April 29, 2025 • 23 mins
Abby O'Connor, fifth-generation rancher from Stanley, New Mexico, shares her family's century-old ranching legacy and their operation raising Hereford, Angus, and Charlay cattle for seed stock while managing the challenges of New Mexico's unique landscape.
• Bill King Ranch has been operating for over 100 years with Abby's two-year-old daughter representing the sixth generation
• Managing cattle in New Mexico's arid climate requires constant adaptation to rainfall patterns that can vary from 2 to 15 inches annually
• The science of cattle breeding involves careful genetic selection to produce animals adapted to specific environments and market demands
• Connection with fellow ranchers across the country provides a supportive network that helps sustain operations through challenges
• Growing disconnect between urban consumers and agriculture creates challenges in helping people understand where their food comes from
• Working with the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association to advocate for ranchers and develop the next generation of agricultural leaders
• Preservation of land and ranching traditions ensures future generations have the option to continue the family legacy
• Cattle grazing represents the highest and best use for much of New Mexico's arid land that cannot support crop agriculture
To learn more about the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, visit nmagriculture.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carollann Romo (00:04):
Welcome back to another episode of Behind the
Burger, our podcast produced bythe New Mexico Beef Council.
I'm Carolyn Romo and I'm herewith Abby O'Connor.
Abby, will you introduceyourself and tell us a little
bit about your family and whatyou guys do?
Abby O'Connor (00:19):
Absolutely.
My name is Abby O'Connor.
I am a fifth generation rancherfrom here in Stanley, new
Mexico.
I've got with me mytwo-year-old daughter, blair,
and she wanted to check out whatwe're doing today.
So she's our tag along.
But my family, we operate BillKing Ranch here in Stanley and
we have been here over a hundredyears.
(00:41):
Blair is the sixth generationto live on the ranch and we
raise Hereford Angus and Charlaycattle, mostly for seed stock.
We sell a lot of bulls acrossthe country, but we also sell
beef into our local community.
My husband and I also raise andsell show pigs for 4-H'ers and
(01:01):
FFA kids across the state.
So we do a lot of differentthings but we enjoy all of it.
Carollann Romo (01:08):
Thank you, yeah, thanks for having us.
So you've kind of told us aboutyour family operation, but
maybe a little bit more aboutthe history.
I think that 100 years is areally important thing, a really
special thing when an operationhits that many right in that
many generations.
Can you kind of go into more ofthat?
The history, yeah, Can you kind?
Abby O'Connor (01:23):
of go into more of that.
The history yeah, actually,where we're sitting is part of
the old homestead mygreat-great-granddad came here
in the early 1900s, traded hisModel T for a homestead here in
Stanley and then over thegenerations we have built it up
and raised cattle and bought andsold different ranches across
(01:44):
the state.
So we've been in agriculture avery long time and we do a lot
of different things and at onepoint all of the family was
involved and it's really cool tohave been on this same piece of
land for so long and just knowthat we've been able to be
stewards of the land andmaintain it for generations.
(02:05):
So that you know, blair has theoption to be a rancher if she
wants to.
Carollann Romo (02:11):
That's so interesting and so cool and such
an important part, I think, ofthe beef industry in New Mexico
and everywhere, that it'sgenerational and you know you're
taking care of the land and thelivestock for that generational
aspect.
So I guess kind of more kind ofskipping around on my questions
but how does New Mexico'slandscapes and climate shape
(02:34):
your ranching methods?
Abby O'Connor (02:34):
So, speaking of the land, yeah, new Mexico is
kind of very different in termsof ranching versus some other
states.
You know, we don't get a wholelot of rain, like you know parts
of Texas or the Midwest does,so we really have to adapt.
I think our annual rainfallhere is about 10 inches, but you
(02:56):
know, some years we get twoinches, some years we get 15.
So it varies from year to yearon how we have to maintain our
livestock and maintain ourpastures so that we can continue
to ranch year after year.
I remember I was probably inmiddle school and we had a bad
drought.
We had to get cattle in andfeed them for almost the whole
(03:17):
summer.
Last summer was wonderful, wedidn't feed any hay, it was
beautiful.
So each year is different forus and depending on how much
moisture we get, what the snowpack is, we adapt.
So New Mexico's it keeps us onour toes.
Carollann Romo (03:34):
No doubt, no doubt.
I don't think I've ever talkedto a rancher without hearing
about the drought or thestruggle with water and gush,
and it's a common, commonproblem throughout, throughout
the states.
What's the most rewarding partof being in the beef industry
for you?
Abby O'Connor (03:49):
for me it's the connections that you make with
you know all the others that areinvolved in the industry.
We are involved with theHereford Association at a
national level so we go to a lotof different shows across the
country and participate inleadership events and things of
that nature.
So you know we've got friendsacross the whole country that we
(04:11):
can.
You know, if we break down inIowa I could find somebody to
help me out.
So it's the people.
Everybody is just, you know,good old country people that are
just wonderful to work with.
And you, you, nine times out of10 won't find a bad rancher
that is unkind or just thepeople are are wonderful to work
(04:34):
with.
Carollann Romo (04:35):
I think that's an excellent example that, no
matter, no matter where you arein the country, there's somebody
, somebody there to lend a handand you've got the commonality
of of that.
You know, salt of the earthkind of people and the kindness
and generosity of our industry.
I think is really, reallyspecial.
