We sit down at Corralitos Ranch with fourth-generation cattleman Ross Foster to explore drought planning, water work, herd temperament, and the real meaning of stewardship on public and private lands. Grit meets grace as we follow the choices that make cattle calm, grass recover, and families keep going.
• family history and purpose of the Las Cruces ranch
• drought, wind and the decision to let pastures seed
• water lines, dirt tanks and center pivots for resilience
• rotational grazing and matching herd size to forage
• genetics, temperament and culling for calm handling
• cake-broke cattle for low-stress health checks
• public land etiquette and better gates for users
• kids, mini breeds and building next-generation interest
• why this life is hard, redeeming and worth it
• cooking tips from brevet cuts to sous vide
If you would like more information, please visit nmbeef.com
Thanks for tuning in to Behind the Burger!
Stay connected with us — follow @NMBEEF on TikTok and Instagram, New Mexico Beef Council on Facebook and visit nmbeef.com for recipes, nutrition info, a local beef directory and more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carollann Romo (00:03):
Welcome back to another episode of Behind the
Burger, our podcast by the NewMexico Beef Council.
I'm Caroline Romo and I am herewith Ross Foster of Coralita
Litos, right?
Coralitos ranch here outside ofLas Cruces.
Ross Foster (00:24):
My name's Ross Foster.
I manage Coralitos Ranch.
I'm a fourth generationcattleman, third generation
cattle feeder.
And uh we're right here in theheart of southern southwestern
New Mexico, um, outside ofCruces, like you mentioned, um
doing our best to uh to raisebeef cattle.
Carollann Romo (00:43):
Yeah, well, and I I love the the story you've
told us now.
Now I've made you tell us acouple times.
Um, but the uh the story of howyou guys uh ended up with this
ranch here.
Ross Foster (00:53):
So uh my grandpa built a couple feed yards in
southern California in theImperial Valley, and um they
would buy their animals at thestockyards um in in Fort Worth,
and halfway between Fort Worthand Brawley, California is Las
Cruces, New Mexico.
And uh this ranch wasavailable, so they purchased it,
so purchased it so that wecould rest our cattle before we
took them the rest of the way toCalifornia to feed them.
Carollann Romo (01:14):
I think that's a great story and a really neat
thing that uh even uh when itwas purchased in the 70s, there
was a a thought it was purchasedfor the care of cattle.
It was so that the cattledidn't have to drive 16 hours.
Ross Foster (01:26):
That's correct.
Carollann Romo (01:27):
Yeah, that's a that's a I mean that goes to the
heart of probably your yourfamily and how they treat cattle
of you let's give them somerest.
Let's do this.
Ross Foster (01:34):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Happy happy cattle producebetter.
Um, you know, you don't want tostress them out.
It's uh and we're obligated todo the the most we can for them.
Carollann Romo (01:42):
Oh, absolutely.
Uh economically, uh ethically,all of the all the words.
Uh so you uh so tell me aboutkind of your background.
Were you always in the familybusiness and and uh kind of
what's what's the path that gotyou here?
Ross Foster (01:57):
Um I grew up on a feedlot, um, which which was we
raised cattle uh for for meatproduction.
Um and we we milled feed, wedoctored cattle, we castrated,
we did all the things.
Um moving out here seven yearsago to manage this ranch was a
big change.
Um I didn't know that I'dwaited my entire life to do
this.
Um and it it's really been aredeeming experience, um, and
(02:18):
it's not something that I'mwilling to give up.
As a matter of fact, I'mwilling to die on this hill.
Um, I will fight for thisbusiness and I will fight for
for uh the beef industry and theWestern lifestyle.
Um it's uh it's it's redeeming.
It brings me a lot of peace anda lot of happiness, despite the
issues that uh we come acrossday to day.
Um this is a a a good life.
A good life.
(02:38):
It's not an easy one, but it'sa good one.
Carollann Romo (02:40):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Uh I I believe it is, and thenit's it's uh romanticized in my
head for sure that that uh theranching lifestyle and this, you
know, the peaceful, and thenand then you keep using the word
redeeming, and I gosh, itsounds that sounds uh
aspirational, like uh a really,really neat thing.
So you kind of mentionedchallenges.
Tell me about some of thosechallenges.
Ross Foster (03:00):
Um weather is one, forage um goes with the weather.
Um the public is is anotherone.
We uh we have uh people thatcome out here and utilize public
land, which is just fine.
But sometimes they thinkthey're helping us by opening
gates um and letting animalsinto a pasture that they're
sitting in front of, or theyturn on or off valves that are
on or off for a very goodreason, um, thinking that
they're helping.
(03:20):
Again, it's just part of thedeal.
Um and and uh those are smallobstacles to overcome.
Um and and we're firefightersout here.
We we wake up and put outwhatever fires are lit that day.
Um and I'm not talking aboutliteral fires, I'm just talking
about whatever is going wrong.
Carollann Romo (03:36):
Absolutely, absolutely.
I it's my favorite thing to sayin probably every podcast is
the the diversity of anagriculturalist or a rancher,
you've gotta know meteorology,you gotta know soil, you've got
to be, you know, when you whenyou think about a rancher or you
think about a cowboy, you know,you see the cowboy hat and you
think, oh, he probably knowshorses, he probably knows
cattle, but you also know soilscience and you also know about
(03:58):
seeds and you also know about uhweather patterns and La Niña
and El Nino and all these thingsthat that it takes.
Ross Foster (04:05):
That's correct.
Uh I tell people we'reglorified plumbers uh because we
fix a lot of water lines, andthen every once in a while we
get to get get on a horse andactually be cowboys.
Um but plumbers and six fencersis is 90% of it uh people who
want to come out and work andthey think they're gonna be
riding a horse all day, andthat's just not the case.
Um it's uh it's taking care ofthe animals, taking care of the
(04:25):
ranch, conserving water, makingsure that our lines don't leak,
improving storage, um, and uhand our uh rebuilding our dirt
tanks so that we can utilize ourrainwater when it does rain.
It's been exceptionally dry forthe last couple of years.
Um it's lush now, which isbeautiful.
Um caring for our pastures inthe fashion to where it's it's
it's uh environmentally and uhand economically good for the
(04:47):
ground and good for the animalsso that we can we can continue
feeding um for generations.
Carollann Romo (04:52):
Oh yeah, and uh water is everything, right?
So we we uh will be able toshow pictures of of of how uh
beautiful the ranch was for theuh you know versions that are
video.
Of course, if you're you'rejust listening, you might head
over to uh YouTube or Instagramor something and and see,
because it is beautiful rightnow because you do have all that
rain, but then uh you have tobe thinking not about today with
(05:13):
all the rain, right?
You're thinking about thefuture.
Ross Foster (05:16):
That's correct.
Carollann Romo (05:16):
You have a lot of projects that are just in
case there's drought again orfor when there is more drought,
right?
Ross Foster (05:22):
Absolutely.
Um and and this is the time todo it, is when it when it rains
is when you when you put thework in so that when it doesn't
rain, that you have the theavailable feed to give the
cattle.
We're uh developing 640 acresof farm ground.
We put it in uh new wells andcenter pivot sprinklers, and
we'll be growing uh we'll begrowing seed in, we'll be
growing permanent pasture, um aseed balloon that fits with this
(05:43):
area of New Mexico, um, so thatwhen it doesn't rain, we can
graze our cattle on the um onthe grass that we grew
ourselves.
Um and that's part of thesustainability deal is is these
animals deserve every effortthat we can possibly put in.
Um and that's that's our goal.
Carollann Romo (06:00):
Oh yeah.
And and I I thought it wasinteresting too, as we were
driving by one of the pivots youtalked about, a seed blend, and
it was just a cheap seed blendor something, right?
