening to hear the story, but the mineral, the cake and the salt, uh that's something that I don't know that everyone might understand. So mineral is a a literal tub of minerals, right? So a tub of, you know, maybe a little bit of sweet feed in there too, or sweet something in there to make them eat it. But it has all the things that they might not be getting from those grasses. So when you're talking about you test the grass, you test the fecal matter just to make sure that they're getting all their nutrients, just like, you know, a a a dietitian would say, like our dietitian Kate would say, you you gotta make sure you're having a variety of your in your diet to get all your things. That's how you help the variety of the diet on um in your cattle, and then a salt block. Literally, cattle, you you just have a block of salt, right? They literally need salt to to uh you know help with their nutrition. And then uh and that cake, the cake one I always think is a fun one because that's like a that one truly is a sweet feed, usually, right? But it has other things in it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so ours is a sunflower cake, so it's just sunflower and it's hard compressed, you know, into a cube. Um, and then you know, we feed, you know, four or four and a half pounds per head per day, uh, three times a week. Uh in depending on what the weather is. If it's gonna be colder, you know, they need more energy and fat to burn, so we'll increase that if you know we're finally getting some green grass coming on, so we can reduce that or the frequency of the feeding. Um, but yeah, the mineral can come in variety of ways. I mean, they can be in a molasses tub, it can be loose mineral, it can be in a block, uh, and salt too. It's and and a lot of these things, um, that's that's what you have to test for. I mean, because some of these you you can be low in copper, uh, and those can impact uh breed-up rates um for because it, you know, magnesium too much of one or the other can block one or the other, and it can be detrimental as far as um being successful with with your cattle breeding back and um just just all those kinds of things. So it it's it it's a lot of science to it that I don't think people realize um that we have to factor into those. And so it is dealing with um feed reps and nutritionists who and um and it all costs money. Right. Most of the time they're not gonna do this for free. Um, and on top of that, the the minerals are not free. I mean, you're looking at, you know, anywhere from forty to sixty dollars a bag. I mean, some of these tubs, you know, are from a hundred and twenty-five bucks to, you know, four or five hundred a tub, and it just depends.
SPEAKER_00:And they don't last that long.
SPEAKER_01:No. And uh they they can clean those things up in a hurry depending on how many heads you're you're um putting it out for and what they're deficient in. I mean, the animals are pretty smart. They they know, I mean, there's different times of the year that they um hit the mineral harder and you know, other times where they're getting it from the grass and whatnot. So it's just kind of keeping aware of the situation and it's just a matter of checking. I mean, the biggest part of this is being hands-on and being there. I mean, there's some days you go and everything's just fine. It's a short time that you have to be there checking, riding through them. Um, but other days, I mean, there's problems. So I mean, just you know, you just can't really plan too much. You have to have pretty flexible schedule.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, absolutely. And I think uh I think that's really neat to know that that there's so much care and and so much uh knowledge about what the animals are doing. Um and then, you know, you talked about cost too, and right now everybody's like, oh, beef prices are high, cattle prices are high, ranchers are doing well. And there was actually a really great article that um that we were interviewed for, or we had a rancher interviewed for, and they were talking about beef prices are high, so are ranchers high on the hog. And the truth of the matter is is this is the first year and I think 20 years is what Bronx and Corn had said that that anybody's able to actually make some money back. Well, that means but input costs are still high. Everything's more expensive. We all know life is more expensive today than it was twenty years ago. And so just because a rancher might be breaking even or making a profit with cattle prices this year, that doesn't make up for the debt that got them there, the, you know, the loans on the land, the, you know, whatever it is that have built it. And so that's just an important thing to remember that the economics of ranching are rough.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and and I think um people have misconstrued a lot of this with the beef price, and um they don't realize that they're different um compartments or however you want to put it throughout throughout the chain of it. I mean, from cow calf to to um grocery store meat uh locker or whatever. Uh it it's it's a lot of inputs, there's a lot of different entities involved, and you know, there's there's different stalker guys, feeders, there's processors, there's you know, a lot involved in in all of that. But overall, the the input costs for anything within the egg industry, um, like you said, is high. I mean, it most of the things we're dealing with, the equipment um to harvest uh is expensive. The just fencing material, just uh, you know, the the hay cost, the cake cost, the the the truck to put it out in. I mean, um the they're not twenty thousand dollar trucks anymore. And I mean you're we're not even talking about buying the fancy one.
SPEAKER_00:No, it's like the roll-up windows and the yeah, even the tires, anything.