Yeah, we talked about the landmanagement and New Mexico's
(04:55):
landscapes, but what issomething else that's a
challenge on your operation?
Abby O'Connor (05:10):
um, agriculture, whether it's beef or whatever
you're in, comes with, you know,more challenges and there are,
you know, positive aspects of it.
Each year is different.
You know we battle turbulentcattle markets and regulations
and so many different thingsthat it's hard to not focus on
the challenges.
We try to stay positive and dowhat we can and just enjoy the
ranching life and raising kidson the ranch and hope for rain,
(05:35):
and you know.
But yeah, there's a lot ofchallenges.
When it comes to the beefindustry, I think right now
we're at a really good time asfar as cattle prices.
We're historic highs, so rightnow there's not a lot to
complain about.
And we've gotten rain.
We had snow last week, so we'rehappy, so there's not a whole
(05:57):
lot that comes to mind this week.
But yeah, there's a millionthings thrown at us that we have
to battle each and every yearand it's hard for ranchers to
stay positive, but it'sdefinitely something that needs
to be at the forefront of yourmind.
Carollann Romo (06:16):
Absolutely so.
Can you give me an example ofhow you care for your cattle to
ensure their health andwell-being?
Abby O'Connor (06:24):
Yeah.
So cattle health and well-beingis probably the most, one of
the most important aspects ofraising cattle.
If you don't take care of them,they're not going to take care
of you.
So you've got to make sure thatthey are healthy and you have
the best genetics and the bestnutrition.
People don't realize that thereare nutritionists for cattle.
(06:48):
You know they have their ownspecial vets and doctors and
medicines and nutritionists andthere is so much science behind
what we do.
You know we're not just makingdecisions based off random.
You know we research and wefigure out the best genetics to
make what we're after, whetherit be, you know, the best beef
(07:12):
or the best breeding bull.
So what we do is not justrandom.
Um, so what we do is not justrandom.
What we do, since we've raisedseed stock cattle.
You know there's so muchresearch behind genetic markers
and EPDs and we can almost tellyou how much your calves are
(07:32):
going to weigh based on whatbull you buy from us.
So there's so much that goesinto these cattle before you
even have beef on your plate.
So the cattle industry is notby accident and we're not at
historic highs by accidenteither.
Carollann Romo (07:48):
Absolutely.
I think a lot of the or atleast a couple of the other
podcasts we've done we've talkedabout genetics and, to be
honest, we get a lot ofquestions and even kind of
concerns when we start talkingabout that.
So I did want to mention thatwhen we talk about the science
and the genetics of cattle, it'sabout breeding animals based on
whether they're you know, um,whether their temperament is
(08:11):
good, right, and so we want acalmer animal, because we want
to, you know, save our fencesand save our cowboys.
Or we want to, you know, abigger, better ribeye or a more
marbled ribeye, right, so thatwhen you're seeing that meat on
the shelf, it's things.
So I know genetics sounds scarysometimes, but for a customer,
for someone who's just buyingbeef at the grocery store, I
(08:32):
want to try and encourage that.
It's like when we bred dogs andwe started doing the doodle,
the poodle dogs, right, so thatpeople who were allergic to dogs
could now have dogs in theirhome, right?
What an excellent thing thatthey did through breeding.
And so when we're talkinggenetics and cattle, I just
wanted to kind of reiterate thatthat it's about breeding
animals to make a better animaland it's not some scary science
(08:56):
thing happening in a petri dishor something like that.
This is animals, this is justgood husbandry, and yeah.
Abby O'Connor (09:03):
So I just wanted to kind of yeah, it's not a
scary GMO type thing.
It's picking out a bull thatwill work correctly with your
cows and making sure that youknow that bull will, you know,
have calves that are smallenough for your heifers so that
there's no issues with labor, oryou know that bull will provide
(09:26):
your cows calves that can milkgood and have a big enough
ribeye to make enough money forus to keep doing what we're
doing and have a good endproduct.
So, yeah, it's not about scaryGMO research in the laboratory.
It's about picking cattle foryour ranch that work for you and
(09:46):
, you know, get to the end pointthat you're after.
Carollann Romo (09:50):
Absolutely.
And even that kind of ties intothe climate question, right.
A lot of times we're usingcertain breeds of cattle because
we're in New Mexico, so we needa cattle that can handle if it
gets a little hot out or or itgets a little cold, right.
That's the.
You know the high desert.
You have to take that intoconsideration when you're when
you're breeding cattle.
So, yeah, thank you for forclarifying that.
(10:10):
I think it's just an importantthing, and the goal of the
podcast too is that we hopesomeone's listening who doesn't
know that much about cattle inthe industry and we can help
them and show them where theirbeef is coming from and the
good-hearted and the good, justhonest people trying to create a
better product for customers.
Abby O'Connor (10:32):
Yeah.
Carollann Romo (10:32):
Yeah, what's one thing people don't know about
raising beef in New Mexico.
What's maybe something orsomething interesting?
We've already talked about alot of things already.
Abby O'Connor (10:45):
I think there's a lot of disconnect between
ranchers and maybe people thathave lived in a city their whole
life.
New Mexico is pretty rural asfar as people you know.
We don't have a whole lot ofbig cities.
Pretty rural as far as peopleyou know, we don't have a whole
lot of big cities.
So there's still a lot ofpeople that are connected to the
land through.