Or a value seed blend, youcalled it, I think.
And it was to help the soil,right?
And like you said, you do thisnow so that when you need it to
be a really you know goodforage, it will be in the in the
soil will recover by having youknow different nutrients,
(06:21):
right?
Ross Foster (06:22):
That that is absolutely correct.
Um you deal with the presentbut plan for the future.
Carollann Romo (06:26):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Uh the the amount you have todeal with that is is uh
incredible.
Um so talk about New Mexico'slandscapes and and uh the
differences in uh or you knowwhat you deal with in as far as
the landscapes go with yourranching.
Ross Foster (06:41):
Yeah, the our our ranch is fairly vast, and so
there's a lot of differentlandscapes.
There are there are draws thatare full of grass, there are
fence lines that are that are uhdriven into rocks um on the top
of hills and top of mountains.
Um when they divided ranchesback in the day, they basically
said from the top of thatmountain, the top of that
mountain, um, and those are thefences that we have to fix.
(07:01):
Um and we're either hiking oron horseback pulling uh pulling
uh pony mules with with all thegear on the back so that we
could fix fence.
Um it's extensive.
It's ext it's an extensiveamount of work.
Um there's a lot of dry areas.
Um the last couple years thatthis ranch looked like the moon.
There wasn't a uh a liquidgrass on it, and we did a lot of
(07:23):
supplemental feeding, proteinum hay.
We trucked a lot of hay in fromuh from out of state um where
it was more affordable and moreavailable.
Um and and we fed three days aweek hauled hay around the ranch
because there was no forage.
Carollann Romo (07:38):
Oh yeah, because because uh, you know, there's
issues for everyone when itdoesn't rain, right?
Or or everyone could maybecomplain, or maybe anyone could,
right?
We can all complain aboutanything.
Um but uh for a rancher, Imean, those cows still have to
eat.
And if you're you're ranchingand you're expecting those
native grasses to come, they'renot coming without rain, right?
Ross Foster (07:58):
So that's correct.
Um and even worse than that,our last windy season was so bad
that um that a lot of the seedthat fell off of the grass that
is out here was buried under twofeet of blow sand.
Um and and it's it's hard forthe water to get down that deep,
and it's hard for the seeds tosprout through two feet of blow
sand.
Um we were fortunate this yearto get uh almost our annual
(08:19):
allotment of rain, but it's thefirst time in almost 15 years
that we've gotten that thatamount of rain.
Um and it it's a blessing.
Um, but we have to uh I intendto utilize that, let our grass
go to seed so that um so thatnew varieties could uh able to
grow um and diversify our uh ourforage.
Carollann Romo (08:38):
Yeah, and that's something maybe I hadn't heard
of, uh just you know,admittedly, that that that's the
whole purpose or or you know,your current purpose of resting
that pasture is so that it goesto seed.
That was the first time I hadever heard that that that and it
makes sense, and maybe I couldhave assumed that or could have,
but the way you explained itwas really neat to me that
you're resting that pasture soit goes to seed so that it will
(09:01):
grow more.
Ross Foster (09:02):
Our animals eat what's most palatable, um, and
they're gonna eat the new growthfirst um versus the the older
grass and and different seedstake different time to uh
different time amounts togerminate.
And if those seeds those thatgrass never goes to seed, it's
not gonna grow anymore.
Um and and being able to rotatepastures and manage the the
(09:22):
growth and uh consumption ofthat grass.
Um also by managing the size ofour herd.
Ranching is ranchingfundamentally is managing the
size of your herd based onavailable forage um or
supplementing.
You know, um it's the lastcouple years have been rough.
Uh we do get some help from thestate, um but a lot of our
(09:45):
neighbors have liquidated theirherds.
Um and you can't buy animals atauction and put them out on a
on a vast ranch and expect themto survive.
They won't um they don't knowwhere the water is, they don't
know the noxious weeds thatthey're not supposed to eat.
Um and same thing with penraised bulls.
Um they have to be taught.
Um they they need that maternaldirection that uh the braengist
(10:07):
animal gives them.
Um I I watch Brangis moms pushtheir calves off of off of a
broom snake or rattleweed.
Um, and that that is exactlywhat it takes.
Carollann Romo (10:18):
Um Yeah, well, and uh I was gonna say I I
thought of something too, justfor uh, you know, a
non-agriculture personlistening, because we we hope we
hope that you're listening,right?
Um and and uh we we talk aboutthe palatable grass, right?
Well, I learned from a spinachfarmer in the Salinas Valley a
(10:38):
long time ago is that babyspinach is just young spinach,
right?
And it's just harvested sooner.
And that baby spinach is the ismore palatable.
So that's why we eat babyspinach a lot.
You can also buy regularspinach, but that baby spinach
is more palatable.
So that's like that new growth,right?
If we can compare it tosomething that we see in the
grocery store, we understand.
(10:58):
How often are you makingdecisions on your herd size?
Ross Foster (11:01):
Um, so we we gather twice a year, um and and we
base herd size off of off ofavailable forage.
Um we having October it was dryand it been dry for years.
Um and and we held our cards umand we hauled a lot of feed and
hauled a lot of waterthroughout the summer um from
October until now.
Um and it paid off.
(11:23):
Um, like I said, a lot of ourneighbors have liquidated their
their herds purely because thethe grass to purchase isn't
available locally, which is whywe buy it out of state.
Um and and it's either it'seither you bite the bullet and
pay the bill for the feed, um,or you liquidate.
Um and especially now with thebeef market the way it is, um,
(11:44):
it's very difficult to restockyour ranch, and even more
difficult if half of those eatthe noxious weeds and don't
survive the year.
Carollann Romo (11:51):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you said you mentioned youknow each, you've got, you know,
600 head, I think you said,right?
If that's okay to say.
Ross Foster (11:57):
We we we we have 600 head now.
Carollann Romo (11:59):
Yeah, and so you said you know you know each of
those animals, right?
So it's not only, you know,hard to start over, but it's
also hard.
You've built this herd becauseof the genetics that you like.
And when you know, we talkabout genetics, sometimes that
sounds scary, but you've justbred these animals based on
their temperament, their theirability to survive in in the
desert and all of these things.
(12:19):
And so if you have toliquidate, that's a hard start.
That's a hard start over, andit's also heartbreaking, right?
A lot of ranchers talk aboutthat, right?
Ross Foster (12:27):
It's damn near impossible to uh to come back
from liquidating your entireherd herd.
It's not impossible, but it italmost is.
Um and uh making sure thatthese animals are healthy is is
a is a priority.
Um supplementing their feed.
And uh um it was a it wasprobably three years ago.
I thought I had another aneighbor's animals, and he
(12:48):
walked up the corrals and hesaid, That one's mine, that
one's not, that one's not.
And I said, How do you know?
And he said, Because I don'tknow those animals.
And I'm like, What do they meanyou don't know those animals?
And a year later, drivingthrough the ranks with my old
man, and he goes, Look at those,and I said, Those aren't ours.
And he goes, How do you know?
And I go, Let's go check.
Um, and they weren't ours,they're our neighbors.
(13:09):
Um and and it was kind of thenthat I realized exactly what he
meant.
Um without knowing it, I knowevery single one of these um
animals because we processedthem.
I remember them, um, and theyremember, they remember me, you
know, and and we've changed thedynamic of of our cattle here
where we're we're no longer theenemy.
Um when I got here, we'd pullup and they would just take off
(13:30):
running, just head high, tail inthe air, at a dead run.
Um and and now with a littlebit of cake and uh and
streamlighting, um, they theyare they're not cooperative, I
won't say that.
Um but uh if if uh if an animalruns when we're gathering um
and we have to rope them down,it seems irresponsible to make
my cowboys chase that cow everyyear.
