Agriculture & Horticulture
Our county's agriculture must remain competitive within local, national and even international markets. This requires a continuous flow of appropriate technology addressing local needs within New Mexico. Our Extension program works to maintain and strengthen programs that address these needs. Water is one of the most important limiting resources for our county's agriculture. All aspects of water use affect agricultural efficiency and profitability. Water management will become more critical as water demands for urbanization and industrialization increase.
In April 2002, the county extension agent began conducting Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs. This class covers basic materials from where and how to injections. Now, the state’s beef producers have clear directions on recommended needle sizes and types for vaccination. In addition, the program has expanded to cover how beef quality is measured, how to treat sick animals, and monitoring drug withdrawal time, as well as the influence of calf health on beef quality. Other topics include drug storage and the cost of defects associated with decreased beef quality. Finally, the program concentrates on good record keeping. Recommended data includes individual animal identification, date treated, product administered and dosage used. It also emphasizes recording the route and location of injection, who administered the product and the date the animal will clear a withdrawal period. The educational program has two levels. Those who attend the training sessions and pass a brief written test receive a certificate as Beef Quality Assurance Trained Producers. Those who want to use the program as a marketing tool for their livestock need to complete two additional requirements. For more information about the BQA program and when programs will be conducted, please contact Kathy Landers at the McKinley County Extension Office.
Range Management
McKinley County consists of over 4 million acres of land. Of which 53.68% is Indian land, 27.23% is Federal land, 14.51% is deeded land and 4.58% is State land. In addition to traditional range management issues, issues often arise on Indian lands where range practices are considerably different from other lands. The Navajo Nation has free-range conditions on grazing areas. This can create considerable difficulties when trying to maintain proper range management. Management practices should be implemented by these producers to ensure the viability of the land.
Livestock Production
There is well over 110,000 (horses, cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and chickens) animals on McKinley County Ranches and small farms. Livestock producers range from those with only a few animals on a few acres to a few large producers operating on extensive ranch holdings. The agricultural industry includes nearly 60% of all county residents predicted to be 69,000 in 2000. Of those 71.8% are Native American, 15.8% Anglo, 11.3% Hispanic, and 1.1% other. The majority of producers in McKinley County raise cattle, sheep or both. Many of these animals are produced on the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation has open range grazing where livestock from several producers may share the same pasture. In addition, shipping and marketing problems have risen due to the proximity of the land to points of sale. Culture and tradition also play a large part in production practices.