You know their grandpa was arancher or you know someone in
(11:07):
their family grows chili orsomething like that.
So New Mexico is good in thataspect.
But there are a lot of people inthe cities that have never seen
a cow or they don't know.
You know why?
Why do we raise cattle like Ican get beef at the grocery
store?
So there is a lot of disconnectand I think it's like the
(11:29):
national average is threegenerations back is the distance
between a person and the lastfarmer in their family, which is
kind of scary to think about.
That these people don't knowwhere their food comes from a
lot of times or they just haveno experience with it.
So our family really tries to begood stewards of what we do and
(11:52):
how we do it and tell our story.
You know we go to the statefair every year and everybody
wants to pet our cows and wealways say, yeah, you can pet
them.
They're friendly, they're showcows, so of course they can pet
them, because we pet them allthe time.
But just having that connectionlike oh, these people were nice
and let us pet their cows atthe state fair, that's one like
(12:14):
positive touch point.
But as far as a disconnect ofthem not knowing something about
the industry, probably a lot ofwhat we talked about as far as
this is like a business and it'snot by accident.
We don't just they're not ourpets we were very strategic
about the cattle we raise andwhy we raise them.
(12:35):
And you know we make sure we doit humanely.
We make sure that our pasturescan continue to support the
cattle.
Year after year we sit down andwe make plans for the year to
make sure everything will workout.
You know it's not just a throwcows out on the grass and hope
they survive.
So there's a lot that goes intoraising cattle.
Carollann Romo (12:59):
Absolutely, and even one thing I was talking to
someone else about is the factthat a lot of the land that
cattle live on isn't land thatcould be farmed.
You couldn't grow vegetables onit.
You might be able to grow somewheat or some grass, but it's
not arid land, and especially inNew Mexico, some of it gets a
(13:21):
little rough right, and so it'sland that we're the best, or the
maybe only use for it,agricultural wise, would be
cattle, yep.
Abby O'Connor (13:32):
Cattle are sheep, and that's most of the western
US.
I mean we can't build homes outhere, there's not enough water.
So putting cattle on the landis the highest and best use of
this property.
I mean we can't farm everything.
We can't produce enoughvegetables for us to survive off
of, you know, and beef is sonutritious and so dense in terms
(13:57):
of the nutrients we get, thatreally cattle on the land is the
best use, Whether and it's mostof the West Coast, but
especially in rocky regions orareas where it's especially dry,
like Southern New Mexico.
So yeah, absolutely Cattle.
People don't realize highestand best use is grazing the land
(14:18):
.
Carollann Romo (14:19):
Yeah, well, we're glad that you guys are
doing that and that the land isbeing used in such a way, so
kind of stepping, I guess,stepping out off the ranch and
into the office.
Tell me about your role withthe New Mexico Cattle Growers
Association.
Abby O'Connor (14:34):
Yeah, so switch hats.
I recently was hired with theNew Mexico Cattle Growers
Association.
I've been there almost twoyears now, but my family's been
involved with cattle growers fora very long time.
My granddad was the presidentback in the 90s, I think, so we
have a long history with cattlegrowers and it's a tremendous
(14:56):
association that represents, youknow, ranchers across the state
, private property owners, andyou know we stand up for our
rights as private propertyowners and make sure that we
have promotion out there sopeople know what we do as
ranchers and we also help try topick up our youth.
(15:17):
We offer scholarships, we offerinternships, Make sure that we
raise kids you know, start atthe bottom.
We gotta we gotta raise kidsthat are willing to work hard
and and do good from thebeginning.
But I'm the marketing directorat Cattle Growers so I get to do
a lot of the fun stuff.
I spend a lot of time in SantaFe during the legislative
(15:39):
session as well, so I get to beone of the faces of Cattle
Growers.
But it's it's a fun job.
It's a lot of fun.
Carollann Romo (15:46):
Yeah and thank you.
Thank you for what you do forthe industry, as as a member of
cattle or as an employee ofcattle growers.
Abby O'Connor (15:56):
Yeah, we appreciate that it's important.
Yeah, it's important work thatyou guys are doing.
We do a lot of different things, but it's a lot of fun.
Carollann Romo (16:00):
Yeah, is there?
Is there one thing, or maybeone or two things that you're
most excited about in your jobright now, that you're working
on or you've worked on recently?
Abby O'Connor (16:08):
Yeah, cattle growers in New Mexico has a lot
of momentum right now.
We've had very strong leadersover however many years that
have really pushed us into wherewe're at right now.
So we're seeing a growth inmembership now.
So we're seeing a growth inmembership.
(16:29):
We're seeing a growth in, youknow, donations to the
association so that we canimplement new programs.
This past year we implementedthe Linda Davis Young
Cattlemen's Leadership Academyand this is the first class, so
there's six participants.
A young cattleman is age 25 to35 is what we kind of figured in
our industry.
So we get to help these youngpeople learn how to be a good
(16:53):
rancher and how to representthemselves.
They spent three days in SantaFe this year meeting legislators
and learning the legislativeprocess and how that affects us
on our ranches back homelearning the legislative process
and how that affects us on ourranches back home.
But they'll also get to doranch tours and go to all of our
(17:14):
conferences and that's one ofthe most exciting things that
we've kicked off since I've beenthere.
We also have a lot of differentbattles we're fighting too.
Mexican wolves is somethingthat we've been struggling with
for years now.