(13:52):
Um that one cow will takethree, three will take ten, ten
will take the rest of the herd.
Um they have to rope one down,it goes to the sale barn.
If it hooks a horse a coupletimes, it goes the sail barn.
Um then we've still got sometrack stars out there that uh
that will just put their theiryou know, big alpha females that
will put their head in the air,their tail in the air, and just
take all of them with them.
(14:13):
Um but it's a process.
It's a process.
And and uh let's say two yearsago is when I kind of started to
see the animals going to wherethey needed to go and the
direction that they needed togo.
Um and we use some of the bestcowboys on the planet, they're
uh they're Charo Cowboys, and umand we use a helicopter pilot
who is in who is also a cowboyand a rancher, um, and he is
(14:34):
tenacious.
Um and without my team, Icouldn't I could not do this.
This isn't a one-man show.
Um, it is an absolute teameffort.
Um, and the credit goes to themas much as it does to me.
Carollann Romo (14:46):
I love that.
That's that's an important uhimportant quality.
And then and then uh, you know,they're still animals, right?
So that's all I kept thinkingis they're still animals.
And then uh you said cakebroke, and you know, sometimes I
think my job uh in this podcastis to try and help uh people
understand the the lingo when Iactually know, because that's
not all the time.
(15:06):
Uh, but the cake is a uh like asweet feed that cattle like,
right?
Ross Foster (15:10):
It's a cottonseed cake pellet, it's about the size
of a half a cigar.
Um and it and it's like a it'slike a cauchito.
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
It's a snack, it's uh it it'sit's sugar, and um and it makes
it easier so that uh for you tolook at your animals from a
pickup and they're allsurrounding you, you can tell
which ones are sick, you cantell which you can see the new
underbranded babies, um, whichgives you an idea of of the rest
(15:34):
of your next week.
Um if if you need to rope cowsdown and adopt them or if you
need to stop and brand a brand acalf, um, as opposed to looking
at them through binoculars fromuh eighth of a mile away.
Carollann Romo (15:45):
Yeah, yeah.
The and the cake trucks arepretty identifiable, um, you
know, like a pickup in thefront, and then in the back it's
got you know a big box full ofcake, full of cake pellets.
Ross Foster (15:54):
Absolutely.
And you turn a siren on or youor you you know you play the
song or or even just the theidol of a p my particular
pickup, um, and they will comeout of the tall grass getting
loose, um, you know, they'rerunning, making a dust cloud
towards this pickup.
Carollann Romo (16:07):
Yeah, yeah.
They and then they call it cakebroke, right?
Which which I think my husbandcan make some jokes about me
being cake broke too.
Like I can fires up a grill andI'm like, oh hey, I'm here.
Did you need help?
Yeah.
Ross Foster (16:17):
100%.
Carollann Romo (16:18):
Um so we've talked about the land and the
livestock.
Um uh what about the um UmWhat's maybe one thing most
people don't know about raisingbeef in New Mexico?
Ross Foster (17:04):
You know, um, if you've never worked on a ranch
before, there there isn't a lot,you know.
You know what I mean?
Um a lot of people think thattheir state comes from the
grocery store.
Um the reality is that it takesa lot of work, um, it takes a
lot of animal husbandry, ittakes love.
Um probably one of the hardestparts about my job is having to
euthanize an animal that youspent three weeks doctoring, um,
(17:27):
and and you threw all threedarts at the same time to get
this animal up um and it stillfails.
Um that being said, when you dothat and one gets up and and
recovers, there's there's someredeeming value in that too.
Carollann Romo (17:41):
Absolutely.
And and I think we should saytoo that that um I've found this
to be true with a lot ofpeople, but definitely with you.
You are an animal lover.
Ross Foster (17:51):
I I am an animal lover.
I living out here taught me Ilearned more compassion for
these animals.
They provide a decadentlifestyle and a good life, and
we owe it to them to do the verybest we can.
Um Healthy animals are breedinganimals, you know, um, and it's
not it's not a single faceteduh solution.
(18:14):
It ha it is alwaysmultifaceted.
There's there's a dozen thingsyou have to do, and you can't do
one, you can't do three, andexpect to to succeed.
Carollann Romo (18:21):
Absolutely.
And I yeah, I just think thatthat that's an important part is
is uh knowing that you're ananimal lover.
You've got you know, dogs,you've got donkeys, and I think
there was a goat or a sheep orsomething, maybe a doll sheep or
something out there.
And then you've got your youknow, pasture pets of of uh
mini, mini brahmas and uh andeven uh um what's it called, a
(18:43):
highlander.
Yep.
Uh I and I think that's areally anything people should
understand that you and that'swhat makes you care for animals
so much, right?
Ross Foster (18:50):
It it it it does.
And like like I said, I I knowthese animals.
I know these animals.
Um I've known them for years.
And um as far as the theminiatures go, uh that's it.
We have like a like a smallpetting to do basically, and and
uh there isn't a single childthat comes out here um that
doesn't remember their firsttime being on a farm and hand
feeding some some animals.
(19:10):
Um and the miniatures are uh uhmore approachable sometimes.
Um and they they remember that,and that's uh that's an
experience for them, and almostall of them want to come back
out here.
And and that's a good way toget kids introduced to this
life, you know, um for for thenext generation.
Um it is possible.
When I moved to New Mexico fromCalifornia, I I heard things
(19:32):
like that long hair ain't gonnamake it.
Um and and but my favoritething is to be underestimated.
That that that's perfect forme.
I like being the underdog umand and fighting up.
Carollann Romo (19:43):
Um yeah, absolutely.
I love I love that uhpersonality trait and I try to
resemble that too.
I I've said I've beenunderestimated before.
I'll be underestimated again,but we'll prove them wrong.
We'll figure it out, we'll finda way.
Ross Foster (19:56):
I was uh I I've hunted my entire life, and I
feel like any good hunter isalso a conservationalist.
Um and any good any decent meateater should also have uh a
level of animal husbandry, youknow, uh, because that's where
it comes from.
Carollann Romo (20:10):
Yep, absolutely.
That's an important thing.
Well, just since you brought uphunters and then we talked
about the public earlier, I knowI asked you this earlier, but
if a you know a public land useris is well, and maybe we
describe the so the ranch is,you know, some private and some
public, but then how do you hopethat someone treats your land
and and your operation whenthey're using the public land
(20:31):
that you know um that they do,right?
They have access to.
Ross Foster (20:34):
I I expect people to follow the rules that are
that are set forth by BLM andstate, um, which you know, no,
no doing donuts in the middle ofthe pasture, you know, follow
the two-track roads that areestablished, um, and and have
some reverence and and respectfor the land and the animals um
and the stewards of the land.
Um and I I feel like mostpeople do.
Most people do, and if theydon't, I could see them.
(20:56):
Um and then I I go out and talkto everybody.
Um if I see somebody parked orhunting, I pull up, make sure
everything's okay, um, and andlet them know who I am and what
we're doing out here.
And I think that the most ofthe people that I run into
appreciate the change that'shappened on this ranch in the
last seven years um and can seethe effort, um, not only in the
headquarters, but the quality ofthe animals um and and how
(21:18):
healthy they are.
Carollann Romo (21:20):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
And I I mean that's obviouslyjust great advice for for life.
You should always, you know,stop and talk to people and and
uh be respectful of where youare, but especially in nature,
just understand that there'smore going on and and most
ranchers or most ranches uh inNew Mexico specifically are some
land owned by the rancher, someland owned by pure Bureau of
(21:41):
Land Management, which is afederal, federally owned land
and leased to the rancher, andthen some even state leases,
right?