SPEAKER_01:They're still sixty, eighty thousand dollars that's that you have to account for. And um and so, you know, just uh the the horse trailer that's involved, the trucking that's involved, and and the cost of diesel at you know, over three three dollars and fifty cents a gallon average or whatever it is right now, um, th those all play into the factors. So I mean, roughly it's you know four four to five dollars a mile to transport these things. And so you you do that for, you know, four or five trucks or however many you're talking, and uh it it all adds up. And so um, yes, Bronson hit the nail right on the head. It it is nice to have a little breathing room for once in our life, um, because most of the time the budget is really it's a thin margin with the Cal Calf operation. And so most many years it was we broke even. So we did it because we loved it, not because we were getting rich off of it, and and just the increase in land values and prices, and you know, trying to expand or um and then just the preparation for uh the ranch to be inherited by the next generation of what you have to, you know, set up different entities and uh LLCs and different things like that um to try to help with with what could potentially be a tax burden in the end. Um so where you're not leaving the next generation in a bad situation to where they end up having to liquidate some of the ranch to pay uh what they need to pay to inherit it. And so a lot of people don't see um all the planning that has to take place um in order to make it to this point. And and even I don't know all the ins and outs, you know, of what my parents and grandparents and great-grandparents have have been through through the years, but just uh the short time that I've kind of had the reins of this has been a learning curve and and it's it's a evolving thing every year. I mean, fo what we were doing in 1970 is some things are similar and some things have had to go through s quite a fit of bit of change, um, and we had to adapt and whatever to stay competitive and to stay marketable at the end of the day. And it's and at the end of the day, it's something that's really hard to build a budget off of for the next year because we have no idea what cap prices would be. Um from 2020 to 2026. I mean it it it varies. And so um, you know, when we see it like it was and get a contract like this year, well we we are grateful for it. And um, but at the same time we gotta put some in the bank because we don't know for the next time when it's not gonna be this good.
SPEAKER_00:Right, right, or when when the drought will come or when something will come and and cause issues. So so that kind of leads into a a good question is so it's hard. The margins are tight, it's you know, elk are tearing down your fence, uh the the local local weed is coming, all these things, right? There's there's things that are hard. So why do you do what you do? Why do you love this?
SPEAKER_01:Because I I couldn't see myself doing anything different. And um you you do it because uh of the people you get to work with. I mean, I'm fortunate I get to work with my parents on the daily, and um and it's a family operation, it's a true family operation, and we were we're blessed with good neighbors and great friends and um that help us uh when we need help and you know they they'll go the mile extra mile for us. I mean it will be I mean last night me and one of my friends, you know, we were hauling a load of cows and we would get home at midnight and then leave in the morning to be here in time for this and head back tonight because we've got to get back to March. You know, it we we weaned and so the weather it's raining and so it's cool, so we need to ride through the calves to make sure we don't have no sick calves, and if we do, so we can get them doctored. Um so it's it's the it's the lifestyle I think that chose me, and and I I have no regrets about it, and we do it because we love it, and there's so many beneficial things to it, and I mean the the views every day in our office. I mean, some days it's really dusty, and some days it might be a little snowy, and and everything in between that, and that's that's what we do it for, and we do it for um for our families, and like uh my goal is that my nephews will take this over, and so I want to do the best I can like like my parents and my uncle did for me and my grandparents, so we could have this and continue to build up uh build upon it and and continue to improve it, um, to where it's not just a benefit to our family, but all all the things that we sustain on our land, from the wildlife, from the birds, the the the animals, all that stuff, um, there's a benefit for all of us involved. And so I think it's just something that maybe not everyone would enjoy, but for those of us that do, um I'm happy that we get the opportunity because uh I mean driving in today, like there's the the traffic and everyone's in such a hurry, and so I we take for granted, I think, sometimes the laid-back lifestyle that I do get, and I think it is hectic some days, but I I look at you know, just here traffic for an hour in the morning, like it's way more hectic in one hour here than um than it is for me in eight hours up there, but to each their own, you know, I respect the ones that that enjoy this kind of lifestyle and and uh I'm appreciative of the lifestyle I get to live um over there. And most of the time um we have a lot of people come visit us and so you know they're always saying that they like it and they're you know this is cool and whatever. And I I have to agree with them because I'm fortunate that we we are where we are.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, it is, and I think uh I think we need people like you, right? Because we we need both, right? We need we need folks in in the city doing things, we need we need people, whatever, but we really need people in that live in small towns that love that lifestyle and are willing to to deal with those small margins to feed the world, to clothe us, right? Um and I think that's that's it's a good thing that you and others love that lifestyle.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and and I think a lot of people like conveniences and we do too, but we have them in our own way. I'm over there. It's just uh it takes some planning. I mean you uh it's not a trip to the grocery store on the daily, so you know when you do plan, you I mean you you have to plan ahead. And a lot of people maybe that's not their cup of tea, you know, but for us it it is, and like I say, um I wouldn't trade it for nothing else.