Of course, they're not in ourbackyard, but in the southern
part of the state it can be aproblem for ranchers.
(17:47):
But there's also differentthings, like corridors from the
federal government that are atrisk of eminent domain and you
know there's always somethingcoming up the pipeline for
cattle growers.
But a lot of the more fun stuffis getting to work with the
kids and the youth and havethose programs that we can
educate people.
Carollann Romo (18:07):
Absolutely, and I was going to let you give a
plug too.
If you want more information onthe scholarships or what you
guys are working on, you guyshave a great website.
Abby O'Connor (18:16):
Yep, our website is nmagricultureorg.
Carollann Romo (18:19):
Perfect.
So if you want more informationon what Cattle Growers is doing
, please visit that, and they'vegot a great email newsletter
too.
Abby O'Connor (18:27):
Yes.
Carollann Romo (18:28):
If you're a you know rancher, cattleman,
cattlewoman on listening andyou're not a member, you can
look at how to how to become amember, get those emails, that
kind of stuff.
Abby O'Connor (18:37):
And and our Facebook is probably the most up
to date as far as stuff comingdown the pipeline all the time
so, and we host meetings all thetime across the whole state and
have two statewide conferencesand anybody's welcome to come to
those and visit with us andbecome members or learn what
we're doing.
Carollann Romo (18:56):
Yeah, yeah, we'll see a couple of those this
summer.
What about so?
Why do you do what you do?
So you have, you know, like yousaid, you've got a lot of hats
in your hands and a lot ofbaskets, but what makes you keep
doing it?
Abby O'Connor (19:13):
I think a lot of it is just, it's what we've
always done, it's what I grew updoing.
But you want to make sure thatthe land is taken care of and
there's a legacy behind it.
I want my two-year-old to havethe option is what we always say
.
She may not want to be arancher, but if she wants to, we
better make sure that she hasthat opportunity.
(19:34):
And that stems from not onlytaking care of your property and
maintaining the land and thecattle, but also standing up
from the legislative perspectiveor, you know, making sure that
you are doing the right thingsin terms of estate planning,
because that's a huge issue inour industry as well.
(19:55):
So a lot of it is just.
You know the legacy.
That's what ranchers pridethemselves on.
So, but you know, I'm I'm youngmyself, so I've still got,
however, many years to learn howto do this myself.
So maybe an older person wouldbe better to ask on that one.
But yeah, just making sure thatyour kids have the option to do
(20:17):
it if they, if they want to.
Carollann Romo (20:19):
I think that's a great way to put it and I think
that family legacy is sospecial and so neat to see,
especially, like you said, withthe sixth generation sitting on
your lap a few minutes ago.
Abby O'Connor (20:28):
Yeah.
Carollann Romo (20:29):
That's very, very special and something you
should be proud of.
So kind of getting to the end.
Is there anything else you'dlike to add about the beef
industry, about your ranch, yourfamily cattle growers, anything
else?
Abby O'Connor (20:42):
I mean, you know the industry is changing and it
always is changing whatdifferent types of cattle we
raise or the trends, and youknow what people want to eat.
Back in the 50s they wantedfatter cattle so they could have
lard to cook.
You know it's always changing,but I think cattle have their
(21:10):
place and they will remain thatway.
When we go feed a group ofpeople from the from town that
aren't ranchers, you know we eatbeef every day but they'll
always opt for the beef option,unless you know a few don't.
But it's hopeful and bright forour future as ranchers.
But we have to continue toadapt and change our practices
based off of you know theclimate and how much rain we get
every year.
You know we've got a plan forthe future, with maybe less
(21:34):
water is what they tell us.
So you know continuing tomaintain what we've got and
adapt to.
You know what's coming down thepipeline and stay abreast of
the challenges ahead of us.
And that's what we will do andthat's what we've always done.
So as ranchers, we don't havean option.
Carollann Romo (21:55):
Yeah, I couldn't have said it better.
We hope beef stays the king ofprotein and I know, always
growing up and still now.
If you want to celebratesomething, always growing up and
still now.
If you want to celebratesomething, it's yeah.
We always joke.
We say winner, winner, steakfor dinner as a play on that
other saying but we, okay, andthen one last thing, one last
question would be what is yourfavorite way to eat steak, or
(22:17):
maybe a favorite recipe that youcould tease and we could get it
on our website?
Abby O'Connor (22:21):
Yeah, I was thinking about that this morning
.
One thing we cook a lot, whichis mostly during the wintertime
when it's colder out, is greenchili stew, and I know everybody
has.
Every New Mexican has theirtake on a green chili stew, but
my mom makes a fabulous one withground beef in it, so we eat
that a lot.
We eat beef almost every meal,but that's one of my favorites
(22:43):
is a green chili stew almostevery meal, but that's one of my
favorites is a green chili stew.
Carollann Romo (22:49):
Yep, I think we definitely have a green chili
stew recipe on the website, butwe'll have to see if it's Abby
O'Connor approved.
Abby O'Connor (22:52):
Everybody has their own.
Yeah, absolutely.
Carollann Romo (22:55):
Absolutely Well.
Thank you so much for joiningthe podcast.
We really appreciate hearingabout your role with cattle
growers, about your familyThanks for letting us get a peek
at your sweet, sweet daughter.
And yeah, thank you again.
Yeah, family Thanks for lettingus get a peek at your sweet,
sweet daughter.