And that's you know acomplicated thing to understand
that that you know is definitelyover over my head in some ways,
but yeah, just be respectfulbecause there are cows there and
it's and and the cows are animportant part of the ecosystem
and and an important part of whythose lands stay public, right?
Ross Foster (22:02):
Yeah, and and I I've I've tried even this week
we're uh we're replacing wirefences that are uh frequented
with with steel gates.
Um, because not every bicyclistor razor driver, uh
side-by-side driver will close auh a wire gate.
Um so making it easier for themto to do what needs to be done,
which is come through a closedgate and shut it behind you, um
(22:24):
is is easier.
You know what I mean?
Uh trying to make it the easeof the use of public to benefit
me, which is if I make the gateeasier to close, there's a
better chance that they're gonnaclose it.
Carollann Romo (22:35):
Well, it's very kind of you and very uh you know
prudent in in a lot of ways.
And then I I just will say, youknow, reiterate that.
If you're on public land andthere's a gate that's open,
leave it open.
If there if you're on publicland and there's a gate that's
closed, close the gate behindyou.
If there's if you see water on,leave it on.
(22:55):
If you see water off, leave itoff.
If you have questions, find therancher, find the headquarters.
Uh there's, you know, plenty ofeasy ways to find a find a
ranch house, leave a note.
If you're worried there's awater on or something that looks
off, leave a note and and uhtell a rancher because I think
you know if we can all berespectful of of uh each other,
it's you know a great way tolive.
Ross Foster (23:16):
I agree with a hundred percent.
Carollann Romo (23:17):
Yeah.
Uh so what's your favorite partof your job?
Or of your lifestyle even?
Ross Foster (23:25):
I I I think that my favorite part is probably the
the animal husgy um and and thelove for these animals.
Um and and what uh watchingthem produce and be happy based
on the effort that I've put in.
Um it like I said, it isre-geeming.
Um being able to drive aroundthis ranch and see green grass
and see happy cows with theirheads down eating um at five
(23:50):
o'clock in the afternoon, thereisn't anything better.
Carollann Romo (23:53):
Absolutely.
Um and and uh I know we wetalked about this earlier, but
we um you've you've followed uhuh in footsteps of you know
generational being in the beefindustry.
Um and it's it's hard, but it'sa choice that's made every day
to keep doing it, to keep wakingup, to, you know, break break
ice if it if it freezes downhere, if it you know, all the
(24:16):
things that you have to do, youhave to wake up and keep doing
it.
What makes you keep going?
Ross Foster (24:20):
Um you know, it's uh it's a lot like I said, it's
a love for this lifetime andwanting to perpetuate it for
generations.
Um there is a popular TV showuh recently that said something
like, you know, in twogenerations your job isn't gonna
exist.
Um and my answer to that is notif I have anything to do about
it.
Carollann Romo (24:39):
Uh excellent, excellent rebuttal, and uh and I
did love that that particularshow made it cool to be a cowboy
again.
That is that is a neat thing,and to see horses and cattle on
on uh television, not always uhnot always the perfect uh
depiction of of the ranchingindustry, but to see cattle and
horses on on a major televisionshow I know was a special part
(25:01):
for for a lot of people.
Ross Foster (25:03):
Definitely.
I think in uh in my lifetimeI've watched the popularity of
the move to the city, of being acity guy, change.
Um and everybody in the citywants to move out and and be a
rancher um and and and go forit, but it's it's not easy.
Um it's it's a lot of work andit's uh it will it will run your
life, um, but it will be itwill be more enjoyable.
(25:24):
Um there's ups and there'sdowns, but um such is life.
Carollann Romo (25:28):
Absolutely.
There is sacrifice in lot ininvolved to uh to have have this
type of lifestyle.
A lot of sacrifice.
Ross Foster (25:35):
Absolutely.
Carollann Romo (25:36):
Even even I think we were talking to uh
Katie about about you know Wi-Fiand you know issues with that.
There there are so manysacrifices, and so we we
appreciate what you do becausethat means I can go to the
restaurant and I can go to thegrocery store and buy beef,
right?
Absolutely.
Um so uh the the final questionI have, unless you had anything
else you wanted to add as wewere kind of talking about it,
(25:58):
anything else you wanted toinclude?
Ross Foster (26:01):
Be kind to ranchers, treat them with
respect, and then you'll receiverespect back.
Carollann Romo (26:06):
Yep, absolutely.
Uh absolutely uh agree withthat and can vouch for that.
Um so what is your favorite wayto eat beef or even like a
favorite unique beef recipe?
Ross Foster (26:17):
So uh I'm sure a lot of guys will say ribeye is
their favorite cut.
Um I stopped buying ribeyeabout two years ago and started
buying a uh brevet, which is auh cut from the the back belly
side in front of the the backleg, and it is phenomenal.
It's it's marbled like uh likebrisket.
Okay, but um cooks like asteak.
Um and it's it's it isphenomenal.
(26:40):
Um and I I have a couple ofdifferent ways that I like to
cook the steak.
The brevet I like to cook hotand fast, um to medium rare.
Um I use a seasoning calledhardcore carnivore black.
And if you cook steaks, youneed to you need to get yourself
a uh a shaker of that.
Um it's phenomenal.
Um I also like to souvie uh asteak or New York.
Um it's an immersion cooker,and you can impart flavors with
(27:03):
uh uh lemon, rosemary thyme thatyou can't otherwise get into
the steak.
Um you you uh use the thecooker to do the submerge cooker
to do that, and then you pullall the salad off of it and then
cook it for a minute on eachside, sear it, and it's good to
go.
Carollann Romo (27:19):
Man, that is that is quite the culinary
expertise over here.
Uh sounds like a heart.
No, no, no.
I gosh, we love we love to eatin uh uh that I think that
that's that that seasoningyou're talking about is
literally black, right?
Ross Foster (27:33):
It is.
They use uh they use uhactivated charcoal in it.
Yeah.
And it's it's all the stuffyou're gonna put on your steak
anyway.
It's it's salt, pepper, uh,garlic, and onions.
Um, but if you want like a nicebark on a on a uh brisket or
even on a on the brevet cut,it's wonderful.
It will look burnt when itcomes out because the seasoning
is black, but it is it isphenomenal.
Carollann Romo (27:54):
I have one of those sitting in my cabinets
because I was in Clovis and wentto Foot Family Meets and they
sold me on it.
They said, You've got to havethis, and they sell out
constantly.
Ross Foster (28:02):
Oh yeah.
Carollann Romo (28:03):
Yeah.
Now I gotta go home and use it.
What the heck?
I've been it's been sittingthere.
Ross Foster (28:06):
It is phenomenal.
Um I I asked a Michelin starchef how he cooks his steaks,
um, and that that's what he toldme this evening that he uses
the immersion cooker, and thenum like the coal stacks that you
start a uh Weber with.
Get that started, burn it down,put a grid over it, and then
and then uh sear the the heckout of the the steak.
Carollann Romo (28:28):
Um well now I'm hungry.
Uh well well uh surely we needto get out of your hair.
Uh thank you so much for theimportant role you play in the
industry and and uh providingyou know safe, wholesome beef
for the world.
Uh thank you for the podcastand and thank you for hosting us
at your you know beautifulhome.
We're sitting at a historicbar.
Uh this is one of those thingswhere we'll talk about this for
(28:51):
a long time.
So thank you for for hostingus.
Ross Foster (28:53):
Thank you guys for coming out, give me the
opportunity to talk to you guys,and thank you for what you guys
do, promoting New Mexico beefthe New Mexico beef industry,
um, and highlighting the effortsthat ranchers put in um to
animal husbandy and and takingcare of the land um and and
providing great American beef.
Carollann Romo (29:09):
Absolutely.
It is an absolute honor to uhtell the story and thank you
again.
