EDDY COUNTY BUREAUE OF LAND MANAGMENT RANGE CONSERVATIONS RECOGONIZED AT NEW MEXICO JOINT STOCKMANS CONVENTION

Ray Keller range conservationist with U.S. Bureau of Land Management was recognized with "Ayudando siempre alli" meaning "You are always there" award at the New Mexico Joint Stockman’s convention. Ray has spent a substantial amount of time in the field building relationships with ranchers and partnerships with Soil & Water Conservation Districts within Chaves, Lea, Eddy, Lincoln and Roosevelt counties in New Mexico. Also spent time building working relationships with New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD), CEHMM (Center of Excellence), Wild Turkey Federation, New Mexico State University, Eddy County Cooperative Extension Service, Dow Chemical, Fish & Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Watershed Alliance, Bureau of Reclamation, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Local businesses, Oil & Gas Industry, NM Highway Department. In all, Ray has partnered with more than 300 stakeholders. Because of these relationships, community business, utilities and local government has contributed approximately $510,000 toward noxious weed treatment with in Eddy County alone. Other counties within southeast New Mexico have seen similar results, due to his tireless efforts to bring our communities together to improve the land around us. Ray is the driving force behind the collaborative efforts of all of these incredibly diverse affiliations Ray spearheaded the Restore New Mexico initiative. This is a landscape scale habitat improvement project across all of New Mexico, but especially in Southeastern New Mexico. It is a true landscape scale initiative because it is without boundaries and includes both State and private lands. At this point Ray and all of the partners have completed 1.4 million acres of restoration and reclamation solely in the Pecos District. After becoming a state wide initiative, Restore New Mexico has treated more than 3 million acres. To control invasive species such as mesquite, cat-claw/creosote, and shin-oak; noxious weed treatment – African Rue, Malta Star-thistle, salt cedar; and restoration and reclamation – abandoned well pads, caliche pits and oil field roads. He participates in and attends many meetings around the state as well as giving informational lectures on the various aspects of the program. Ray has brought about many tours of Restore New Mexico projects that have been held to showcase the results of the program. These have been instrumental in fostering partnerships as well as motivating all levels of leadership within the BLM, from Washington D.C. to the local field office, to work together improving our public lands. There is always a cooperative and positive influence. Ray’s goal is to make sure that we leave the land in better shape than we found it. Ray is always willing to help where help is needed. Because of this, he has generated trust and a sense of shared stewardship among the local citizenry as well as various agencies working in the region. Persons from all walks, be it land owners, lessee’s, industry, state and community government or environmental advocacy groups have found common ground working with each other and with the BLM to improve our region’s natural resources. Ray’s efforts to bring all these different factions together has been instrumental in inspiring trust to further the collective commitment of everyone to insure our public lands are healthy.

Circular 687: Managing Organic Matter in Farm and Garden Soils

The following new CES publication is now available online in PDF and HTML formats. Circular 687: Managing Organic Matter in Farm and Garden Soils Robert Flynn (Extension Agronomist, Dept. of Extension Plant Sciences) John Idowu (Extension Agronomist, Dept. of Extension Plant Sciences) PDF: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR687.pdf HTML: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR687/welcome.html

EDDY COUNTY BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT RANGE CONSERVATIONIST RECOLONIZED AT NEW MEXICO JOINT STOCK MAN'S CONVENTION

Ray Keller range conservationist with U.S. Bureau of Land Management was recognized with "Ayudando siempre alli" meaning "You are always there" award at the New Mexico Joint Stockman’s convention. Ray has spent a substantial amount of time in the field building relationships with ranchers and partnerships with Soil & Water Conservation Districts within Chaves, Lea, Eddy, Lincoln and Roosevelt counties in New Mexico. Also spent time building working relationships with New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD), CEHMM (Center of Excellence), Wild Turkey Federation, New Mexico State University, Eddy County Cooperative Extension Service, Dow Chemical, Fish & Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Watershed Alliance, Bureau of Reclamation, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Local businesses, Oil & Gas Industry, NM Highway Department. In all, Ray has partnered with more than 300 stakeholders. Because of these relationships, community business, utilities and local government has contributed approximately $510,000 toward noxious weed treatment with in Eddy County alone. Other counties within southeast New Mexico have seen similar results, due to his tireless efforts to bring our communities together to improve the land around us. Ray is the driving force behind the collaborative efforts of all of these incredibly diverse affiliations Ray spearheaded the Restore New Mexico initiative. This is a landscape scale habitat improvement project across all of New Mexico, but especially in Southeastern New Mexico. It is a true landscape scale initiative because it is without boundaries and includes both State and private lands. At this point Ray and all of the partners have completed 1.4 million acres of restoration and reclamation solely in the Pecos District. After becoming a state wide initiative, Restore New Mexico has treated more than 3 million acres. To control invasive species such as mesquite, cat-claw/creosote, and shin-oak; noxious weed treatment – African Rue, Malta Star-thistle, salt cedar; and restoration and reclamation – abandoned well pads, caliche pits and oil field roads. He participates in and attends many meetings around the state as well as giving informational lectures on the various aspects of the program. Ray has brought about many tours of Restore New Mexico projects that have been held to showcase the results of the program. These have been instrumental in fostering partnerships as well as motivating all levels of leadership within the BLM, from Washington D.C. to the local field office, to work together improving our public lands. There is always a cooperative and positive influence. Ray’s goal is to make sure that we leave the land in better shape than we found it. Ray is always willing to help where help is needed. Because of this, he has generated trust and a sense of shared stewardship among the local citizenry as well as various agencies working in the region. Persons from all walks, be it land owners, lessee’s, industry, state and community government or environmental advocacy groups have found common ground working with each other and with the BLM to improve our region’s natural resources. Ray’s efforts to bring all these different factions together has been instrumental in inspiring trust to further the collective commitment of everyone to insure our public lands are healthy.