Abby O'Connor (23:07):
And yeah, thank you again.
Carollann Romo (23:08):
Yeah, absolutely Thanks for having me Behind the
Burger is a podcast produced bythe New Mexico Beef Council
with the goal of telling thestories of the cattlemen and
cattlewomen of the New Mexicobeef industry.
Thank you for joining us fortoday's episode.
If you'd like more information,please visit nmbeefcom.
Whether it be a burger, a steakor another beef dish, we hope
(23:29):
you're enjoying beef at yournext meal.
Welcome back to another episode of Behind the
Burger, our podcast produced bythe New Mexico Beef Council.
I'm Carolyn Romo and I'm herewith Abby O'Connor.
Abby, will you introduceyourself and tell us a little
bit about your family and whatyou guys do?
Abby O'Connor (00:19):
Absolutely.
My name is Abby O'Connor.
I am a fifth generation rancherfrom here in Stanley, new
Mexico.
I've got with me mytwo-year-old daughter, blair,
and she wanted to check out whatwe're doing today.
So she's our tag along.
But my family, we operate BillKing Ranch here in Stanley and
we have been here over a hundredyears.
(00:41):
Blair is the sixth generationto live on the ranch and we
raise Hereford Angus and Charlaycattle, mostly for seed stock.
We sell a lot of bulls acrossthe country, but we also sell
beef into our local community.
My husband and I also raise andsell show pigs for 4-H'ers and
(01:01):
FFA kids across the state.
So we do a lot of differentthings but we enjoy all of it.
Carollann Romo (01:08):
Thank you, yeah, thanks for having us.
So you've kind of told us aboutyour family operation, but
maybe a little bit more aboutthe history.
I think that 100 years is areally important thing, a really
special thing when an operationhits that many right in that
many generations.
Can you kind of go into more ofthat?
The history, yeah, Can you kind?
Abby O'Connor (01:23):
of go into more of that.
The history yeah, actually,where we're sitting is part of
the old homestead mygreat-great-granddad came here
in the early 1900s, traded hisModel T for a homestead here in
Stanley and then over thegenerations we have built it up
and raised cattle and bought andsold different ranches across
(01:44):
the state.
So we've been in agriculture avery long time and we do a lot
of different things and at onepoint all of the family was
involved and it's really cool tohave been on this same piece of
land for so long and just knowthat we've been able to be
stewards of the land andmaintain it for generations.
(02:05):
So that you know, blair has theoption to be a rancher if she
wants to.
Carollann Romo (02:11):
That's so interesting and so cool and such
an important part, I think, ofthe beef industry in New Mexico
and everywhere, that it'sgenerational and you know you're
taking care of the land and thelivestock for that generational
aspect.
So I guess kind of more kind ofskipping around on my questions
but how does New Mexico'slandscapes and climate shape
(02:34):
your ranching methods?
Abby O'Connor (02:34):
So, speaking of the land, yeah, new Mexico is
kind of very different in termsof ranching versus some other
states.
You know, we don't get a wholelot of rain, like you know parts
of Texas or the Midwest does,so we really have to adapt.
I think our annual rainfallhere is about 10 inches, but you
(02:56):
know, some years we get twoinches, some years we get 15.
So it varies from year to yearon how we have to maintain our
livestock and maintain ourpastures so that we can continue
to ranch year after year.
I remember I was probably inmiddle school and we had a bad
drought.
We had to get cattle in andfeed them for almost the whole
(03:17):
summer.
Last summer was wonderful, wedidn't feed any hay, it was
beautiful.
So each year is different forus and depending on how much
moisture we get, what the snowpack is, we adapt.
So New Mexico's it keeps us onour toes.
Carollann Romo (03:34):
No doubt, no doubt.
I don't think I've ever talkedto a rancher without hearing
about the drought or thestruggle with water and gush,
and it's a common, commonproblem throughout, throughout
the states.
What's the most rewarding partof being in the beef industry
for you?
Abby O'Connor (03:49):
for me it's the connections that you make with
you know all the others that areinvolved in the industry.
We are involved with theHereford Association at a
national level so we go to a lotof different shows across the
country and participate inleadership events and things of
that nature.
So you know we've got friendsacross the whole country that we
(04:11):
can.
You know, if we break down inIowa I could find somebody to
help me out.
So it's the people.
Everybody is just, you know,good old country people that are
just wonderful to work with.
And you, you, nine times out of10 won't find a bad rancher
that is unkind or just thepeople are are wonderful to work
(04:34):
with.
Carollann Romo (04:35):
I think that's an excellent example that, no
matter, no matter where you arein the country, there's somebody
, somebody there to lend a handand you've got the commonality
of of that.
You know, salt of the earthkind of people and the kindness
and generosity of our industry.
I think is really, reallyspecial.
Yeah, we talked about the landmanagement and New Mexico's
(04:55):
landscapes, but what issomething else that's a
challenge on your operation?
Abby O'Connor (05:10):
um, agriculture, whether it's beef or whatever
you're in, comes with, you know,more challenges and there are,
you know, positive aspects of it.
Each year is different.
You know we battle turbulentcattle markets and regulations
and so many different thingsthat it's hard to not focus on
the challenges.
We try to stay positive and dowhat we can and just enjoy the
ranching life and raising kidson the ranch and hope for rain,
(05:35):
and you know.