Ross Foster (29:13):
The honor is mine.
Thank you.
Carollann Romo (29:16):
Behind the burger is a podcast produced by
the New Mexico Beef Council withthe goal of telling the stories
of the cattlemen and cattlewomen of the New Mexico beef
industry.
Thank you for joining us fortoday's episode.
If you would like moreinformation, please visit
nmbeef.com.
Whether it be a burger, asteak, or another beef dish, we
hope you are enjoying beef atyour next meal.
Welcome back to another episode of Behind the
Burger, our podcast by the NewMexico Beef Council.
I'm Caroline Romo and I am herewith Ross Foster of Coralita
Litos, right?
Coralitos ranch here outside ofLas Cruces.
Ross Foster (00:24):
My name's Ross Foster.
I manage Coralitos Ranch.
I'm a fourth generationcattleman, third generation
cattle feeder.
And uh we're right here in theheart of southern southwestern
New Mexico, um, outside ofCruces, like you mentioned, um
doing our best to uh to raisebeef cattle.
Carollann Romo (00:43):
Yeah, well, and I I love the the story you've
told us now.
Now I've made you tell us acouple times.
Um, but the uh the story of howyou guys uh ended up with this
ranch here.
Ross Foster (00:53):
So uh my grandpa built a couple feed yards in
southern California in theImperial Valley, and um they
would buy their animals at thestockyards um in in Fort Worth,
and halfway between Fort Worthand Brawley, California is Las
Cruces, New Mexico.
And uh this ranch wasavailable, so they purchased it,
so purchased it so that wecould rest our cattle before we
took them the rest of the way toCalifornia to feed them.
Carollann Romo (01:14):
I think that's a great story and a really neat
thing that uh even uh when itwas purchased in the 70s, there
was a a thought it was purchasedfor the care of cattle.
It was so that the cattledidn't have to drive 16 hours.
Ross Foster (01:26):
That's correct.
Carollann Romo (01:27):
Yeah, that's a that's a I mean that goes to the
heart of probably your yourfamily and how they treat cattle
of you let's give them somerest.
Let's do this.
Ross Foster (01:34):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Happy happy cattle producebetter.
Um, you know, you don't want tostress them out.
It's uh and we're obligated todo the the most we can for them.
Carollann Romo (01:42):
Oh, absolutely.
Uh economically, uh ethically,all of the all the words.
Uh so you uh so tell me aboutkind of your background.
Were you always in the familybusiness and and uh kind of
what's what's the path that gotyou here?
Ross Foster (01:57):
Um I grew up on a feedlot, um, which which was we
raised cattle uh for for meatproduction.
Um and we we milled feed, wedoctored cattle, we castrated,
we did all the things.
Um moving out here seven yearsago to manage this ranch was a
big change.
Um I didn't know that I'dwaited my entire life to do
this.
Um and it it's really been aredeeming experience, um, and
(02:18):
it's not something that I'mwilling to give up.
As a matter of fact, I'mwilling to die on this hill.
Um, I will fight for thisbusiness and I will fight for
for uh the beef industry and theWestern lifestyle.
Um it's uh it's it's redeeming.
It brings me a lot of peace anda lot of happiness, despite the
issues that uh we come acrossday to day.
Um this is a a a good life.
A good life.
(02:38):
It's not an easy one, but it'sa good one.
Carollann Romo (02:40):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Uh I I believe it is, and thenit's it's uh romanticized in my
head for sure that that uh theranching lifestyle and this, you
know, the peaceful, and thenand then you keep using the word
redeeming, and I gosh, itsounds that sounds uh
aspirational, like uh a really,really neat thing.
So you kind of mentionedchallenges.
Tell me about some of thosechallenges.
Ross Foster (03:00):
Um weather is one, forage um goes with the weather.
Um the public is is anotherone.
We uh we have uh people thatcome out here and utilize public
land, which is just fine.
But sometimes they thinkthey're helping us by opening
gates um and letting animalsinto a pasture that they're
sitting in front of, or theyturn on or off valves that are
on or off for a very goodreason, um, thinking that
they're helping.
(03:20):
Again, it's just part of thedeal.
Um and and uh those are smallobstacles to overcome.
Um and and we're firefightersout here.
We we wake up and put outwhatever fires are lit that day.
Um and I'm not talking aboutliteral fires, I'm just talking
about whatever is going wrong.
Carollann Romo (03:36):
Absolutely, absolutely.
I it's my favorite thing to sayin probably every podcast is
the the diversity of anagriculturalist or a rancher,
you've gotta know meteorology,you gotta know soil, you've got
to be, you know, when you whenyou think about a rancher or you
think about a cowboy, you know,you see the cowboy hat and you
think, oh, he probably knowshorses, he probably knows
cattle, but you also know soilscience and you also know about
(03:58):
seeds and you also know about uhweather patterns and La Niña
and El Nino and all these thingsthat that it takes.
Ross Foster (04:05):
That's correct.
Uh I tell people we'reglorified plumbers uh because we
fix a lot of water lines, andthen every once in a while we
get to get get on a horse andactually be cowboys.
Um but plumbers and six fencersis is 90% of it uh people who
want to come out and work andthey think they're gonna be
riding a horse all day, andthat's just not the case.
Um it's uh it's taking care ofthe animals, taking care of the
(04:25):
ranch, conserving water, makingsure that our lines don't leak,
improving storage, um, and uhand our uh rebuilding our dirt
tanks so that we can utilize ourrainwater when it does rain.
It's been exceptionally dry forthe last couple of years.
Um it's lush now, which isbeautiful.
Um caring for our pastures inthe fashion to where it's it's
it's uh environmentally and uhand economically good for the
(04:47):
ground and good for the animalsso that we can we can continue
feeding um for generations.
Carollann Romo (04:52):
Oh yeah, and uh water is everything, right?
So we we uh will be able toshow pictures of of of how uh
beautiful the ranch was for theuh you know versions that are
video.
Of course, if you're you'rejust listening, you might head
over to uh YouTube or Instagramor something and and see,
because it is beautiful rightnow because you do have all that
rain, but then uh you have tobe thinking not about today with
(05:13):
all the rain, right?
You're thinking about thefuture.
Ross Foster (05:16):
That's correct.
Carollann Romo (05:16):
You have a lot of projects that are just in
case there's drought again orfor when there is more drought,
right?
Ross Foster (05:22):
Absolutely.
Um and and this is the time todo it, is when it when it rains
is when you when you put thework in so that when it doesn't
rain, that you have the theavailable feed to give the
cattle.
We're uh developing 640 acresof farm ground.
We put it in uh new wells andcenter pivot sprinklers, and
we'll be growing uh we'll begrowing seed in, we'll be
growing permanent pasture, um aseed balloon that fits with this
(05:43):
area of New Mexico, um, so thatwhen it doesn't rain, we can
graze our cattle on the um onthe grass that we grew
ourselves.
Um and that's part of thesustainability deal is is these
animals deserve every effortthat we can possibly put in.
Um and that's that's our goal.
Carollann Romo (06:00):
Oh yeah.
And and I I thought it wasinteresting too, as we were
driving by one of the pivots youtalked about, a seed blend, and
it was just a cheap seed blendor something, right?
Or a value seed blend, youcalled it, I think.
And it was to help the soil,right?
And like you said, you do thisnow so that when you need it to
be a really you know goodforage, it will be in the in the
soil will recover by having youknow different nutrients,
(06:21):
right?
Ross Foster (06:22):
That that is absolutely correct.
Um you deal with the presentbut plan for the future.
Carollann Romo (06:26):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Uh the the amount you have todeal with that is is uh
incredible.
Um so talk about New Mexico'slandscapes and and uh the
differences in uh or you knowwhat you deal with in as far as
the landscapes go with yourranching.
