Secondary Ranch Incomes, cont.

  • A more in-depth resource directory and how-to guide for secondary ranch incomes will be published in 2011.
  • The NM Department of Tourism has a new eco-tourism program, and they have demonstrated an interest in including farms and ranches in this program.

Marketing:

  • As many of you may know, BII-NM in partnership with NMDA received a grant from the USDA to carry out background work for the development of a New Mexico branded beef program. BII-NM staff have spoken with numerous prospective buyers of New Mexico beef, including independent grocery stores, food service distributors, and restaurant chains.
  • These buyers have provided important insight into the market for New Mexico beef and what kinds of attributes a branded program would need to have to meet their needs.
  • Based on this research, BII-NM is currently developing several potential “value chain” models for the branded beef program, including a seasonal New Mexico choice product to be directed at food-service, a year-round select product for independent grocery stores, and a premium grass-finished product for high-end restaurants and grocers.
  • Once these scenarios are finalized, an NMSU researcher will be contracted to assess which of these scenarios has the highest likelihood of bringing higher returns back to the producer.

Cattle Health:

  • The NM Cattle Health Task Force has been working to develop extensive, season-specific modules that will assist producers to implement Best Management Practices on their ranches.
  • In April, BII-NM with sponsorship from the Cattlegrowers’ Foundation applied for a USDA Risk Management Agency grant to take these BMP modules out to ranchers. If funded, the project would include quarterly BMP trainings in 15 locations across the state, one-on-one technical assistance on BMPs and value-added cattle marketing. It will also include a BII-NM section in the New Mexico Stockman magazine and free subscriptions to the magazine for underserved producers.

Intra-Industry Coordination:

  • Remember the BII-NM website has a calendar. If you’re looking to find out about what’s going on, take a look at the calendar. Or if you’ve got an event you’d like to publicize, email Michelle at .

Regional Collaborations:

  • Also included in the grant proposal mentioned above is an effort to help existing or new cattle associations to increase revenues and decrease costs through collaboration, such as collective input buying, or collaborative marketing.