But yeah, there's a lot ofchallenges.
When it comes to the beefindustry, I think right now
we're at a really good time asfar as cattle prices.
We're historic highs, so rightnow there's not a lot to
complain about.
And we've gotten rain.
We had snow last week, so we'rehappy, so there's not a whole
(05:57):
lot that comes to mind this week.
But yeah, there's a millionthings thrown at us that we have
to battle each and every yearand it's hard for ranchers to
stay positive, but it'sdefinitely something that needs
to be at the forefront of yourmind.
Carollann Romo (06:16):
Absolutely so.
Can you give me an example ofhow you care for your cattle to
ensure their health andwell-being?
Abby O'Connor (06:24):
Yeah.
So cattle health and well-beingis probably the most, one of
the most important aspects ofraising cattle.
If you don't take care of them,they're not going to take care
of you.
So you've got to make sure thatthey are healthy and you have
the best genetics and the bestnutrition.
People don't realize that thereare nutritionists for cattle.
(06:48):
You know they have their ownspecial vets and doctors and
medicines and nutritionists andthere is so much science behind
what we do.
You know we're not just makingdecisions based off random.
You know we research and wefigure out the best genetics to
make what we're after, whetherit be, you know, the best beef
(07:12):
or the best breeding bull.
So what we do is not justrandom.
Um, so what we do is not justrandom.
What we do, since we've raisedseed stock cattle.
You know there's so muchresearch behind genetic markers
and EPDs and we can almost tellyou how much your calves are
(07:32):
going to weigh based on whatbull you buy from us.
So there's so much that goesinto these cattle before you
even have beef on your plate.
So the cattle industry is notby accident and we're not at
historic highs by accidenteither.
Carollann Romo (07:48):
Absolutely.
I think a lot of the or atleast a couple of the other
podcasts we've done we've talkedabout genetics and, to be
honest, we get a lot ofquestions and even kind of
concerns when we start talkingabout that.
So I did want to mention thatwhen we talk about the science
and the genetics of cattle, it'sabout breeding animals based on
whether they're you know, um,whether their temperament is
(08:11):
good, right, and so we want acalmer animal, because we want
to, you know, save our fencesand save our cowboys.
Or we want to, you know, abigger, better ribeye or a more
marbled ribeye, right, so thatwhen you're seeing that meat on
the shelf, it's things.
So I know genetics sounds scarysometimes, but for a customer,
for someone who's just buyingbeef at the grocery store, I
(08:32):
want to try and encourage that.
It's like when we bred dogs andwe started doing the doodle,
the poodle dogs, right, so thatpeople who were allergic to dogs
could now have dogs in theirhome, right?
What an excellent thing thatthey did through breeding.
And so when we're talkinggenetics and cattle, I just
wanted to kind of reiterate thatthat it's about breeding
animals to make a better animaland it's not some scary science
(08:56):
thing happening in a petri dishor something like that.
This is animals, this is justgood husbandry, and yeah.
Abby O'Connor (09:03):
So I just wanted to kind of yeah, it's not a
scary GMO type thing.
It's picking out a bull thatwill work correctly with your
cows and making sure that youknow that bull will, you know,
have calves that are smallenough for your heifers so that
there's no issues with labor, oryou know that bull will provide
(09:26):
your cows calves that can milkgood and have a big enough
ribeye to make enough money forus to keep doing what we're
doing and have a good endproduct.
So, yeah, it's not about scaryGMO research in the laboratory.
It's about picking cattle foryour ranch that work for you and
(09:46):
, you know, get to the end pointthat you're after.
Carollann Romo (09:50):
Absolutely.
And even that kind of ties intothe climate question, right.
A lot of times we're usingcertain breeds of cattle because
we're in New Mexico, so we needa cattle that can handle if it
gets a little hot out or or itgets a little cold, right.
That's the.
You know the high desert.
You have to take that intoconsideration when you're when
you're breeding cattle.
So, yeah, thank you for forclarifying that.
(10:10):
I think it's just an importantthing, and the goal of the
podcast too is that we hopesomeone's listening who doesn't
know that much about cattle inthe industry and we can help
them and show them where theirbeef is coming from and the
good-hearted and the good, justhonest people trying to create a
better product for customers.
Abby O'Connor (10:32):
Yeah.
Carollann Romo (10:32):
Yeah, what's one thing people don't know about
raising beef in New Mexico.
What's maybe something orsomething interesting?
We've already talked about alot of things already.
Abby O'Connor (10:45):
I think there's a lot of disconnect between
ranchers and maybe people thathave lived in a city their whole
life.
New Mexico is pretty rural asfar as people you know.
We don't have a whole lot ofbig cities.
Pretty rural as far as peopleyou know, we don't have a whole
lot of big cities.
So there's still a lot ofpeople that are connected to the
land through.
You know their grandpa was arancher or you know someone in
(11:07):
their family grows chili orsomething like that.
So New Mexico is good in thataspect.
But there are a lot of people inthe cities that have never seen
a cow or they don't know.
You know why?
Why do we raise cattle like Ican get beef at the grocery
store?
So there is a lot of disconnectand I think it's like the
(11:29):
national average is threegenerations back is the distance
between a person and the lastfarmer in their family, which is
kind of scary to think about.
That these people don't knowwhere their food comes from a
lot of times or they just haveno experience with it.