Ross Foster (06:41):
Yeah, the our our ranch is fairly vast, and so
there's a lot of differentlandscapes.
There are there are draws thatare full of grass, there are
fence lines that are that are uhdriven into rocks um on the top
of hills and top of mountains.
Um when they divided ranchesback in the day, they basically
said from the top of thatmountain, the top of that
mountain, um, and those are thefences that we have to fix.
(07:01):
Um and we're either hiking oron horseback pulling uh pulling
uh pony mules with with all thegear on the back so that we
could fix fence.
Um it's extensive.
It's ext it's an extensiveamount of work.
Um there's a lot of dry areas.
Um the last couple years thatthis ranch looked like the moon.
There wasn't a uh a liquidgrass on it, and we did a lot of
(07:23):
supplemental feeding, proteinum hay.
We trucked a lot of hay in fromuh from out of state um where
it was more affordable and moreavailable.
Um and and we fed three days aweek hauled hay around the ranch
because there was no forage.
Carollann Romo (07:38):
Oh yeah, because because uh, you know, there's
issues for everyone when itdoesn't rain, right?
Or or everyone could maybecomplain, or maybe anyone could,
right?
We can all complain aboutanything.
Um but uh for a rancher, Imean, those cows still have to
eat.
And if you're you're ranchingand you're expecting those
native grasses to come, they'renot coming without rain, right?
Ross Foster (07:58):
So that's correct.
Um and even worse than that,our last windy season was so bad
that um that a lot of the seedthat fell off of the grass that
is out here was buried under twofeet of blow sand.
Um and and it's it's hard forthe water to get down that deep,
and it's hard for the seeds tosprout through two feet of blow
sand.
Um we were fortunate this yearto get uh almost our annual
(08:19):
allotment of rain, but it's thefirst time in almost 15 years
that we've gotten that thatamount of rain.
Um and it it's a blessing.
Um, but we have to uh I intendto utilize that, let our grass
go to seed so that um so thatnew varieties could uh able to
grow um and diversify our uh ourforage.
Carollann Romo (08:38):
Yeah, and that's something maybe I hadn't heard
of, uh just you know,admittedly, that that that's the
whole purpose or or you know,your current purpose of resting
that pasture is so that it goesto seed.
That was the first time I hadever heard that that that and it
makes sense, and maybe I couldhave assumed that or could have,
but the way you explained itwas really neat to me that
you're resting that pasture soit goes to seed so that it will
(09:01):
grow more.
Ross Foster (09:02):
Our animals eat what's most palatable, um, and
they're gonna eat the new growthfirst um versus the the older
grass and and different seedstake different time to uh
different time amounts togerminate.
And if those seeds those thatgrass never goes to seed, it's
not gonna grow anymore.
Um and and being able to rotatepastures and manage the the
(09:22):
growth and uh consumption ofthat grass.
Um also by managing the size ofour herd.
Ranching is ranchingfundamentally is managing the
size of your herd based onavailable forage um or
supplementing.
You know, um it's the lastcouple years have been rough.
Uh we do get some help from thestate, um but a lot of our
(09:45):
neighbors have liquidated theirherds.
Um and you can't buy animals atauction and put them out on a
on a vast ranch and expect themto survive.
They won't um they don't knowwhere the water is, they don't
know the noxious weeds thatthey're not supposed to eat.
Um and same thing with penraised bulls.
Um they have to be taught.
Um they they need that maternaldirection that uh the braengist
(10:07):
animal gives them.
Um I I watch Brangis moms pushtheir calves off of off of a
broom snake or rattleweed.
Um, and that that is exactlywhat it takes.
Carollann Romo (10:18):
Um Yeah, well, and uh I was gonna say I I
thought of something too, justfor uh, you know, a
non-agriculture personlistening, because we we hope we
hope that you're listening,right?
Um and and uh we we talk aboutthe palatable grass, right?
Well, I learned from a spinachfarmer in the Salinas Valley a
(10:38):
long time ago is that babyspinach is just young spinach,
right?
And it's just harvested sooner.
And that baby spinach is the ismore palatable.
So that's why we eat babyspinach a lot.
You can also buy regularspinach, but that baby spinach
is more palatable.
So that's like that new growth,right?
If we can compare it tosomething that we see in the
grocery store, we understand.
(10:58):
How often are you makingdecisions on your herd size?
Ross Foster (11:01):
Um, so we we gather twice a year, um and and we
base herd size off of off ofavailable forage.
Um we having October it was dryand it been dry for years.
Um and and we held our cards umand we hauled a lot of feed and
hauled a lot of waterthroughout the summer um from
October until now.
Um and it paid off.
(11:23):
Um, like I said, a lot of ourneighbors have liquidated their
their herds purely because thethe grass to purchase isn't
available locally, which is whywe buy it out of state.
Um and and it's either it'seither you bite the bullet and
pay the bill for the feed, um,or you liquidate.
Um and especially now with thebeef market the way it is, um,
(11:44):
it's very difficult to restockyour ranch, and even more
difficult if half of those eatthe noxious weeds and don't
survive the year.
Carollann Romo (11:51):
Yeah, absolutely.
And you said you mentioned youknow each, you've got, you know,
600 head, I think you said,right?
If that's okay to say.
Ross Foster (11:57):
We we we we have 600 head now.
Carollann Romo (11:59):
Yeah, and so you said you know you know each of
those animals, right?
So it's not only, you know,hard to start over, but it's
also hard.
You've built this herd becauseof the genetics that you like.
And when you know, we talkabout genetics, sometimes that
sounds scary, but you've justbred these animals based on
their temperament, their theirability to survive in in the
desert and all of these things.
(12:19):
And so if you have toliquidate, that's a hard start.
That's a hard start over, andit's also heartbreaking, right?
A lot of ranchers talk aboutthat, right?
Ross Foster (12:27):
It's damn near impossible to uh to come back
from liquidating your entireherd herd.
It's not impossible, but it italmost is.
Um and uh making sure thatthese animals are healthy is is
a is a priority.
Um supplementing their feed.
And uh um it was a it wasprobably three years ago.
I thought I had another aneighbor's animals, and he
(12:48):
walked up the corrals and hesaid, That one's mine, that
one's not, that one's not.
And I said, How do you know?
And he said, Because I don'tknow those animals.
And I'm like, What do they meanyou don't know those animals?
And a year later, drivingthrough the ranks with my old
man, and he goes, Look at those,and I said, Those aren't ours.
And he goes, How do you know?
And I go, Let's go check.
Um, and they weren't ours,they're our neighbors.
(13:09):
Um and and it was kind of thenthat I realized exactly what he
meant.
Um without knowing it, I knowevery single one of these um
animals because we processedthem.
I remember them, um, and theyremember, they remember me, you
know, and and we've changed thedynamic of of our cattle here
where we're we're no longer theenemy.
Um when I got here, we'd pullup and they would just take off
(13:30):
running, just head high, tail inthe air, at a dead run.
Um and and now with a littlebit of cake and uh and
streamlighting, um, they theyare they're not cooperative, I
won't say that.
Um but uh if if uh if an animalruns when we're gathering um
and we have to rope them down,it seems irresponsible to make
my cowboys chase that cow everyyear.
(13:52):
Um that one cow will takethree, three will take ten, ten
will take the rest of the herd.
Um they have to rope one down,it goes to the sale barn.
If it hooks a horse a coupletimes, it goes the sail barn.
Um then we've still got sometrack stars out there that uh
that will just put their theiryou know, big alpha females that
will put their head in the air,their tail in the air, and just
take all of them with them.
(14:13):
Um but it's a process.
It's a process.