SPEAKER_00:Oh yeah. One of my favorite small town anecdotes is that I had a friend who moved to a small town for the first time and she married a farmer and and she She was saying we'd they'd have friends over and they'd be working on something because that's what you do in in agriculture. Family and friends come over and you help with something. And then he'd say, Yeah, come over for dinner. And she'd go, Huh? What dinner? And she'd have to, you know, come up with something. And so she, you know, learned the first time as she's scraping, you know, tortillas and cheese and ground beef water to make quesadillas or something. You know, she's she's scraping through the fridge and she learned to always have a frozen pizza in the fridge, or or she'd even meal prep and she'd make, you know, whatever you could freeze and lasagna and all these things that you could freeze so that her husband could be generous and say, here I'll feed you. And she'd pull out food or whatever. And that's that's something, you know, I live in Albuquerque. I get Walmart plus delivery, and I could have my groceries. I could order them now, and they could be there in a couple hours for no extra charge. And uh um, and so that you know, difference in convenience is so, so interesting in that small town of having to prepare, but then also you have these wonderful small town grocery stores and small town where you know you get to see everyone you know and you know the person that owns the grocery store, right? I think you were helping him with a food drive recently, right? So there's that that uh trade-off, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so and I think I mean you just adapt to your surrounding, and so when you don't have those things readily available, you you just rely on what you've known. And so that's what we know. I mean, we we're fortunate to have a grocery store in Springer, we have a really good grocery store in Cimarron too that's close by, and so they they're both family-owned um establishments, and that's what we like to support, and so and they support us, you know, they support our communities, they support our forage programs, they support all the things that I'm involved with, and um, so it it it's really a cool way of life and the the whole neighboring concept. I mean, uh they come help us and we go help them, and um and it's it it's just great to have those kinds of relationships and I mean the trust that we can have within our friends and neighbors and families, and um where sometimes you might not even know the neighbor, you know, here um or or they're maybe just not the social people. I mean, we're social people. We we talk, we talk to our neighbors, we visit.
SPEAKER_00:I think I have a great picture for that of you visiting with someone driving by as you're pushing cattle on the road. Everyone, everyone is open to conversation.
SPEAKER_01:And and so many people have so many questions because I think so many um that are removed from the ranch now a generation or two generations away, maybe even a third generation removed now. Um I think it still intrigues them because many of times in the conversations I have across the country, uh with you know, traveling to these meetings or what it whatnot, you know, they're like, oh my grandfather did that, or my great grandfather did that. And um, so the curiosity of it is is still there, and so I think that's one good thing that we haven't lost. And so I think it's good that um these things are never comfortable to do, but at the same time, I think it's good so people can see where we're coming from and that we are good people, um, but just maybe not know how to communicate with you exactly because I am not much of a social I post on social media or whatever, but that's that's not my only avenue for communication.
SPEAKER_00:Right, right. No, I love that. And I think I think that's uh something um I live in the city, I actually have great neighbors who actually some of them are podcast listeners, so shout out to them. But uh that neighboring thing, and then if you're ever in the country, right, or you're out in a small town, you drive by a rancher on a horse, you roll down a window, I guarantee they're gonna say hello and they're gonna be open to things. I haven't met a rancher that wouldn't be. Um, and knowing more about where your food comes from comes from is it the whole goal of this podcast, is whole the whole uh you know an important part of of what we're focusing on, the beef council and all of that. So asking questions is always a good thing.
SPEAKER_01:For sure, because a lot of times I think people get their information from uh large entertainment companies, you know, and so they have this kind of perceptions of what really goes on, but at the end of the day, those are used for uh ratings and whatnot.
SPEAKER_00:I mean like And sensationalized. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It's it's not. It it's really down-to-earth uh people, families that are just working hard every day to do what we need to do to provide for our families and to you know achieve goals with it within our own operations. And that's most of the time for us, it's just to, you know, make things better. And and so we we work at it every chance we get and try to keep up with the latest trends and see what portions of those we can incorporate into our operation to uh make it more successful, more successful, make make it more responsible, you know, for the environment, for just everything that we're involved with.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And I think that's uh the that conversation doesn't happen in every business, right?
unknown:Right.