So our family really tries to begood stewards of what we do and
(11:52):
how we do it and tell our story.
You know we go to the statefair every year and everybody
wants to pet our cows and wealways say, yeah, you can pet
them.
They're friendly, they're showcows, so of course they can pet
them, because we pet them allthe time.
But just having that connectionlike oh, these people were nice
and let us pet their cows atthe state fair, that's one like
(12:14):
positive touch point.
But as far as a disconnect ofthem not knowing something about
the industry, probably a lot ofwhat we talked about as far as
this is like a business and it'snot by accident.
We don't just they're not ourpets we were very strategic
about the cattle we raise andwhy we raise them.
(12:35):
And you know we make sure we doit humanely.
We make sure that our pasturescan continue to support the
cattle.
Year after year we sit down andwe make plans for the year to
make sure everything will workout.
You know it's not just a throwcows out on the grass and hope
they survive.
So there's a lot that goes intoraising cattle.
Carollann Romo (12:59):
Absolutely, and even one thing I was talking to
someone else about is the factthat a lot of the land that
cattle live on isn't land thatcould be farmed.
You couldn't grow vegetables onit.
You might be able to grow somewheat or some grass, but it's
not arid land, and especially inNew Mexico, some of it gets a
(13:21):
little rough right, and so it'sland that we're the best, or the
maybe only use for it,agricultural wise, would be
cattle, yep.
Abby O'Connor (13:32):
Cattle are sheep, and that's most of the western
US.
I mean we can't build homes outhere, there's not enough water.
So putting cattle on the landis the highest and best use of
this property.
I mean we can't farm everything.
We can't produce enoughvegetables for us to survive off
of, you know, and beef is sonutritious and so dense in terms
(13:57):
of the nutrients we get, thatreally cattle on the land is the
best use, Whether and it's mostof the West Coast, but
especially in rocky regions orareas where it's especially dry,
like Southern New Mexico.
So yeah, absolutely Cattle.
People don't realize highestand best use is grazing the land
(14:18):
.
Carollann Romo (14:19):
Yeah, well, we're glad that you guys are
doing that and that the land isbeing used in such a way, so
kind of stepping, I guess,stepping out off the ranch and
into the office.
Tell me about your role withthe New Mexico Cattle Growers
Association.
Abby O'Connor (14:34):
Yeah, so switch hats.
I recently was hired with theNew Mexico Cattle Growers
Association.
I've been there almost twoyears now, but my family's been
involved with cattle growers fora very long time.
My granddad was the presidentback in the 90s, I think, so we
have a long history with cattlegrowers and it's a tremendous
(14:56):
association that represents, youknow, ranchers across the state
, private property owners, andyou know we stand up for our
rights as private propertyowners and make sure that we
have promotion out there sopeople know what we do as
ranchers and we also help try topick up our youth.
(15:17):
We offer scholarships, we offerinternships, Make sure that we
raise kids you know, start atthe bottom.
We gotta we gotta raise kidsthat are willing to work hard
and and do good from thebeginning.
But I'm the marketing directorat Cattle Growers so I get to do
a lot of the fun stuff.
I spend a lot of time in SantaFe during the legislative
(15:39):
session as well, so I get to beone of the faces of Cattle
Growers.
But it's it's a fun job.
It's a lot of fun.
Carollann Romo (15:46):
Yeah and thank you.
Thank you for what you do forthe industry, as as a member of
cattle or as an employee ofcattle growers.
Abby O'Connor (15:56):
Yeah, we appreciate that it's important.
Yeah, it's important work thatyou guys are doing.
We do a lot of different things, but it's a lot of fun.
Carollann Romo (16:00):
Yeah, is there?
Is there one thing, or maybeone or two things that you're
most excited about in your jobright now, that you're working
on or you've worked on recently?
Abby O'Connor (16:08):
Yeah, cattle growers in New Mexico has a lot
of momentum right now.
We've had very strong leadersover however many years that
have really pushed us into wherewe're at right now.
So we're seeing a growth inmembership now.
So we're seeing a growth inmembership.
(16:29):
We're seeing a growth in, youknow, donations to the
association so that we canimplement new programs.
This past year we implementedthe Linda Davis Young
Cattlemen's Leadership Academyand this is the first class, so
there's six participants.
A young cattleman is age 25 to35 is what we kind of figured in
our industry.
So we get to help these youngpeople learn how to be a good
(16:53):
rancher and how to representthemselves.
They spent three days in SantaFe this year meeting legislators
and learning the legislativeprocess and how that affects us
on our ranches back homelearning the legislative process
and how that affects us on ourranches back home.
But they'll also get to doranch tours and go to all of our
(17:14):
conferences and that's one ofthe most exciting things that
we've kicked off since I've beenthere.
We also have a lot of differentbattles we're fighting too.
Mexican wolves is somethingthat we've been struggling with
for years now.
Of course, they're not in ourbackyard, but in the southern
part of the state it can be aproblem for ranchers.
(17:47):
But there's also differentthings, like corridors from the
federal government that are atrisk of eminent domain and you
know there's always somethingcoming up the pipeline for
cattle growers.
But a lot of the more fun stuffis getting to work with the
kids and the youth and havethose programs that we can
educate people.
Carollann Romo (18:07):
Absolutely, and I was going to let you give a
plug too.
If you want more information onthe scholarships or what you
guys are working on, you guyshave a great website.