And and uh let's say two yearsago is when I kind of started to
see the animals going to wherethey needed to go and the
direction that they needed togo.
Um and we use some of the bestcowboys on the planet, they're
uh they're Charo Cowboys, and umand we use a helicopter pilot
who is in who is also a cowboyand a rancher, um, and he is
(14:34):
tenacious.
Um and without my team, Icouldn't I could not do this.
This isn't a one-man show.
Um, it is an absolute teameffort.
Um, and the credit goes to themas much as it does to me.
Carollann Romo (14:46):
I love that.
That's that's an important uhimportant quality.
And then and then uh, you know,they're still animals, right?
So that's all I kept thinkingis they're still animals.
And then uh you said cakebroke, and you know, sometimes I
think my job uh in this podcastis to try and help uh people
understand the the lingo when Iactually know, because that's
not all the time.
(15:06):
Uh, but the cake is a uh like asweet feed that cattle like,
right?
Ross Foster (15:10):
It's a cottonseed cake pellet, it's about the size
of a half a cigar.
Um and it and it's like a it'slike a cauchito.
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
It's a snack, it's uh it it'sit's sugar, and um and it makes
it easier so that uh for you tolook at your animals from a
pickup and they're allsurrounding you, you can tell
which ones are sick, you cantell which you can see the new
underbranded babies, um, whichgives you an idea of of the rest
(15:34):
of your next week.
Um if if you need to rope cowsdown and adopt them or if you
need to stop and brand a brand acalf, um, as opposed to looking
at them through binoculars fromuh eighth of a mile away.
Carollann Romo (15:45):
Yeah, yeah.
The and the cake trucks arepretty identifiable, um, you
know, like a pickup in thefront, and then in the back it's
got you know a big box full ofcake, full of cake pellets.
Ross Foster (15:54):
Absolutely.
And you turn a siren on or youor you you know you play the
song or or even just the theidol of a p my particular
pickup, um, and they will comeout of the tall grass getting
loose, um, you know, they'rerunning, making a dust cloud
towards this pickup.
Carollann Romo (16:07):
Yeah, yeah.
They and then they call it cakebroke, right?
Which which I think my husbandcan make some jokes about me
being cake broke too.
Like I can fires up a grill andI'm like, oh hey, I'm here.
Did you need help?
Yeah.
Ross Foster (16:17):
100%.
Carollann Romo (16:18):
Um so we've talked about the land and the
livestock.
Um uh what about the um UmWhat's maybe one thing most
people don't know about raisingbeef in New Mexico?
Ross Foster (17:04):
You know, um, if you've never worked on a ranch
before, there there isn't a lot,you know.
You know what I mean?
Um a lot of people think thattheir state comes from the
grocery store.
Um the reality is that it takesa lot of work, um, it takes a
lot of animal husbandry, ittakes love.
Um probably one of the hardestparts about my job is having to
euthanize an animal that youspent three weeks doctoring, um,
(17:27):
and and you threw all threedarts at the same time to get
this animal up um and it stillfails.
Um that being said, when you dothat and one gets up and and
recovers, there's there's someredeeming value in that too.
Carollann Romo (17:41):
Absolutely.
And and I think we should saytoo that that um I've found this
to be true with a lot ofpeople, but definitely with you.
You are an animal lover.
Ross Foster (17:51):
I I am an animal lover.
I living out here taught me Ilearned more compassion for
these animals.
They provide a decadentlifestyle and a good life, and
we owe it to them to do the verybest we can.
Um Healthy animals are breedinganimals, you know, um, and it's
not it's not a single faceteduh solution.
(18:14):
It ha it is alwaysmultifaceted.
There's there's a dozen thingsyou have to do, and you can't do
one, you can't do three, andexpect to to succeed.
Carollann Romo (18:21):
Absolutely.
And I yeah, I just think thatthat that's an important part is
is uh knowing that you're ananimal lover.
You've got you know, dogs,you've got donkeys, and I think
there was a goat or a sheep orsomething, maybe a doll sheep or
something out there.
And then you've got your youknow, pasture pets of of uh
mini, mini brahmas and uh andeven uh um what's it called, a
(18:43):
highlander.
Yep.
Uh I and I think that's areally anything people should
understand that you and that'swhat makes you care for animals
so much, right?
Ross Foster (18:50):
It it it it does.
And like like I said, I I knowthese animals.
I know these animals.
Um I've known them for years.
And um as far as the theminiatures go, uh that's it.
We have like a like a smallpetting to do basically, and and
uh there isn't a single childthat comes out here um that
doesn't remember their firsttime being on a farm and hand
feeding some some animals.
(19:10):
Um and the miniatures are uh uhmore approachable sometimes.
Um and they they remember that,and that's uh that's an
experience for them, and almostall of them want to come back
out here.
And and that's a good way toget kids introduced to this
life, you know, um for for thenext generation.
Um it is possible.
When I moved to New Mexico fromCalifornia, I I heard things
(19:32):
like that long hair ain't gonnamake it.
Um and and but my favoritething is to be underestimated.
That that that's perfect forme.
I like being the underdog umand and fighting up.
Carollann Romo (19:43):
Um yeah, absolutely.
I love I love that uhpersonality trait and I try to
resemble that too.
I I've said I've beenunderestimated before.
I'll be underestimated again,but we'll prove them wrong.
We'll figure it out, we'll finda way.
Ross Foster (19:56):
I was uh I I've hunted my entire life, and I
feel like any good hunter isalso a conservationalist.
Um and any good any decent meateater should also have uh a
level of animal husbandry, youknow, uh, because that's where
it comes from.
Carollann Romo (20:10):
Yep, absolutely.
That's an important thing.
Well, just since you brought uphunters and then we talked
about the public earlier, I knowI asked you this earlier, but
if a you know a public land useris is well, and maybe we
describe the so the ranch is,you know, some private and some
public, but then how do you hopethat someone treats your land
and and your operation whenthey're using the public land
(20:31):
that you know um that they do,right?
They have access to.
Ross Foster (20:34):
I I expect people to follow the rules that are
that are set forth by BLM andstate, um, which you know, no,
no doing donuts in the middle ofthe pasture, you know, follow
the two-track roads that areestablished, um, and and have
some reverence and and respectfor the land and the animals um
and the stewards of the land.
Um and I I feel like mostpeople do.
Most people do, and if theydon't, I could see them.
(20:56):
Um and then I I go out and talkto everybody.
Um if I see somebody parked orhunting, I pull up, make sure
everything's okay, um, and andlet them know who I am and what
we're doing out here.
And I think that the most ofthe people that I run into
appreciate the change that'shappened on this ranch in the
last seven years um and can seethe effort, um, not only in the
headquarters, but the quality ofthe animals um and and how
(21:18):
healthy they are.
Carollann Romo (21:20):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
And I I mean that's obviouslyjust great advice for for life.
You should always, you know,stop and talk to people and and
uh be respectful of where youare, but especially in nature,
just understand that there'smore going on and and most
ranchers or most ranches uh inNew Mexico specifically are some
land owned by the rancher, someland owned by pure Bureau of
(21:41):
Land Management, which is afederal, federally owned land
and leased to the rancher, andthen some even state leases,
right?
And that's you know acomplicated thing to understand
that that you know is definitelyover over my head in some ways,
but yeah, just be respectfulbecause there are cows there and
it's and and the cows are animportant part of the ecosystem
and and an important part of whythose lands stay public, right?
Ross Foster (22:02):
Yeah, and and I I've I've tried even this week
we're uh we're replacing wirefences that are uh frequented
with with steel gates.
Um, because not every bicyclistor razor driver, uh
side-by-side driver will close auh a wire gate.
Um so making it easier for themto to do what needs to be done,
which is come through a closedgate and shut it behind you, um
(22:24):
is is easier.