SPEAKER_00:That conversation that you're working to, you know, protect the entire environment, protect the land, you're working and the wildlife and the livestock. And then and then also that generational thing. You don't have businesses, that many businesses or entire industries that focus so hard on generational that they're gonna take care of the land so that in a hundred years their family and their uh you know, their relatives can continue that. So I think that's a really special a special thing in the agriculture industry in ranching and in ranching in New Mexico is it's a generational thing and it's important family is at the center of it all.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and and once once you get out of the family, then it's back to soil health, it's back to animal health, it's uh and and the other rewarding thing about being in this industry is it's a faith-biz-driven industry, and I think that's important that we always had the good Lord at at the center of everything we're doing because um just watching what we get to see, you know, the I mean animals having, you know, calving and rainstorms that fill dirt ponds and you know, all these things that like there's no other way to explain it other than someone else is watching um over us to make these things available to us.
SPEAKER_00:Oh man, absolutely. Uh and we we love to tell people too New Mexico is God's country, right? Um we're we're pretty particular, yeah. Yeah, not biased, yes, biased. Yes, absolutely. Well, I I so so appreciate it. So I have maybe two more questions. What is a piece of advice you'd give someone that um might want to follow in your footsteps into ranching or even just something uh yeah, I would just say with that question. What what's advice you'd give to someone that wants to follow?
SPEAKER_01:So I I give uh advice as if this is something that you want to do, do it. And um, you know, not everyone starts out with uh with an inherited ranch or or you know, a large size scale ranch or what whatever it may be. Maybe it's a farm, maybe it's a ranch, whatever you're interested to, but don't compare yourself to others. Um I think that's the biggest thing for me is that I don't sit there and keep score. Um what we have we're we're fortunate to have, and um we're blessed to have it, and and that's and it's comfortable for us and and for what we have going on. And there's others that maybe have a little less, and there's others that have a whole lot more. Um but at the end of the day, we're all in this together. And so um sometimes I think it's um sometimes, you know, it's people get discouraged because of the cost of things. Well, um, so be it. If if it's a hundred acres you can afford, do it. And and you'll never and work hard at it, and you'll be surprised, you know, if if you continue with it, that in uh your interest is to grow that or just to make that um area better, um, so be it. I mean, at the end of the day, you have to do um what's best for you, but don't um I think a lot of times, you know, we look at things and say, like, oh, you know, I can't do this, I can't do that. Yes, you can. You just have to go try it. And you'll never uh I mean you might fail along the way, but that's the only way you're gonna get better or go anywhere is by putting yourself out there and taking risks. And um you'll be surprised what what really can come about from it. So I my thing is is just do it. Um, I don't think you need to sit there and question a whole lot of things and whatever, if it's a love that you have, um, and and you just have to go into it uh with uh with reality in the background that you more than likely aren't gonna get rich doing this. Yeah. So if your goal is to be rich and you know, some of those other things, uh rich in money, I mean, because I feel like we're rich in in in our values, and I think we're rich with our family history, and so there's different ways to look at that. And so, um, but if it's actual the monetary thing, you know, be aware that it's gonna be, I think, more going out than coming in. But at the end of the day, um, I just say make do what makes you happy and don't compare yourself to anyone else.
SPEAKER_00:That's great advice in any in any situation, right? We we shouldn't look elsewhere. My last question for everyone is what is your current favorite way to eat beef or maybe even a favorite recipe?
SPEAKER_01:So I like a fillet and I like a cooked medium, and um I'm not real big fan of running the taste of the meat with A1 or Worcestershire or any of that other stuff. I just like a good old steak that's been seven minutes on one side and seven on the other, and that's I mean, some people like it a little more rare than that, but uh for me that's that's how I like it. And um, of course, uh, you know, some people like to question, you know, all the other things, but I I I love a salad and a big potato with it, and um, and we're good to go for another day.
SPEAKER_00:Honestly, I love that. That's that's uh sounds like my order at a restaurant I went to the other day. I love it. Um cool. Well, I so appreciate your uh willingness to be on the podcast, even uh with you know barely uh any notice, and then also all the work you do for the industry, and then lastly for for the work you do to help feed the world. So thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Behind the burger is a podcast produced by the New Mexico Beef Council with the goal of telling the stories of the cattlemen and cattle women of the New Mexico beef industry. Thank you for joining us for today's episode. If you would like more information, please visit nmbeef.com. Whether it be a burger, a steak, or another beef dish, we hope you are enjoying beef at your next meal.