Abby O'Connor (18:16):
Yep, our website is nmagricultureorg.
Carollann Romo (18:19):
Perfect.
So if you want more informationon what Cattle Growers is doing
, please visit that, and they'vegot a great email newsletter
too.
Abby O'Connor (18:27):
Yes.
Carollann Romo (18:28):
If you're a you know rancher, cattleman,
cattlewoman on listening andyou're not a member, you can
look at how to how to become amember, get those emails, that
kind of stuff.
Abby O'Connor (18:37):
And and our Facebook is probably the most up
to date as far as stuff comingdown the pipeline all the time
so, and we host meetings all thetime across the whole state and
have two statewide conferencesand anybody's welcome to come to
those and visit with us andbecome members or learn what
we're doing.
Carollann Romo (18:56):
Yeah, yeah, we'll see a couple of those this
summer.
What about so?
Why do you do what you do?
So you have, you know, like yousaid, you've got a lot of hats
in your hands and a lot ofbaskets, but what makes you keep
doing it?
Abby O'Connor (19:13):
I think a lot of it is just, it's what we've
always done, it's what I grew updoing.
But you want to make sure thatthe land is taken care of and
there's a legacy behind it.
I want my two-year-old to havethe option is what we always say
.
She may not want to be arancher, but if she wants to, we
better make sure that she hasthat opportunity.
(19:34):
And that stems from not onlytaking care of your property and
maintaining the land and thecattle, but also standing up
from the legislative perspectiveor, you know, making sure that
you are doing the right thingsin terms of estate planning,
because that's a huge issue inour industry as well.
(19:55):
So a lot of it is just.
You know the legacy.
That's what ranchers pridethemselves on.
So, but you know, I'm I'm youngmyself, so I've still got,
however, many years to learn howto do this myself.
So maybe an older person wouldbe better to ask on that one.
But yeah, just making sure thatyour kids have the option to do
(20:17):
it if they, if they want to.
Carollann Romo (20:19):
I think that's a great way to put it and I think
that family legacy is sospecial and so neat to see,
especially, like you said, withthe sixth generation sitting on
your lap a few minutes ago.
Abby O'Connor (20:28):
Yeah.
Carollann Romo (20:29):
That's very, very special and something you
should be proud of.
So kind of getting to the end.
Is there anything else you'dlike to add about the beef
industry, about your ranch, yourfamily cattle growers, anything
else?
Abby O'Connor (20:42):
I mean, you know the industry is changing and it
always is changing whatdifferent types of cattle we
raise or the trends, and youknow what people want to eat.
Back in the 50s they wantedfatter cattle so they could have
lard to cook.
You know it's always changing,but I think cattle have their
(21:10):
place and they will remain thatway.
When we go feed a group ofpeople from the from town that
aren't ranchers, you know we eatbeef every day but they'll
always opt for the beef option,unless you know a few don't.
But it's hopeful and bright forour future as ranchers.
But we have to continue toadapt and change our practices
based off of you know theclimate and how much rain we get
every year.
You know we've got a plan forthe future, with maybe less
(21:34):
water is what they tell us.
So you know continuing tomaintain what we've got and
adapt to.
You know what's coming down thepipeline and stay abreast of
the challenges ahead of us.
And that's what we will do andthat's what we've always done.
So as ranchers, we don't havean option.
Carollann Romo (21:55):
Yeah, I couldn't have said it better.
We hope beef stays the king ofprotein and I know, always
growing up and still now.
If you want to celebratesomething, always growing up and
still now.
If you want to celebratesomething, it's yeah.
We always joke.
We say winner, winner, steakfor dinner as a play on that
other saying but we, okay, andthen one last thing, one last
question would be what is yourfavorite way to eat steak, or
(22:17):
maybe a favorite recipe that youcould tease and we could get it
on our website?
Abby O'Connor (22:21):
Yeah, I was thinking about that this morning
.
One thing we cook a lot, whichis mostly during the wintertime
when it's colder out, is greenchili stew, and I know everybody
has.
Every New Mexican has theirtake on a green chili stew, but
my mom makes a fabulous one withground beef in it, so we eat
that a lot.
We eat beef almost every meal,but that's one of my favorites
(22:43):
is a green chili stew almostevery meal, but that's one of my
favorites is a green chili stew.
Carollann Romo (22:49):
Yep, I think we definitely have a green chili
stew recipe on the website, butwe'll have to see if it's Abby
O'Connor approved.
Abby O'Connor (22:52):
Everybody has their own.
Yeah, absolutely.
Carollann Romo (22:55):
Absolutely Well.
Thank you so much for joiningthe podcast.
We really appreciate hearingabout your role with cattle
growers, about your familyThanks for letting us get a peek
at your sweet, sweet daughter.
And yeah, thank you again.
Yeah, family Thanks for lettingus get a peek at your sweet,
sweet daughter.
Abby O'Connor (23:07):
And yeah, thank you again.
Carollann Romo (23:08):
Yeah, absolutely Thanks for having me Behind the
Burger is a podcast produced bythe New Mexico Beef Council
with the goal of telling thestories of the cattlemen and
cattlewomen of the New Mexicobeef industry.
Thank you for joining us fortoday's episode.
If you'd like more information,please visit nmbeefcom.
Whether it be a burger, a steakor another beef dish, we hope
(23:29):
you're enjoying beef at yournext meal.
Host
Carollann Romo
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