You know what I mean?
Uh trying to make it the easeof the use of public to benefit
me, which is if I make the gateeasier to close, there's a
better chance that they're gonnaclose it.
Carollann Romo (22:35):
Well, it's very kind of you and very uh you know
prudent in in a lot of ways.
And then I I just will say, youknow, reiterate that.
If you're on public land andthere's a gate that's open,
leave it open.
If there if you're on publicland and there's a gate that's
closed, close the gate behindyou.
If there's if you see water on,leave it on.
(22:55):
If you see water off, leave itoff.
If you have questions, find therancher, find the headquarters.
Uh there's, you know, plenty ofeasy ways to find a find a
ranch house, leave a note.
If you're worried there's awater on or something that looks
off, leave a note and and uhtell a rancher because I think
you know if we can all berespectful of of uh each other,
it's you know a great way tolive.
Ross Foster (23:16):
I agree with a hundred percent.
Carollann Romo (23:17):
Yeah.
Uh so what's your favorite partof your job?
Or of your lifestyle even?
Ross Foster (23:25):
I I I think that my favorite part is probably the
the animal husgy um and and thelove for these animals.
Um and and what uh watchingthem produce and be happy based
on the effort that I've put in.
Um it like I said, it isre-geeming.
Um being able to drive aroundthis ranch and see green grass
and see happy cows with theirheads down eating um at five
(23:50):
o'clock in the afternoon, thereisn't anything better.
Carollann Romo (23:53):
Absolutely.
Um and and uh I know we wetalked about this earlier, but
we um you've you've followed uhuh in footsteps of you know
generational being in the beefindustry.
Um and it's it's hard, but it'sa choice that's made every day
to keep doing it, to keep wakingup, to, you know, break break
ice if it if it freezes downhere, if it you know, all the
(24:16):
things that you have to do, youhave to wake up and keep doing
it.
What makes you keep going?
Ross Foster (24:20):
Um you know, it's uh it's a lot like I said, it's
a love for this lifetime andwanting to perpetuate it for
generations.
Um there is a popular TV showuh recently that said something
like, you know, in twogenerations your job isn't gonna
exist.
Um and my answer to that is notif I have anything to do about
it.
Carollann Romo (24:39):
Uh excellent, excellent rebuttal, and uh and I
did love that that particularshow made it cool to be a cowboy
again.
That is that is a neat thing,and to see horses and cattle on
on uh television, not always uhnot always the perfect uh
depiction of of the ranchingindustry, but to see cattle and
horses on on a major televisionshow I know was a special part
(25:01):
for for a lot of people.
Ross Foster (25:03):
Definitely.
I think in uh in my lifetimeI've watched the popularity of
the move to the city, of being acity guy, change.
Um and everybody in the citywants to move out and and be a
rancher um and and and go forit, but it's it's not easy.
Um it's it's a lot of work andit's uh it will it will run your
life, um, but it will be itwill be more enjoyable.
(25:24):
Um there's ups and there'sdowns, but um such is life.
Carollann Romo (25:28):
Absolutely.
There is sacrifice in lot ininvolved to uh to have have this
type of lifestyle.
A lot of sacrifice.
Ross Foster (25:35):
Absolutely.
Carollann Romo (25:36):
Even even I think we were talking to uh
Katie about about you know Wi-Fiand you know issues with that.
There there are so manysacrifices, and so we we
appreciate what you do becausethat means I can go to the
restaurant and I can go to thegrocery store and buy beef,
right?
Absolutely.
Um so uh the the final questionI have, unless you had anything
else you wanted to add as wewere kind of talking about it,
(25:58):
anything else you wanted toinclude?
Ross Foster (26:01):
Be kind to ranchers, treat them with
respect, and then you'll receiverespect back.
Carollann Romo (26:06):
Yep, absolutely.
Uh absolutely uh agree withthat and can vouch for that.
Um so what is your favorite wayto eat beef or even like a
favorite unique beef recipe?
Ross Foster (26:17):
So uh I'm sure a lot of guys will say ribeye is
their favorite cut.
Um I stopped buying ribeyeabout two years ago and started
buying a uh brevet, which is auh cut from the the back belly
side in front of the the backleg, and it is phenomenal.
It's it's marbled like uh likebrisket.
Okay, but um cooks like asteak.
Um and it's it's it isphenomenal.
(26:40):
Um and I I have a couple ofdifferent ways that I like to
cook the steak.
The brevet I like to cook hotand fast, um to medium rare.
Um I use a seasoning calledhardcore carnivore black.
And if you cook steaks, youneed to you need to get yourself
a uh a shaker of that.
Um it's phenomenal.
Um I also like to souvie uh asteak or New York.
Um it's an immersion cooker,and you can impart flavors with
(27:03):
uh uh lemon, rosemary thyme thatyou can't otherwise get into
the steak.
Um you you uh use the thecooker to do the submerge cooker
to do that, and then you pullall the salad off of it and then
cook it for a minute on eachside, sear it, and it's good to
go.
Carollann Romo (27:19):
Man, that is that is quite the culinary
expertise over here.
Uh sounds like a heart.
No, no, no.
I gosh, we love we love to eatin uh uh that I think that
that's that that seasoningyou're talking about is
literally black, right?
Ross Foster (27:33):
It is.
They use uh they use uhactivated charcoal in it.
Yeah.
And it's it's all the stuffyou're gonna put on your steak
anyway.
It's it's salt, pepper, uh,garlic, and onions.
Um, but if you want like a nicebark on a on a uh brisket or
even on a on the brevet cut,it's wonderful.
It will look burnt when itcomes out because the seasoning
is black, but it is it isphenomenal.
Carollann Romo (27:54):
I have one of those sitting in my cabinets
because I was in Clovis and wentto Foot Family Meets and they
sold me on it.
They said, You've got to havethis, and they sell out
constantly.
Ross Foster (28:02):
Oh yeah.
Carollann Romo (28:03):
Yeah.
Now I gotta go home and use it.
What the heck?
I've been it's been sittingthere.
Ross Foster (28:06):
It is phenomenal.
Um I I asked a Michelin starchef how he cooks his steaks,
um, and that that's what he toldme this evening that he uses
the immersion cooker, and thenum like the coal stacks that you
start a uh Weber with.
Get that started, burn it down,put a grid over it, and then
and then uh sear the the heckout of the the steak.
Carollann Romo (28:28):
Um well now I'm hungry.
Uh well well uh surely we needto get out of your hair.
Uh thank you so much for theimportant role you play in the
industry and and uh providingyou know safe, wholesome beef
for the world.
Uh thank you for the podcastand and thank you for hosting us
at your you know beautifulhome.
We're sitting at a historicbar.
Uh this is one of those thingswhere we'll talk about this for
(28:51):
a long time.
So thank you for for hostingus.
Ross Foster (28:53):
Thank you guys for coming out, give me the
opportunity to talk to you guys,and thank you for what you guys
do, promoting New Mexico beefthe New Mexico beef industry,
um, and highlighting the effortsthat ranchers put in um to
animal husbandy and and takingcare of the land um and and
providing great American beef.
Carollann Romo (29:09):
Absolutely.
It is an absolute honor to uhtell the story and thank you
again.
Ross Foster (29:13):
The honor is mine.
Thank you.
Carollann Romo (29:16):
Behind the burger is a podcast produced by
the New Mexico Beef Council withthe goal of telling the stories
of the cattlemen and cattlewomen of the New Mexico beef
industry.
Thank you for joining us fortoday's episode.
If you would like moreinformation, please visit
nmbeef.com.
Whether it be a burger, asteak, or another beef dish, we
hope you are enjoying beef atyour next meal.
Host
Carollann Romo
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