Three NMSU Extension agents study ways to reach under-served population

Since the beginning of the land-grant university Cooperative Extension Service in 1914, rural, urban and suburban citizens have received research-based information to improve their lives. For example, Extension agents have helped farmers and ranchers achieve greater success, improved the health and wellness of families, and prepared youth to become future leaders. New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences administers the state’s Cooperative Extension Service in every county and continues to strive for excellence in serving its communities. Society has changed since the early days of Extension to include a growing number of minorities and urban communities. Nationally, Extension is adapting to reach these new and often underserved audiences. New Mexico, as a multicultural state, provides many opportunities for NMSU’s CES to reach diverse audiences. Three CES agents, Karim Martinez, Laura Bittner and Marcella Talamante, see the importance of providing Extension information to diverse audiences and have embarked on an educational path of self-improvement to better equip themselves to meet the needs of today’s changing society. “My studies in the Educational Leadership and Administration Ph.D. program have definitely created greater awareness of the importance of reaching under-served populations, which is for whom Extension was originally established,” said Bittner, program director of NMSU’s Valencia County CES. “I am more mindful of challenges under-served populations may encounter accessing and participating in CES programming.” The College of Education graduate students recognize the importance of social justice, equity and cultural competence in their profession. “This program has given me a new perspective on things I’m already doing,” said Talamante, program director for Rio Arriba County CES. “Social justice means fairness to all members of your community. We have focused on equality when providing our programming, but now we need to think in terms of equity, to ensure that our programs are not only accessible, but that we communicate our offerings in ways necessary to reach everyone.” As the program director of Dona Ana County CES, Martinez works to deliver programs in culturally appropriate ways. “Living in a border community and being bilingual has allowed me to bring Extension resources to audiences who may not have had access to this information in the past,” Martinez said. “As Spanish-speaking populations increase nationally, some CES agents may find it challenging to reach this audience, especially if they have limited experience with Latino cultures, or are not bilingual.” Martinez is interviewing bilingual CES professionals nationally to learn from their experiences reaching Spanish-speaking audiences. “I want to provide the Extension Service with strategies to improve outreach efforts to this audience, which can mean adapting programs in culturally appropriate ways,” she said. Bittner has learned that developing cultural competence is not just understanding societal traditions, but also recognizing that each individual has personal and family traditions, or ways of knowing and doing things. “People living in the same neighborhood, of same ethnicity, religion, age, or economic group have different ways of doing things,” Bittner said. “When providing educational programs, we must be aware these differences exist so we remain inclusive and communicate clearly and effectively.” Bittner’s dissertation will specifically look at how Extension agents perceive their own cultural competence, barriers for developing cultural competence, and methods Extension agents use to reach and serve culturally diverse audiences. “Cultural competence within CES is a growing topic across the United States,” Bittner said of the concept being addressed in the education, health and medical fields. “Nationally, CES is working to improve cultural competency of Extension agents. New Mexico CES is well positioned to serve as the model for reaching a growing, ethnically and culturally diverse population because New Mexico has such rich cultural diversity.” - 30 -

EDDY COUNTY RANCHER RECEIVES RESTORE NM AWARD AT NM JOINT STOCK-MANS CONVENTION

John Ballard has been a farmer/rancher south of Carlsbad his entire life. He started his career 74 years ago when he was literally “grew-up in the house” that he still lives in today. Over the years he has been involved with all aspects of the farming and ranching life. He has owned a trucking company, bred and raised good cattle, horses, crops and kids. John was one of the first ranchers in the state to work with the Bureau of Land Management as part of the Restore New Mexico program to treat catclaw and creosote. He has been involved in one capacity or another in the program since its humble beginnings. He has worked on the Black and Delaware Rivers extracting salt cedar and Russian olive as well as installed many cattle guards in the area of Hackberry Lake Recreation Area to enhance access while maintaining the ranch lease holders fencing. He currently has a contract with the Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District to perform reseeding on the Restore New Mexico reclamation projects. His life long experience of working with the land in southeast New Mexico has made him the ideal person to perform this task. John Ballard has re-seeded approximately 200 acres this year, and roughly 5000 acres to date of rangeland as part of this program. John’s pro-active and can-do spirit have been instrumental in the success of Restore New Mexico. He is an innovative rancher, yet still honors his ranching traditions. There is always a hot meal for anyone who stops in, and if you are lucky, a great chocolate cake for dessert!

Eddy County Cow man Darrel Brown recived Beef Backer Award 2017 at New Mexico Joint Stockmans convention.

DARRELL BROWN BEEF BACKER AWARD, 2017 The Beef Backer Award is presented annually by the New Mexico Beef Council, for outstanding efforts to advance the New Mexico beef industry through Promotion, Education and Research. This year’s recipient, Darrell Brown, epitomizes the “unsung” volunteer, never noticed or praised for the nearly 30 years he has been consistently working behind the scenes promoting beef and providing beef education opportunities for youth and consumers. Darrell was appointed to serve on the Beef Council in 2009, and served for six years, the last two years of his term, serving as Chairman of the council. He also served on the Federation of State Beef Council’s Board of Director’s, Beef’s Image Committee. Darrell’s devotion to the beef industry and to promoting beef and the New Mexico Beef Community, began long before serving on the council and the Federation. Darrell and his wife Michel also served as Eddy County 4-H leaders for fifteen years. Darrell is a born and bred New Mexican and has called all four corners of the state “home”. He started out in the 4 Corners area, then moved to the Jicarilla Apache reservation, Roy and Mosquero, Albuquerque, Las Cruces and since 1985, has called Artesia, home. Darrell and his wife Shelly raised their children on the Four Dinkus Ranch and he serves as general ranch manager for the Yates Ranches. Darrell received both his BS in Animal Science and his MA in Agriculture Business from New Mexico State University. Darrell credits his Granddad, Jake Brown, as his mentor and teacher and was taught by example, the value of a good work ethic, living a moral life and the importance of education. One of his granddad’s favorite sayings was, “try to learn something new every day.” Darrel took this lesson to heart, and it explains his unrelenting commitment to teaching others about the attributes of beef, and extolling the stewardship and pride that NM beef producers apply to producing wholesome beef, and caring for their cattle and their ranches. Darrell’s penchant for youth education led him to utilize innovative approaches, such as a puppet show to teach hundreds of school children the importance of stewardship, conducting ranch tours for fifteen years for 2nd graders through the Artesia Public Schools , volunteering for NM Farm Bureau’s Environmental Youth Camp, organizing and building State Fair floats for the Jr. Cattlegrowers, and serving multiple years as co-chair of the very successful Stockmen Care About Kids Promotion done in conjunction with KOB-TV, the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network Telethon. In addition, Darrell has been actively supportive of the popular Youth Ranch Management Camp, not only serving as an industry mentor to our youth attending the camp, but securing scholarships for students who cannot afford to attend the camps. Darrell’s promotion work goes far beyond the schoolyard. His leadership on the Gate-To-Plate BEEF Tour Committee, didn’t end with the planning, but continued on all the tours. Darrell was often assigned to assist the media in attendance providing accurate information, answering their questions and helping them get the footage and photos they needed. This interaction with the media and influential key leaders in the state, educated them about our families, production methods and our issues… forging understanding and friendships for the beef community. What’s truly special about Darrell is his willingness to show up early, and do whatever it takes to accomplish a successful event. The night before the Food Truck BEEF Throwdown, the brewery parking lot was flooded and required limb cutting, moving gravel and filling potholes before the trucks could park. Darrell was there to do the heavy lifting. Whether it’s setting up or taking down exhibits, loading or unloading vehicles, handing out beef samples to consumers or moderating the beef symposium, Darrell is there to the end, never expecting credit or recognition for his work. Darrell has said, “The Bible and faith are what guides me. I try to and seek God’s wisdom in everything I do. God created this world, so he knows how it should operate.” This was also something his granddad taught him. Darrell’s 30 years of generosity and commitment to the New Mexico beef community has not gone un-noticed. Because we at the Beef Council know that a job well done is rare, it is a privilege to present the 2017 Beef Backer of the Year Award to Darrell Brown.

The following CES publication has been revised

The following CES publication has been revised and is now available online in PDF and HTML formats in English and Spanish. Guide A-114: Test Your Garden Soil Robert Flynn (Extension Agronomist, Department of Extension Plant Sciences) PDF: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/A114.pdf HTML: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/A114/welcome.html Guía A-114: Haga un análisis de suelo a su jardín Robert Flynn (Agrónomo del Departamento de Extensión en Ciencias Botánicas de la Universidad Estatal de Nuevo México) PDF: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/A114sp.pdf HTML: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/A114sp/welcome.html